SAL1 Delmarva Shorebirds

Curran Slam Backs Guance, 'Birds

May 1, 2019 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Delmarva Shorebirds News Release


COLUMBIA, SC - The Delmarva Shorebirds assured a new month wouldn't change their winning ways, scoring eight unanswered to begin the game and holding on to beat the Columbia Fireflies 8-5 on Wednesday morning at Segra Park.

Hector Guance (1-0) earned his first win for the Shorebirds (19-4), taking a no-hit bid into the sixth and allowing two runs on one hit over 5.1 innings, walking four and striking out five. Simeon Woods Richardson (0-3) was saddled with the loss for the Fireflies (8-17), giving up five runs on six hits in 3.1 frames. Tim Naughton earned his league-leading fifth save by entering with the bases loaded in the eighth and getting the final five outs.

Delmarva once again got on the board early, doing heavy damage in the top of the second. Ryne Ogren legged out a leadoff infield hit, then Jean Carlos Encarnacion drew a walk, the first free pass Woods-Richardson had issued all year. Andrew Fregia then chipped a single into left center, bringing up Seamus Curran, who cracked a towering fly to right center for a grand slam. Curran's fourth homer of the year, the Shorebirds' second slam, gave Delmarva an instant 4-0 lead.

The Shorebirds added on in the fourth. Fregia led off with a base hit and promptly stole second. After a strikeout and a pitching change, Robbie Thorburn cracked a single into right, scoring Fregia to make it 5-0. Adam Hall followed with a double, moving Thorburn up to third, and Doran Turchin lifted a sac fly into right to put the Shorebirds up 6-0.

Delmarva got another run each in the fifth and sixth on a Fregia base hit and Ogren bases-loaded walk, respectively, pushing the lead to 8-0.

Despite several walks and a couple HBPs, Guance got through five no-hit innings, coaxing a pair of double plays to end the fourth and fifth. After striking out Walter Rasquin to begin the sixth, Guance walked Anthony Dirocie, and Brian Sharp clubbed a two-run line drive homer to right, ending the no-hit bid and the shutout to cut the lead to 8-2. Guance was lifted in favor of Zach Matson after the Sharp blast.

Columbia peeled off a few more runs in the bottom of the eighth. Matson walked four in the inning, including Chase Chambers with the bases loaded to force in a run. Naughton was brought in with the bases still loaded and one down; after a strikeout, Hayden Senger notched a two-run single to right center, cutting the Delmarva lead to 8-5. With the tying run at bat, Naughton got Wagner Lagrange to fly out to medium right field, ending the threat.

Naughton issued one walk in the ninth but got three strikeouts around it, bouncing back from a rough outing on Saturday for his fifth save.

Fregia had his best game of the year at the plate for the Shorebirds, going 3-for-4 with two runs, an RBI, and a stolen base. Curran finished 2-for-4 with the grand slam. Thorburn went 2-for-5 with a run and RBI in the nine-hole, and Hall and Ben Breazeale each had two-hit games with a run scored.

Senger had two of the Fireflies' three hits and reached all four times he came to bat, going 2-for-2 with a walk, HBP, and two RBIs.

With the victory the Shorebirds clinched their sixth series win in their first eight. Each of the last four series wins have been sweeps.

The Shorebirds go for their fifth series sweep in the Thursday night finale against the Fireflies. Blaine Knight (2-0, 0.87) puts his 16.2-inning scoreless streak on the line for Delmarva against Columbia's Jose Butto (0-3, 6.16). First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m., and pregame coverage on Fox Sports 960 AM and the MiLB First Pitch App begins at 6:50 with Will DeBoer on the call.

Check out the Delmarva Shorebirds Statistics



South Atlantic League Stories from May 1, 2019


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