SAL1 Delmarva Shorebirds

Heartbreak in Greensboro, 5-4 Walkoff Defeat

Published on April 16, 2015 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Delmarva Shorebirds News Release


GREENSBORO, N.C. -- In a ninth inning full of twists and turns, the Delmarva Shorebirds went from elation to devastation in the matter of minutes. The Greensboro Grasshoppers stole the series opener with two runs in the bottom of the ninth for a 5-4 walkoff win.

In their first road game of the year, Delmarva didn't waste any time getting comfortable. After a 45-minute rain delay, the Shorebirds scored in the opening moments of the game. Jay Gonzalez and Ronarsy Ledesma both singled on the first pitch they saw, and Alex Murphy lifted a sacrifice fly for a 1-0 lead.

Going on the road to a hitter friendly park, the long ball played a huge role in Thursday's opener. In the second inning, John Norwood skied a two-run home run to left field, the first home run surrendered by Shorebirds' starter Brian Gonzalez in his professional career.

A controversial call in the third inning prevented the Shorebirds from mounting a bigger rally. Gonzalez laced a line drive towards shortstop Aaron Blanton, low to the ground. The home plate umpire initially ruled that the ball hit the dirt, and Gonzalez beat a late throw from Blanton. The umpiring crew consulted, overturning the call to a catch and out. After a single and pickoff, Alex Murphy blasted a game-tying solo home run, the first long ball by a Shorebird this season.

The offenses went quiet until the seventh inning when Blanton sneaked a wall-scraping home run over the right field fence. The solo shot off Dariel Delgado gave Greensboro a 3-2 advantage.

The ninth inning was full of drama with both sides rallying with two outs. After Luis Castillo retired the first two batters of the top of the ninth, Jomar Reyes singled to keep the game alive. Riley Palmer crushed a deep drive to right-center, a go-ahead two-run home run for Delmarva.

In the bottom half, Zeke McGranahan came out to secure a 4-3 win and got two quick outs. A throwing error kept the inning and game alive for Greensboro, putting the tying run aboard. Blanton knocked an RBI triple into the right-field corner to tie the game at 4-4. After a hit-by-pitch, Casey Soltis bounced a walk-off single down the third base line, finishing a 5-4 win for the Grasshoppers.

The Delmarva Shorebirds will try to rebound in game two of the four-game series on Friday night. Right-hander Matthew Grimes (0-0, 10.38) starts for Delmarva against Marlins' top prospect Tyler Kolek (0-0, 6.23) for Greensboro. First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 pm at NewBridge Bank Park.

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South Atlantic League Stories from April 16, 2015


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