SAL1 Delmarva Shorebirds

Late Blasts Not Enough for 'Birds in Opener

Published on July 14, 2018 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Delmarva Shorebirds News Release


CHARLESTON, WV - Late home runs from Will Robertson and Ryan Ripken weren't enough for the Delmarva Shorebirds, who snapped their three-game winning streak with a 4-3 loss to the West Virginia Power on Saturday night at Appalachian Power Park.

Ike Schlabach (6-1) picked up the win in relief for the Power (12-10, 49-39), allowing one run on three hits over 4.1 innings. Brenan Hanifee (7-4) suffered his first loss since June 12 for the Shorebirds (14-9, 49-41), giving up three runs on six hits over five innings while walking one and striking out none. Samuel Reyes nailed down his third save by handling the eighth and ninth.

West Virginia broke the ice in the bottom of the second. Deon Stafford led off by lining one off Hanifee's leg for a single. After a flyout, Ryan Peurifoy grounded out to third to advance Stafford to second. Jesse Medrano then poked one into left for a base hit. Stafford raced around to the plate at the same time as Zach Jarrett's throw, but Jean Carrillo couldn't make the clean catch and Stafford slid in safely to put the Power up 1-0.

Delmarva got that run back in the top of the third. Cadyn Grenier doubled with two out, then after a walk to Jarrett, Trevor Craport roped a single into left, scoring Grenier to make it 1-1 and knock West Virginia starter Travis MacGregor out of the game.

In the home half of the third the Power went in front to stay. Oneil Cruz and Stafford each singled with two out with backup catcher Raul Hernandez taking Stafford's place at first. Cruz led the way on a double steal, then Ben Bengtson lifted one to deep center and all the way to the wall, scoring both runners to give West Virginia another lead at 3-1.

Bengtson factored into another run in the sixth, leading off with a double and advancing to third on a deep flyout. Medrano then kicked a hard grounder to short that Grenier mishandled, allowing Bengtson to score and boosting the Power lead to 4-1.

Robertson and Ripken powered Delmarva back into the game in back-to-back innings. In the seventh, Robertson cracked a towering flyball down the left field line that stayed fair and landed across Smith Street. In the eighth, Ripken golfed an opposite-field shot to left, landing on Smith Street again. The two solo shots got the Shorebirds back within one at 4-3.

In the top of the ninth, Carrillo led off with a sharp line drive to the right field corner, but Calvin Mitchell laid out for a full-extension dive parallel to the turf to make a spectacular catch. Robertson followed with a single to get the tying run on base, but the momentum was back with Reyes, who struck out Kirvin Moesquit and Grenier to finish off the night.

Robertson and Ripken each went 3-for-4 with a solo home run, their seventh and sixth round-trippers of the year, respectively. Grenier went 1-for-4 with a double, run, and walk; through his first nine professional games, six of his eight hits have gone for extra bases (five doubles, one triple).

Bengtson finished 3-for-4 with three doubles, a run, and two RBIs. Medrano went 1-for-4 with two RBIs and three stolen bases, leading a West Virginia stampede that stole seven bags on eight attempts.

The Shorebirds make a quick turnaround for a Sunday afternoon rematch against the Power. Luis Perez (1-1, 2.45) takes the hill for Delmarva against West Virginia's Domingo Robles (7-5, 3.11). First pitch is set for 2:05 p.m., and pregame coverage on Fox Sports 960 AM and the MiLB First Pitch App begins at 1:50 with Will DeBoer on the call.

Check out the Delmarva Shorebirds Statistics

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South Atlantic League Stories from July 14, 2018


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