Rodriguez Fans Ten, 'Birds Ride Big Fourth
July 26, 2019 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Delmarva Shorebirds News Release
SALISBURY, MD - Backed by a four-run fourth inning and a spectacular start from Grayson Rodriguez, the Delmarva Shorebirds prevailed over the Charleston RiverDogs 4-3 on Friday night at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium.
Rodriguez (8-3), the Orioles' No. 1 prospect and No. 51 in all of Minor League Baseball, picked up his first win since June 25 for the Shorebirds (24-11, 72-32), tossing five scoreless three-hit innings, walking two and tying a career high with 10 strikeouts. This was the third time this season Rodriguez has punched out 10 in a game.
Yoendrys Gomez (0-1) was saddled with the loss for the RiverDogs (14-21, 51-54) after going six innings and allowing four runs on seven hits and a walk with four strikeouts. Ruben Garcia picked up his second save of the year for the Shorebirds, firing 2.1 perfect innings with four strikeouts.
After the game went scoreless for the first three innings, Delmarva struck gold in the fourth. Johnny Rizer singled to open the frame and Zach Watson moved him to third with a double down the left field line. Jaylen Ferguson brought both of them home as he laced a triple to dead center, making it 2-0 Shorebirds. On the very next pitch, Ryne Ogren lashed an RBI double to the right field corner to put Delmarva up by three. Seamus Curran followed Ogren with a bouncing RBI single up the middle to cap off the four-run frame and put the Shorebirds up 4-0.
Charleston got their offense going in the sixth. Canaan Smith singled to begin the frame and later moved to second on a balk. After two flyouts, Oliver Dunn lofted a popup to the left side of the infield that got lost in the lights, allowing Smith to score and Dunn to pull into second with an RBI double, making it 4-1.
The RiverDogs closed the gap to one in the seventh. Max Burt ripped a double to start the inning and scored two batters later when Brandon Lockridge knocked a single to right. After Smith walked, Josh Stowers roped a ground-rule double to left, scoring Lockridge and making it a one run game at 4-3. With the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position, Garcia came on out of the bullpen and induced a groundout to escape the jam before firing the final two frames in to seal the game.
In the fourth inning, the Shorebirds posted six consecutive hits, which tied a season-long set back on June 14 against the Hickory Crawdads. In addition to his RBI single, Curran had the only other non-fourth inning base knock for Delmarva, finishing 2-for-4. Ferguson went 1-for-3 with his two-run triple, a run, a walk, and a stolen base.
Lockridge went 3-for-5 with a run scored to lead the RiverDog attack.
The Shorebirds and the RiverDogs meet up again on Saturday night. Dallas Litscher (0-0, 0.00) makes his Delmarva team debut while Josh Maciejewski (0-0, 0.00) makes his first appearance for Charleston. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. with gates opening at 4:00 for batting practice. Saturday night at Perdue Stadium is Strike Out Cancer Night with the Shorebirds wearing special Strike Out Cancer jersey that will be auctioned off during the game on the second level concourse. Proceeds from the Strike Out Cancer jerseys benefit the Shorebirds' Fly Together fund. Brooke's Toy Closet will also be hosting a toy drive for that provides toys and goodies for PRMC's Emergency Department and Pediatrics Unit. After the game there will be Q105 Fireworks presented by Market Street Inn & MoJo's. Pregame coverage on Fox Sports 960 AM and the MiLB First Pitch App begins at 6:50 with Will DeBoer and Sam Jellinek on the call.
South Atlantic League Stories from July 26, 2019
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- Aggressive Tourists Take out Crawdads - Asheville Tourists
- Back-To-Back Home Runs Not Enough in Game One - Lexington Legends
- Rodriguez Fans Ten, 'Birds Ride Big Fourth - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Rinehart Shines in Relief Despite Walk-Off Loss - Charleston Dirty Birds
- Mendoza Drives in Five in 7-3 Win - Hagerstown Suns
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- Fireflies Game Notes: July 26 vs. Hagerstown (Game 101) - Columbia Fireflies
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