Levy Homer, Love Quality Start Not Enough in Greensboro Mullins Extends Hitting Streak to Seventeen
GREENSBORO, NC – Stuart Levy hit a game-tying solo homer in the top of the seventh for Delmarva, but Greensboro came back to win 3-2 in the series opener on Tuesday night at NewBridge Bank Park.
Ryan Mountcastle got the Shorebirds on the board in the top of the first. Cedric Mullins opened the game by out-hustling a throw to second base on a ball lined into the left-center field gap. Mullins went to third on Ricardo Andujar’s ground out and then Mountcastle lifted a sacrifice fly to center field to put Delmarva ahead early.
While the Grasshoppers couldn’t push home a run in the second with the bases loaded, they didn’t miss a chance to tie the game in the third. Angel Reyes whacked an RBI double to the right-center field fence, scoring Justin Twine all the way from first. Reyes was thrown out trying to stretch the hit to a triple, but Greensboro tied the game anyway.
Greensboro (64-57, 26-25) added a second run with a two out RBI single from Giovanny Alfonzo in the bottom of the fourth to take a 2-1 lead.
Reid Love and Cody Poteet both gave their teams solid efforts over six innings. Poteet left in line to take a win but the ‘Birds wouldn’t give in.
With two outs in the top of the seventh inning, Kyle Keller (3-2) grooved Stuart Levy a fastball up and over the middle of the plate. Levy smashed a 401 foot blast to the deepest part of the park for a game-tying solo homer. Levy’s second trip around the bases made it a 2-2 game at the stretch.
But Greensboro answered right back. The Grasshoppers scored a run against Jay Flaa (5-1) in the bottom of the seventh to take a 3-2 lead back. It could have been worse though. With the bases loaded and one out, Angel Reyes flew a ball into shallow right-center field for the second out. Giovanny Alfonzo appeared to have tagged and scored a fourth Greensboro run. But the Shorebirds noticed he left the bag early and appealed the call. Umpire Sam Dodson called him out to end the inning still 3-2.
Unfortunately, Delmarva (62-58, 20-31) did not get a hit the rest of the night. The Shorebirds struck out 12 times, 10 of which came from the fifth inning through the end of the game.
The series continues on Wednesday night between Delmarva and Greensboro at 7:00. Brendan Gulick will have the broadcast beginning with Shorebirds On-Deck at 6:45 pm on Fox Sports AM 960 and online at theshorebirds.com.
Delmarva Shorebirds
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The Delmarva Shorebirds are the Class “A” Affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. The Shorebirds are owned by 7th Inning Stretch, LLC, the same company that owns the Stockton Ports of the California League and the Everett AquaSox of the Northwest League.
The Shorebirds celebrated their 20th season in 2015, and have entertained nearly five million fans since beginning play at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium in Salisbury, Md. in 1996. The team has captured South Atlantic League titles in 1997 and 2000 while successfully hosting the South Atlantic League All-Star Game in 1999 and 2011.
For more information on the Shorebirds, call 410-219-3112 or visit theshorebirds.com.
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Brendan Gulick
Delmarva Shorebirds, Class A Affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles
Director of Broadcasting