Delgado, Levy Go Back-To-Back For Extra Inning Win Shorebirds Clinch Winning Road Trip in Greensboro
Courtesy of Brendan Gulick with the Delmarva Shorebirds…..
GREENSBORO, NC – In a back-and-forth game all night long, Delmarva got two consecutive homers in the top of the tenth inning to beat the Greensboro Grasshoppers, 5-2 on Thursday night at NewBridge Bank Park.
Alex Murphy opened the scoring in the top of the first for the Shorebirds (63-58, 21-31) with a two out RBI single to left field. Murphy drove home his first run since July 31st to give Delmarva a lead before Francisco Jimenez even took the mound. Two out hitting seemed contagious early in the evening as Randolph Gassaway thrashed a single to left field, bolstering Delmarva’s lead to 2-0 in the top of the third.
Francisco Jimenez pitched very well through the first four innings. He faced only one batter over the minimum and then worked around a two-base throwing error to open the fifth inning. But he couldn’t get through six innings as hoped. Jimenez allowed a solo homer to Justin Twine in the top of the sixth inning and then allowed a two out single, forcing Ryan Minor to summon Mike Burke. Burke struck out Aaron Blanton with the tying run in scoring position, preserving Jimenez’s chance for a win. He finished with 5.2 innings, scattering four hits with three strikeouts.
But Burke couldn’t keep the lead for the Shorebirds. Two soft doubles to right field brought home the tying run in the bottom of the seventh. Delmarva and Greensboro ( 64-58, 26-26) went to the eighth deadlocked at 2-2.
The game remained tied at 2-2 into the ninth, where Ricardo Andujar had a chance to put Delmarva ahead. But he struck out with the bases loaded and two outs. Marcus Crescentini had entered the game and walked Levy and Mullins, while allowing a single to Turbin.
In the bottom of the ninth, Lex Rutledge issued a one out walk to Stone Garrett, but got John Silviano to ground out to second base. Garrett, the winning run, moved to second base and Ryan Minor decided to go to his bullpen again. Christian Turnipseed came on in a big situation, and as he’s done several times throughout the season, he delivered in the clutch. Turnipseed induced a ground out to third base to force extra innings with the game still tied at 2-2.
That set the stage for a big tenth inning. After Mountcastle popped out and Gassaway struck out, Alex Murphy extended the inning with a single to center field. The very next pitch to Natanael Delgado was crushed to the deepest part of the ballpark (just left of dead center field) for a 4-2 lead. Stuart Levy followed Delgado blast with his third homer of the season to put Delmarva ahead 5-2.
Christian Turnipseed (2-4) locked the game down in the bottom of the tenth after allowing a walk and single to open the inning. He struck out the final two batters of the game.
Delmarva comes home on Friday night for a four game series over the weekend against the Lakewood BlueClaws, Class A Affiliates of the Philadelphia Phillies. First pitch is set for 7:05 pm at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium. Brendan Gulick will have the broadcast beginning with Shorebirds On-Deck at 6:50 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.