Shorebirds Offense Comes Up Clutch Again in Second Straight Win Over Fredericksburg
Carlos Sanchez Puts Delmarva Over the Top with Go-Ahead Triple
SALISBURY, MD: The Delmarva Shorebirds (44-81, 21-38) secured a second straight win over the Fredericksburg Nationals (73-51, 27-31) with a 7-6 victory on Saturday.
The Shorebirds produced the first runs of the game on a throwing error by Rafael Ramirez Jr., allowing two runs to score and giving Delmarva a 2-0 advantage.
Collin McKinney shined in his home debut for the Shorebirds, as the ninth-round pick from Arizona threw three scoreless innings, struck out three, and allowed only one baserunner on a hit.
Delmarva extended their lead with an RBI infield single by Stiven Martinez, scoring Ty Head and making it 3-0.
Fredericksburg scored their first run on an RBI single by Coy James in the fifth, narrowing the deficit to 3-1.
The Shorebirds answered immediately with an RBI double from Adriander Mejia in the bottom half of the inning, putting Delmarva back up by three at 4-1.
In the sixth, Delmarva scored two more runs on run-producing hits by Carlos Sanchez and Jemone Nuel, giving the Shorebirds their largest lead at 6-1.
That advantage was quickly erased as the Fred Nats roared back, scoring five runs in the seventh on four hits and three walks to even the game at six.
It remained tied until Carlos Sanchez delivered his biggest hit as a Shorebird, a go-ahead RBI triple with two outs in the eighth, putting Delmarva back in front 7-6.
In the ninth, Adrian Heredia retired the side in order with two strikeouts to preserve the Shorebirds' second consecutive victory, 7-6.
Isaac Silva (1-0) earned his professional victory, while Adrian Heredia (1) recorded the first save of his pro career. Cesar Rojas (3-4) took the loss for Fredericksburg.
The Shorebirds close out the home season on Sunday as they seek a series split against the Fred Nats, with first pitch at 2:05 PM.