Shorebirds Settle the Score in Game 2 with Comeback Win over Fredericksburg
Ortega's 8th-Inning Home Run Lifts Delmarva to Bounce-Back Victory
FREDERICKSBURG, VA: The Delmarva Shorebirds (4-7) evened the series with the Fredericksburg Nationals (6-5) on Wednesday afternoon with 1 7-5 victory.
The Shorebirds struck first in the top of the third when Raylin Ramos put Delmarva in front with an RBI double. He scored moments later on a single by Jordan Sanchez, making it 2-0.
In the fourth, Juan Ortega extended the lead with a successful squeeze bunt, and Luis Almeyda scored from third, putting Delmarva ahead 3-0.
Fredericksburg got one of those runs back in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI single by Jack Moroknek, trimming Delmarva's lead to 3-1.
Kiefer Lord delivered another strong start for Delmarva, going a career-high five innings, allowing just one run on two hits and recording eight strikeouts.
Delmarva extended its lead in the sixth on a sacrifice by Félix Amparo, scoring DJ Layton from third and putting the Shorebirds back up three at 4-1.
The Nationals quickly responded with an RBI fielder's choice off the bat of Jack Moroknek, pulling them back to within two at 4-2.
Two big swings in the seventh gave them their first lead, with an inside-the-park home run by Eli Willits and a go-ahead, two-run homer by Ronny Cruz, giving Fredericksburg a 5-4 advantage.
However, the Shorebirds came back with a big answer as Juan Ortega put Delmarva back in front with a three-run homer in the top of the eighth, his first home run of the year, which put the Shorebirds back in the lead at 7-5.
Denton Biller rebounded after the three-run seventh inning by Fredericksburg and kept them off the board in the final two innings, giving the Shorebirds a bounce-back victory as they topped the Nationals 7-5 to even the series.
The win was awarded to Denton Biller (1-0) in relief, marking his first professional win, with Cesar Rojas (1-1) taking the loss for Fredericksburg.
Delmarva will seek back-to-back wins and the series lead on Thursday, as Brayan Orrantia takes the mound against Nolan Hughes for Fredericksburg. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 PM.