Shorebirds Swept by Cannon Ballers in Doubleheader
Delmarva Suffers Fourth Straight Loss to Kannapolis
SALISBURY, MD: The Delmarva Shorebirds (29-56, 6-13) were swept in Friday's doubleheader by the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (44-41, 11-8), losing game one 6-3 and game two 2-1.
GAME 1
The Cannon Ballers took an early lead in the first inning, using sacrifice flies from Nick McLain and Christian Gonzalez to go up 2-0. They scored two more runs in the inning on an RBI single by Alexander Albertus and a passed ball that plated Albertus from third, making it 4-0.
Delmarva came back with one run in the bottom of the first, as DJ Layton scored on a passed ball, making it 4-1.
In the fourth, the Shorebirds struck for two more runs on an RBI single by Junior Aybar and a run-scoring groundout by Jose Perez, trimming the deficit to 4-3.
Alexander Albertus (2) got one of those runs back with a solo home run to put the Cannon Ballers back up two, 5-3, in the fifth.
An inning later, Kannapolis added another insurance run on a run-scoring double by Nick McLain with two outs, giving the Cannon Ballers a 6-3 advantage.
The Shorebirds were unable to rally in the final inning and fell 6-3 in the first game of the doubleheader.
Caedmon Parker (4-4) earned the win as the starter for Kannapolis, while Delmarva's starting pitcher, Brayan Orrantia (0-6), took the loss. Landen Payne (8) recorded the final three outs to secure the save.
GAME 2
The second game of the twin bill was a pitcher's duel between the starters Stephen Still for Delmarva and Gabe Tanner for Kannapolis.
With the game scoreless in the fifth, the Cannon Ballers broke the stalemate after a pivotal Delmarva error, scoring the first run on a fielder's choice off the bat of Jurderick Profar, taking a 1-0 lead. They added another run on an RBI single by Erasmi Rodriguez to go in front 2-0.
Gabe Tanner pitched five scoreless innings for Kannapolis, and Delmarva tried to capitalize after he departed by loading the bases with one out in the sixth, but two consecutive shallow fly balls kept them from scoring.
They didn't go down without a fight in the final inning, as Junior Aybar (2) cut the deficit in half with a solo home run. The Shorebirds put the tying run on first after Félix Amparo was hit by a pitch, but they couldn't bring him home. They were swept in the doubleheader, losing Game 2 by a final score of 2-1.
Gabe Tanner (2-2) was the winning pitcher for Kannapolis, while Stephen Still (1-4) took the loss. Jesus Mendez (2) earned the save.
The Shorebirds will seek their first win of the week on Saturday, with Christian Rodriguez taking the mound against Alexander Martinez for Kannapolis. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM.