Stiven Martinez's Late Grand Slam Lifts Shorebirds to Victory Over Cannon Ballers
Delmarva Ends Five-Game Losing Streak
KANNAPOLIS, NC: The Delmarva Shorebirds (45-86, 22-43) returned to the win column with an 8-5 win over the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (70-61, 37-28) on Saturday.
In his final start of the year, Collin McKinney delivered another strong performance, allowing no runs over three innings and recording three strikeouts.
Kannapolis capitalized on a Delmarva error to score the game's first run in the fifth on a sacrifice fly by Alexander Albertus, giving them a 1-0 lead.
The Shorebirds scored their first run to even the game in the sixth thanks to some craftiness on the basepaths. A successful first-and-third play scored Carlos Sanchez, while Jhomnardo Reyes took second, making it 1-1. Delmarva then took the lead on an RBI groundout from Jemone Nuel, as Reyes crossed home plate to give the Shorebirds their first lead at 2-1.
In the bottom half of the sixth, Kannapolis tied the game on a sacrifice bunt by Efren Teran with a runner at third, making it 2-2.
The Shorebirds scored two more runs in the sixth on RBI singles from Carlos Sanchez and Jimmy Anderson, reclaiming a 4-2 lead.
Another unearned run for Kannapolis scored on a passed ball in the bottom of the seventh, making it a one-run game at 4-3.
In the eighth, Stiven Martinez (14) delivered the biggest swing of the night, launching a 422-foot grand slam that gave the Shorebirds their largest lead of the game, 8-3.
A two-run double by Gavin Fitzwater gave Kannapolis new life in the bottom of the eighth, making it an 8-5 game.
However, Javier González would slam the door, recording the final four outs to preserve an 8-5 win for Delmarva and end their five-game losing streak.
Kailen Hamson (6-4) earned the win in relief, and Javier González (2) recorded his second save. Ryan Schiefer (4-3) took the loss for Kannapolis.
Delmarva concludes the 2026 season on Sunday, with the series finale against the Cannon Ballers scheduled for 1:30 PM.