Josenberger, Tejada blast walkoff homers on IronBirds 9-game homestand

By: Michael Marcantonini

​​The Aberdeen IronBirds just wrapped up their longest homestand so far this season with five wins in nine games at Leidos Field at Ripken Stadium. The IronBirds won five of six over the rival Brooklyn Cyclones, before dropping all three games against the Greensboro Grasshoppers.

The IronBirds got off to a fast start on the homestand and held the Cyclones to just four runs in their three straight wins to start the series. The Cyclones came back with a win to end the IronBirds’ season-high-tying five-game winning streak, but the Birds answered with back-to-back wins to end the series. The Birds put up eight runs in three of the six games, including 11 in the series finale, and outscored Brooklyn 37-17 in the series.

Aberdeen hit four home runs in the series, including walkoff round-trippers from Angel Tejada and Tavian Josenberger. In the second game of the series Tejada stepped to the plate in the bottom of the ninth with two outs and a runner on third in a tie game, and crushed a 1-1 breaking ball over the visitor’s clubhouse beyond the left-field wall to seal the victory. Four days later in the series finale, it was Josenberger’s turn to finish the job. The Birds entered the bottom of the ninth down two runs and were down to their final out with no one on base. Cristian Benevides dumped a single into right field and Enrique Bradfield Jr. followed with an infield single up the middle as rain started to pour down. After a 20-minute rain delay and a pitching change, Josenberger smacked the first pitch he saw over the right-field wall to complete the comeback. It was both players’ first career walkoff home run and the first time the Birds had two walkoff wins in the same series.

The IronBirds were flying high after the Brooklyn series, before Greensboro extinguished their hot streak. The Grasshoppers won all three games of the home-and-home series, outscoring the IronBirds 20-12 in the process. The IronBirds rallied in the bottom of the ninth in the series opener and brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth but fell just short. In the second game, the Birds scored their only run on a wild pitch in the eighth inning. Then in the finale, Aberdeen scored four runs in the second inning on a two-run double from Jalen Vasquez and a two-run homer from Noelberth Romero, but lost the lead late and fell in 10 innings.

Aberdeen had a handful of major offensive contributors throughout the homestand. Douglas Hodo III led the way, reaching base safely 22 times in nine games. Hodo had seven hits, 12 walks, three HBP for a .629 OBP, along with five RBI and seven stolen bases. Reed Trimble had five extra-base hits and a team-high eight RBI, Carter Young had 10 hits, and Enrique Bradfield Jr. had eight hits and six stolen bases. On the pitching side, Michael Forret chucked five scoreless innings and retired the final 11 batters he faced in his first High-A start, Edgar Portes tossed five innings of one-run ball and five strikeouts in one relief outing, and Kyle Virbitsky logged five and one-third innings allowing just one run in relief appearances.

After they finish the home-and-home series against the Grasshoppers in Greensboro, the IronBirds will stay down south for a six-game series against the Asheville Tourists from Tuesday-Sunday, July 9-14. After that, it’s the South Atlantic League All-Star Break from Monday-Thursday, July 15-18, before the IronBirds return to Aberdeen for a three-game series against the Wilmington Blue Rocks from Friday-Sunday, July 19-21. To purchase tickets and for more information about upcoming promotions, head over to goironbirds.com.

Contact: Nate Laws, Manager, Marketing & Communications

410-297-8815 | [email protected]