Micro Brews Win 7-6 on Walk-Off Sac Fly

Delmarva 6 @ Carolina 7

July 14, 2022 | Venue : Five County Stadium | First pitch : 7:00 PM | Att : 1,340 | T : 2:44

DEL: 0 0 1 0 1 0 4 0 0 6 10 1

CAR: 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 7 12 1

WP: Junior Montero (5 - 1) LP: Yaqui Rivera (0 - 1)

LISTEN: Post-Game Interview with Manager Victor Estevez

ZEBULON – Oswal Leones had a two-run home run in the first and drove in the game-winner in the ninth with a sacrifice fly to foul territory while leading the Carolina Mudcats, playing as the Carolina Micro Brews, to a 7-6 walk-off victory versus the Delmarva Shorebirds on Thursday night at Five County Stadium.

The Mudcats (8-10, 42-42) originally led 4-0 after the first and 5-0 after the second, but would be held scoreless from the third through the eighth before scoring twice in the ninth to win it. The Shorebirds (6-12, 27-56), meanwhile, chipped away with runs in the third and fifth before scoring four, including three on a game-tying home run from Wilkin Grullon in the seventh. Delmarva’s short-lived lead disappeared in the ninth as Carolina rallied for its seventh walk-off win of the season.

Jeferson Quero, Jackson Chourio and Leones each drove in runs for the Micro Brews in the first, with Quero bringing in one with a sac fly, Chourio driving in another with a single and Leones capping the rally with a two-run home run. The home run was his second of the season and was hit off Delmarva starter Edgar Portes.

Carolina tacked on one more run against Portes in the second when Luis Silva scored on a Hendry Mendez groundout, but that would be the last run allowed by the Delmarva starter. Portes went through five innings with five runs allowed on five hits. All five runs scored over the first two innings, and his three scoreless frames that followed helped keep the Shorebirds in the game.

Edwin Jimenez started for the Mudcats and took advantage of the early lead by retiring seven straight before allowing a Roberto Martinez double and run in the third. Luis Valdez brought in Martinez with a single in the third and also brought in a run in the fifth after driving in Stiven Acevedo with his second of three hits in the game. Jimenez, would bounce back by striking out the side in the sixth, but returned for the seventh where he allowed four straight hits. Grullon had the third of those four straight hits, with his being the game-tying homer that locked it at 5-5.

Junior Montero followed Jimenez in relief in the seventh and would allow an inherited run to score while seeing the Shorebirds take their first lead at 6-5. That run, however, was all that Montero (5-1) allowed in his appearance as he would pitch through three scoreless frames with four strikeouts and two walks.

Yaqui Rivera, after pitching a scoreless eighth, worked the Carolina ninth and would take the loss after allowing two runs to score. The final rally started with a one-out walk from Jose Sibrian and continued with Chourio’s single. Eduardo Garcia then hit a grounder to second that was used to try and catch Sibrian at home. Sibrian would end up beating the throw and the resulting fielder’s choice tied the game and put runners at first and second for Leones. Rivera (0-1) would then lose a wild pitch to advance both runners just moments before Leones popped up a pitch to the foul side of third. Delmarva’s third baseman Isaac DeLeon went over and caught the pop up in the Carolina bullpen, but would end up tripping on the mound, thus allowing Chourio to tag and score from third to win the game.

The victory was Carolina’s second straight in the series, giving them a two games to one lead with three games left to go. The series will continue Friday night at 7:00 p.m. with game four of the six-game series.

HOME RUNS:

Delmarva: Grullon (2, 7th inning off Jimenez, 2 on, 0 out).

Carolina: Leones (2, 1st inning off Portes, 1 on, 2 out).

TOP PERFORMERS - BATTERS:

Leones, LF-RF (Carolina): 2-for-3, 1 R, 0 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 3 RBI

Chourio, CF (Carolina): 3-for-5, 2 R, 0 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 1 RBI

Raabe, 2B (Carolina): 2-for-4, 1 R, 0 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 0 RBI

Silva, 1B (Carolina): 2-for-4, 1 R, 0 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 0 RBI

Valdez, L, 2B (Delmarva): 3-for-4, 1 R, 0 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 2 RBI

Acevedo, CF (Delmarva): 2-for-4, 2 R, 1 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 0 RBI

Martinez, 1B (Delmarva): 2-for-4, 2 R, 1 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 0 RBI

Grullon, C (Delmarva): 1-for-3, 1 R, 0 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 3 RBI

TOP PERFORMERS - PITCHERS:

Montero (W, 5-1) (Carolina): 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO

Perez, H (Delmarva): 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO

SCORING PLAYS:

Mudcats 1st (Mudcats 4, Shorebirds 0) -- Hendry Mendez singles to center field. Passed ball by Wilkin Grullon, Hendry Mendez to 2nd. Zack Raabe singles to right field, Hendry Mendez to 3rd. Jeferson Quero out on a sacrifice fly to Elio Prado, Hendry Mendez scores. Zack Raabe steals 2nd base. Jackson Chourio singles to left-center field, Zack Raabe scores. Jackson Chourio steals 2nd base. Eduardo Garcia grounds out, Noelberth Romero to Roberto Martinez, Jackson Chourio to 3rd. Oswal Leones hits a home run to right field on a 0-2 pitch, Jackson Chourio scores. Jesus Chirinos singles to left field, Jesus Chirinos out at 2nd on the throw, Elio Prado to Luis Valdez.

(4 Runs, 5 Hits, 0 Errors, 0 LOB)

Mudcats 2nd (Mudcats 5, Shorebirds 0) -- Luis Silva singles to right field. Luis Silva steals 2nd base. Wild pitch by Edgar Portes, Luis Silva to 3rd. Jheremy Vargas strikes out swinging. Hendry Mendez grounds out, Luis Valdez to Roberto Martinez, Luis Silva scores. Zack Raabe walks. Jeferson Quero flies out to Cristopher Cespedes.

(1 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors, 1 LOB)

Shorebirds 3rd (Mudcats 5, Shorebirds 1) -- Stiven Acevedo grounds out, Eduardo Garcia to Luis Silva. Roberto Martinez doubles to left field. Wilkin Grullon flies out to Jackson Chourio. Wild pitch by Edwin Jimenez, Roberto Martinez to 3rd. Luis Valdez singles to right-center field, Roberto Martinez scores. Luis Valdez caught stealing 2nd base, Jeferson Quero to Zack Raabe.

(1 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors, 0 LOB)

Shorebirds 5th (Mudcats 5, Shorebirds 2) -- Defensive Substitution: Jean Carmona replaces right fielder Hendry Mendez, batting 1st, playing left field. Defensive switch from left field to right field for Oswal Leones. Noelberth Romero strikes out swinging. Stiven Acevedo doubles to left-center field. Roberto Martinez grounds out to Luis Silva, Stiven Acevedo to 3rd. Wilkin Grullon walks. Luis Valdez singles up the middle, Stiven Acevedo scores; Wilkin Grullon to 2nd. Elio Prado singles to shallow left field, Wilkin Grullon to 3rd; Luis Valdez to 2nd. Frederick Bencosme flies out to Jackson Chourio.

(1 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors, 3 LOB)

Shorebirds 7th (Shorebirds 6, Mudcats 5) -- Stiven Acevedo singles through the hole at shortstop. Roberto Martinez singles to left-center field, Stiven Acevedo to 2nd. Wilkin Grullon hits a home run to left-center field on a 0-1 pitch, Stiven Acevedo scores; Roberto Martinez scores. Luis Valdez singles to right-center field. Pitcher Change: Junior Montero replaces Edwin Jimenez. Luis Valdez steals 2nd base. throwing error by Jeferson Quero. Elio Prado walks. Frederick Bencosme grounds into double play, Eduardo Garcia to Luis Silva, Luis Valdez scores; Elio Prado out at 2nd, Frederick Bencosme out at 1st. Cristopher Cespedes struck out looking.

(4 Runs, 4 Hits, 1 Errors, 0 LOB)

Mudcats 9th (Mudcats 7, Shorebirds 6) -- Zack Raabe flies out to Stiven Acevedo. Jose Sibrian walks. Jackson Chourio singles to right field, Jose Sibrian to 3rd. Eduardo Garcia reaches on a fielder's choice, fielded by Luis Valdez, Jose Sibrian scores; Jackson Chourio to 2nd. Wild pitch by Yaqui Rivera, Jackson Chourio to 3rd; Eduardo Garcia to 2nd. Oswal Leones out on a sacrifice fly to Isaac De Leon in foul territory, Jackson Chourio scores.

(2 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors, 1 LOB)