Furious 'Birds Rally Falls Short at WV
CHARLESTON, WV - Knocked to the mat early and often, the Delmarva Shorebirds kept getting up before seeing their comeback bid fall short in a 12-10 loss to the West Virginia Power on Saturday night at Appalachian Power Park.Sal Biasi (5-3) scooped up the win in relief for the Power
CHARLESTON, WV - Knocked to the mat early and often, the Delmarva Shorebirds kept getting up before seeing their comeback bid fall short in a 12-10 loss to the West Virginia Power on Saturday night at Appalachian Power Park.
The Power lept all over Rodriguez in the bottom of the first. Matt Sanders laced a one-out double down the left field line, then
Rodriguez's woes contined as he followed up the homer by walking
The Shorebirds hopped on the comeback trail in the second inning. With the bases loaded and no out, Cody Roberts and Nick Horvath lifted back-to-back sac flies to chase home two runs and make it 6-2. In the third,
West Virginia got all that back and then some in the bottom of the third. With men on second and third and one out, Charlie McConnell punched a two-run single. Matt Sanders singled two batters later, and Rodriguez pelted another base hit to score McConnell. Honeyman came up next and singled to center. Two runs scored as Nick Horvath couldn't handle the Honeyman hit, and the Power pushed their lead up to 11-3.
From there the Shorebirds scored seven unanswered runs, beginning with a four-spot in the fifth.
In the sixth Robert Neustrom crushed a solo home run, his fifth of the year, to make it 11-8. Encarnacion led off the seventh with a double and eventually scored on a
The Power finally regrouped and put together a momentum-stifling rally in the bottom of the eighth. Nick Rodriguez led off with a single and took second on a Ramiz sac bunt. Sanders then hit a single to move Rodriguez to third, and Julio Rodriguez chopped an RBI groundout to second, nudging the lead to 12-10.
Delmarva still wouldn't go quietly in the ninth. Nick Horvath hit a one-out grounder to third that Honeyman airmailed to first, putting Horvath at second and bringing the tying run to bat. Arias settled down from there, though, striking out Ferguson and getting Neustrom to fly out to shallow left to finally put it to bed.
Encarnacion became the face of the Shorebirds' near-miracle comeback, going 4-for-4 with a double, triple, walk, three runs, and two RBIs. Curran went 1-for-3 with two walks and three runs, while Roberts drove in two runs from the eight-hole. Ferguson and Neustrom had two hits and an RBI each.
Julio Rodriguez provided the bulk of the offense for the Power as the top Mariners prospect went 2-for-5 with a double, two runs, and three RBIs. Sanders chipped three hits and scored twice, while Pena went 2-for-4 with two runs. Ramiz, Honeyman, and Shenton each drove in two runs.
Delmarva reliever
West Virginia starter Nate Fisher lasted 4.1 innings in his first start with the Power, allowing six runs on seven hits with three walks and four strikeouts in a no-decision.
The Shorebirds wrap up their series against the Power on Sunday afternoon. SAL Pitcher of the Week