Norfolk Tides 4, Charlotte Knights (CHW) 0
Joe Gunkel (6.1 IP, 6 H, 1 BB, 5 K) had a solid start, and a trio of relievers were able to preserve the shutout for him. The Tides got on the board in the first inning with a solo shot by Trey Mancini, who also doubled home a run in the sixth.
Michael Almanzar added a solo homer of his own in the seventh, and Corban Joseph tacked on the final insurance run with an RBI single in the eighth. Mancini, Joseph and Dariel Alvarez (2-4, 2B) combined for six of Norfolk’s nine hits.
Bowie Baysox 6, Richmond Flying Squirrels (SF) 4
Richmond took a quick 2-0 lead in the first inning off of Bowie starter John Means, but Means was able to settle down and get through five innings with a total of three runs allowed.
The Baysox took the lead back for good in the fourth, when a two-run single by Drew Dosch capped off a four-run inning. A Chris O’Brien homer in the sixth and a Joey Terdoslavich RBI double in the eighth extended the lead to 6-3.
Jesus Liranzo pitched two perfect innings in relief of Means, and Donnie Hart was able to secure the save despite allowing a solo home run in the ninth.
Frederick Keys 5, Winston-Salem Dash (CHW) 2
The Keys were down 2-0 heading into the top of the fifth, but that changed quickly when the offense went nuts and chased Winston-Salem starter Zach Thompson from the game. Frederick led off the inning with four straight singles followed by a two-run double from Cameron Kneeland.
By the time the dust settled on the top of the fifth, the score was 5-2. That would end up being the final score thanks to some good relief pitching, include two shutout innings from Garrett Cortright.
Starter Franderlin Romero has struggled to an ERA over six since being acquired from the Reds in May, but he was solid in this one. He ended up lasting five innings, with five strikeouts and just the two runs allowed.
In other news, D.J. Stewart went 3-5 and is now hitting .280/.391/.430 in 31 games since his promotion. His numbers weren’t pretty in Delmarva, but it’s starting to look like bumping him up to Frederick was the right call.
West Virginia Power (PIT) 12, Delmarva Shorebirds 7
Jhon Peluffo tore up the rookie league in the first half, but it’s been a rough transition to A-ball for the 19-year-old from Colombia. In his second Delmarva start, Peluffo was chased in the fifth after allowing eight runs on eight hits and two walks. Only three of those runs were earned thanks to three errors from the Shorebirds’ defense, but Peluffo’s ERA is still sitting at 10.80 after two outings.
Dariel Delgado replaced Peluffo and didn’t fare any better - he allowed five runs in just an inning of work. That was too much of a hole for the Delmarva offense, who managed to make the result look at least a little respectable.
Randolph Gassaway and Stuart Levy each hit solo home runs, and Gassaway added two more RBIs with a single in the fifth. Nataneal Delgado was 2-4 with a run scored, and Ryan Mountcastle was 1-5 with 2 RBI.
Connecticut Tigers (DET) 2, Aberdeen Ironbirds 1 (Game 1, 7 innings)
Alex Wells got the start for the Ironbirds but had to leave the game after just one batter when he was hit by a line drive up the middle. ReportsXavier Borde replaced him and allowed back-to-back doubles to give Connecticut a quick two-run lead.
Borde settled down after that, and ended up pitching three innings with five strikeouts and no further runs. Max Knutson finished out the game and was terrific, with four K’s and just one hit over three innings of his own.
Those two first-inning runs were all the Tigers needed. Cole Billingsley cut the lead in half with an RBI single in the seventh, but ended up stranded at second as an Alejandro Juvier flyout ended the ballgame.
Aberdeen Ironbirds 3, Connecticut Tigers 0 (Game 2, 7 innings)
Keegan Akin started game two and continued to impress by throwing three one-hit innings, although he didn’t have any strikeouts. Steven Klimek matched Akin with three one-hit innings of relief.
Aberdeen wasted no time getting on the board in the first inning, when Ronarsy Ledesma doubled home Ryan McKenna and Guillermo Salas. The Ironbirds went quietly the next few innings, until Jaylon Ferguson picked up an RBI double in the sixth. Those were the only two extra-base hits in the game for Aberdeen.
Today’s matchups
Norfolk vs. Gwinnett, 7:05 PM (Mike Wright)
Bowie OFF
Frederick OFF
Delmarva vs. Lakewood, 7:05 PM (Cristian Alvarado)
Aberdeen @ Connecticut, 7:05 PM (Matthias Dietz)