Orioles minors recap 7/14: DJ Stewart provides walk-off win for Norfolk in extra innings

Norfolk Tides 5, Gwinnett Stripers 4

There was some late inning drama in this matchup between the Stripers and Tides. Gwinnett scored three runs in the top of the ninth to take a 4-2 lead, but Norfolk tied it in the bottom half of the inning on a two-run single by Ruben Tejada. In the bottom of the tenth, with Luis Sardinas starting the inning on second base, DJ Stewart had the game-winning RBI on a single to center.

On the night, Cedric Mullins was 2-for-4 at the plate. He’s slashing .285/.351/.477 for the Tides. Drew Dosch, stationed at DH, went 2-for-4. Mike Yastrzemski had three hits and Tejada had three RBI.

Asher Wojciechowski had a strong start for Norfolk, pitching eight innings while only giving up one run. He allowed five hits and struck out eight batters, leaving the mound with a 3.51 ERA at the end of the night. An inning after Tim Melville blew the save by giving up three runs (two earned), Eddie Gamboa got the win for the Tides with a scoreless frame.

Reading Fightin Phils 5, Bowie Baysox 4

The Fightin Phils took the lead early and never surrendered it. They scored one run in the first and two in the third and Bowie was forced to try to play catchup the rest of the night. The Baysox made a late push, scoring once in the seventh and twice in the eighth after pushing a run across in the fourth, but it was not enough to overcome Reading.

For Bowie, Ryan Mountcastle went hitless in three at-bats with a walk and two strikeouts. He’s hitting .314 on the year. Ryan McKenna was 1-for-4 with a double, a walk, an RBI and a run, leaving his average at .273. He also added an assist in the outfield. Ademar Rifaela had one hit in three trips to the plate, a solo home run in the seventh inning.

On the pitching side, Christian Binford was able to eat up some innings — seven to be precise — although he gave up five runs. His final stat line included 11 hits, four strikeouts and two home runs. His ERA increased to 5.02 and he is now 1-3 on the year.

Frederick Keys 5, Potomac Nationals 4

Frederick pulled out some late inning magic to seal the win on Friday night against Potomac, scoring a pair of runs in the both the eighth and ninth innings. Despite going 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position, Frederick got a few clutch hits when it mattered most.

Wilson Garcia was 2-for-4 with a solo home run, two runs scored and a walk. He has a .319/.354/.580 triple slash line on the year. Randolph Gassaway went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run, leaving his batting line at .297/.392/.425 with the Keys. Jomar Reyes was hitless in three at-bats with a walk.

Frederick starter Michael Baumann was unable to make it out of the fifth inning, giving up two runs, four hits, five walks and three strikeouts in 4.2 innings. Despite reliever Steven Klimek giving up two runs over 2.2 innings, Elvis Araujo got the win with 1.2 scoreless innings.

Delmarva Shorebirds 7, Charleston RiverDogs 6

Left-hander Cameron Bishop got the win for Delmarva, pitching five strong innings. He only gave up two runs while allowing five hits and one walk with five strikeouts. On the year, Bishop is 8-4 with a 2.89 ERA. He has now given up two runs or fewer in his last six starts.

For the Shorebirds, Trevor Craport paced the offense with three hits, including two doubles. Ryan Ripken went 2-for-4 with three RBI and he’s batting .246 on the year. Branden Becker and Zach Jarrett each had two hits on the night. Shortstop Cadyn Grenier, the Orioles 37th overall pick this year, went 0-for-4 with a walk, a run and two strikeouts. In 30 at-bats with Delmarva this summer, he’s hitting .233/.361/.433.

Brooklyn Cyclones 3, Aberdeen Ironbirds 2

The Ironbirds had a two run lead until the top of ninth inning, when they gave up a pair of runs. Aberdeen was hitless on the night with runners in scoring position. They scored their two runs in the bottom of the third on a passed ball and a throwing error by the Cyclones’ catcher Nick Meyer.

Jordan Kipper started the game for Aberdeen and pitched a single scoreless inning. Matthew Hammonds followed him to the mound and gave up one run over six innings.

Not much to talk about on offense for the Ironbirds though. They managed only five base knocks as a team the entire night. Robert Neurstrom had a pair of hits while Seamus Curran, Willy Yahn and Doran Turchin had one hit each.

Complete box scores from Friday night’s games can be found here.

Saturday’s Scheduled Games

• Norfolk vs. Gwinnett , 7:05 PM ET. Starter: John Means (4-1, 3.23 ERA)
• Bowie at Reading , 6:45 PM ET. Starter: Reid Love (2-3, 3.62 ERA)
• Frederick at Potomac , 6:35 PM ET. Starter: Lucas Humpal (2-8, 4.55 ERA)
• Delmarva at West Virginia , 6:05 PM ET. Starter: Brenan Hanifee (7-3, 2.41 ERA)
• Aberdeen vs Auburn, 6:05 PM ET. Starter: TBD