Orioles minor league recap 6/21: Cadyn Grenier homers as Delmarva wins a wild one

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (Yankees) 9, Norfolk Tides 7

A 7-2 lead for the Tides fell apart Thursday, as the RailRiders scored one in the sixth and then six in the eighth to take the lead for good.

No. 2 prospect Ryan Mountcastle continues to hit, going 3-for-5 with two runs, while Jace Peterson added three hits of his own. Cedric Mullins, Chris Bostick and Mason Williams had two hits apiece — the top five hitters for Norfolk went 12-for-23 — and Mullins tagged a home run, his fifth of the season.

Keegan Akin, the team’s No. 6 prospect, got the start and went 5.2 innings, allowing three runs — one earned — on six hits while striking out six. His ERA is 4.29. The loss went to David Hess, who allowed five runs, all earned, in two innings of relief.

Bowie Baysox 5, Hartford (Rockies) 1

Zac Lowther has been rising up the top prospects chart, and was impressive again Thursday night. The No. 8 prospect allowed only two hits and one run in five innings while striking out five, and saw his record and ERA improve to 7-4 and 1.95 in the win.

He departed and gave way to fellow notable prospect Hunter Harvey, who pitched the next three innings while allowing one hit, one walk and striking out two. It was the second straight outing of three innings and no runs for Harvey, whose ERA is at 5.46.

Rylan Bannon went 3-for-4 with a double for Bowie, while Mason McCoy had two hits, including a double, and is currently batting .329. Ryan McKenna, the team’s seventh-ranked prospect, went 0-for-5 with a strikeout.

Wilmington (Royals) 3, Frederick Keys 2

DL Hall took a tough loss for the Keys, allowing two runs on only one hit in five innings. The No. 3 prospect is 2-3 with a 4.03 ERA but has pitched well of late, with a 2.34 ERA over his last five appearances.

Frederick outhit the Blue Rocks 7-4 but couldn’t get in the key run - no pun intended. The only multi-hit games belonged to J.C. Escarra and Sean Miller (two hits apiece), while Daniel Fajardo had a double and the Keys’ only RBI.

Delmarva Shorebirds 12, Greensboro (Pirates) 11, 10 inn.

No lead is safe against the Delmarva juggernaut. The Shorebirds spotted the Grasshoppers 8-0 and 11-2 leads, then stormed back with four runs in the seventh, four more in the eighth and a tying run in the ninth to force extras, where Edison Lantigua’s single scored Nick Horvath with the winning run in the 10th.

There were plenty of offensive heroes in this one. Cadyn Grenier was one; the No. 16 prospect was only 1-for-4 in his first action since June 15, but the one went over the wall for a two-run shot, his fifth of the season. He’s batting 13-for-35 (.371) over his last nine games.

Aside from Grenier, Doran Turchin went 3-for-6, Cody Roberts, Seamus Curran and Ryne Ogren had two hits apiece, and Lantigua drove in three runs. Two of Delmarva’s top prospects, Robert Neustrom (No. 28) and J.C. Encarnacion (No. 13) went hitless, with Neustrom going 0-for-6 and Encarnacion going 0-for-2, albeit with two runs.

Tri-City (Astros) 10, Aberdeen Ironbirds 7

The ValleyCats led 7-0 after four innings and were able to roll to the win.

Irving Ortega and Tristan Graham each went 3-for-4 for Aberdeen — and are batting .429 and .375, respectively — while Jaylen Ferguson tagged a home run for the Ironbirds.

The lone pitching highlight was Jason Montville, who threw 4.2 scoreless innings in relief while allowing five hits and striking out six.

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

Friday’s scheduled games

• Norfolk (doubleheader): at Buffalo (Blue Jays), Game 1: 5:05 p.m., Game 2 following Game 1. Starters: TBD, Luis Ysla (2-5, 5.68)
• Bowie: at Harrisburg (Nationals), 7 p.m. Starter: Alex Wells (4-1, 1.92 ERA)
• Frederick: at Wilmington (Royals), 7:05 p.m. Starter: Brenan Hanifee (4-6, 4.15 ERA)
• Delmarva: at Greensboro (Pirates), 7 p.m. Starter: Ryan Wilson (2-2, 5.40 ERA)
• Aberdeen: at Hudson Valley (Rays), 7:05 p.m. Starter: TBD