Orioles minor league recap 6/26: Yusniel Diaz leads Norfolk and TT Bowens powers Delmarva

Triple-A: Norfolk Tides 6, Gwinnett (Braves) Stripers 2

Last night Norfolk was trailing 2-1 heading into the later innings, but they rallied back for the win. In the bottom of the sixth, Yusniel Diaz cranked a solo home run and Ramon Urias added a two-run shot, bringing the Tides ahead, 4-2. They added some insurance in the seventh on an RBI single from Urias and a wild pitch by Stripers pitcher Jesse Biddle that allowed Diaz to score.

Ryan McKenna was 1-for-4 with a leadoff home run, and Yusniel Diaz finished the night 3-for-4 with two runs scored and a solo home run. He’s hitting .289 on the year with an .817 OPS. Domingo Leyba, getting the start at third base, went 2-for-5. His average with Norfolk stands at .279, with an .849 OPS. Shortstop Mason McCoy went 1-for-2 with a pair of walks.

Norfolk’s starter Kyle Bradish went five innings, allowing two runs, three hits, and three walks with 10 strikeouts. Reliever Shawn Armstrong pitched a scoreless inning and got the win.

Double-A: New Hampshire (Blue Jays) Fisher Cats 10, Bowie Baysox 8

Mike Baumann had a forgettable start last night for the Baysox, allowing seven runs (six earned) over 2.1 innings of work. Luis Perez followed him to the mound and gave up three runs over 2.2 innings.

Once they were down 10-0 in the fifth, that’s when the Baysox went to work. They scored one run in the fifth, five in the sixth, and two in the ninth, but their rally fell short. In a strange twist, Bowie had more hits than New Hampshire (13-7) but came out on the wrong side of a 10-8 final score.

Adley Rustchman went 2-for-4 with two runs, an RBI, and a walk. He’s hitting .292 with a .966 OPS. Toby Welk had a pair of hits, including a solo home run, and Kyle Stowers went 1-for-5 with a three-run homer.

High-A: Rome Braves 3, Aberdeen IronBirds 2

The IronBirds and Braves took a nail-biter into the late innings, with a 1-1 tie score heading into the bottom of the seventh. Maverick Handley started the inning with a walk for Aberdeen and advanced to second on a wild pitch before stealing third base. He came around to score when Jordan Westburg reached on a throwing error. Unfortunately, that lead was short-lived.

In the top of the eighth, Rome scored a pair of runs — on a passed ball by Aberdeen’s Handley and on a solo home run off the bat of Bryce Ball. That lead held and the IronBirds lost by a single run.

Drew Rom’s superb start — he threw six innings of one-run ball with one walk and seven strikeouts — for Aberdeen was wasted. Morgan McSweeney took the loss in relief after surrendering the two runs in the top of the eighth.

Low-A: Delmarva Shorebirds 6, Fredericksburg Nationals 3

Delmarva jumped out to an early lead against Fredericksburg and never looked back, maintaining that lead for the duration of the game. The bottom of the first started with Mason Janvrin getting hit by a pitch and Hudson Haskin getting walked. Two batters later, TT Bowens crushed a three-run homer, his fourth of the year.

Fredericksburg got a couple of runs back on a two-run homer in the second, but the Shorebirds’ offense responded in the bottom half of the inning by doubling their own run total. Bowens earned a bases-loaded walk, and Yorkislandy Alvarez lined a two-run single to center. The Nationals scratched across a run in the fourth, but that was the last time either team would score.

Delmarva starter Shane Davis allowed three runs (two earned) in four innings of work with four strikeouts, including three in the first inning. Reliever Ryan Watson got the win after tossing five scoreless innings with four hits and seven strikeouts.

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

Saturday’s scheduled games:

• Norfolk vs. Gwinnett, 7:05 PM. Starter: TBD
• Bowie vs. New Hampshire, 6:35 PM. Starter: Grayson Rodriguez (2-0, 2.29 ERA)
• Aberdeen vs. Rome, 6:05 PM. Starter: Connor Gillispie (3-3, 5.91 ERA)
• Delmarva vs. Fredericksburg, 7:05 PM. Starter: Noah Denoyer (3-2, 3.95 ERA)