Orioles minor league recap 8/21: Ryan McKenna hits two dingers for Norfolk and all the affiliates win

Triple-A: Norfolk Tides 4, Charlotte Knights 1

Norfolk got the game started last night with a pair of runs in the top of the first. Kelvin Gutierrez drove Adley Rutschman home with a single and Jahmai Jones came around to score on a wild pitch. Ryan McKenna had a pair of solo home runs in this game too, including one in the fifth and one in the ninth.

Jones was 1-for-4 with a walk, Pat Valaika and Gutierrez each had a pair of hits, and Rutschman was 2-for-5. Since his promotion to Triple-A, the O’s catcher of the future is 15-for-36 with a .583 SLG.

The Charlotte Knights only scored one run the entire game. Blaine Knight earned his first save of the year by pitching the final four innings. The only blemish was a solo homer in the ninth. In his Triple-A debut, starter Cody Sedlock threw five scoreless innings. He allowed three hits and struck out six batters.

Double-A: Bowie Baysox 5, Reading Fightin Phils 3 (F/10)

Despite leading for most of the game, it took ten innings for Bowie to beat the Fightin Phils last night. Heading into the ninth with a 3-1 lead, Baysox reliever Diogenes Almengo surrendered a two-run homer to send the game into extras.

First baseman Andrew Daschbach played the hero for Bowie, launching a go-ahead two-run home run in the top of the tenth. It was his second homer of the night, following a solo shot in the sixth. Patrick Dorrian had a good night at the plate too, going 3-for-5 with an RBI.

Starter Mickey Jannis, who just got bumped from Norfolk to Bowie a couple of days ago, had his knuckleball working last night. In six innings, he allowed five hits, one run, and two walks with two strikeouts.

High-A: Aberdeen IronBirds 6, Wilmington Blue Rocks 5 (F/11)

Aberdeen starter Brandon Young gave up a run in the first, but settled down to pitch three scoreless innings after that. His final line was four innings, four hits, one earned run, and six strikeouts. Ignacio Feliz blew the save after giving up two runs in the ninth, and Garrett Farmer came out with the win after surrendering an unearned run in the tenth, his only inning of work.

In the bottom of the third, the IronBirds put a crooked three spot on the board. Lamar Sparks hit a solo home run and Gunnar Henderson had a two-run double. Sparks scored a run in the bottom of the 10th on an RBI single by Hudson Haskin to keep the game going. Aberdeen walked it off in the bottom of the 11th after pinch-runner Dylan Harris scored on a throwing error by the Blue Rocks and Sparks hit a game-winning RBI single.

Sparks finished the night 3-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBI. Gunnar Henderson was 1-for-4 with a walk and two RBI. Terrin Vavra and Hudson Haskin also contributed two hits apiece.

Low-A: Delmarva Shorebirds 17, Fredericksburg Nationals 1

It was a blowout last night at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium. The Shorebirds tagged Fredericksburg for 17 runs on 13 hits and 10 walks. And Delmarva did all that with just one long ball, a three-run shot by catcher Ryne Ogren in the first inning. Other standout offensive performers included Jacob Teter (2-for-5, 2 R, 2 RBI), Billy Cook (3-for-5, 3 R, 4 RBI), and Mason Janvrin (2-for-4, R, 2 RBI). First-round pick Colton Cowser was 1-for-4 with a walk, two runs, and a RBI, while Connor Norby was 1-for-3 with a run and a RBI.

On the mound, Delmarva starter Jake Lyons shaved nearly a quarter of a point off his ERA. He entered play with a 4.25 mark and exited the game at 3.97. In six innings, Lyons allowed three hits, one run, and one walk. He also struck out eight batters. Rickey Ramirez pitched three scoreless innings in relief to earn his third save of the year.

Complete box scores from all of last night’s games can be found here.

Saturday’s scheduled games

• Norfolk at Charlotte, Game 1:05 PM. Starter: Kyle Bradish (3-3, 4.34 ERA)
• Bowie at Reading, Game 1, 4:15 PM. Starter: Gray Fenter (4-2, 6.50 ERA)
• Bowie at Reading, Game 2. Starter: Kyle Brnovich (0-1, 4.25 ERA)
• Aberdeen vs. Wilmington, 6:05 PM. Starter: Conner Loeprich (0-3, 10.89 ERA)
• Delmarva vs. Fredericksburg, 7:05 PM. Starter: Jean Pinto (0-1, 1.74 ERA)