ERRORS COST SHOREBIRDS IN GREENVILLE
Drive scores three unearned in fifth, holds off Delmarva for 3-2 win

GREENVILLE, SC - Greenville unwrapped a three-run gift in the fifth inning as the Delmarva Shorebirds dropped their second straight to the Drive 3-2 on Friday night at Fluor Field at the West End.

Darwinzon Hernandez (1-0) picked up his first win for the Drive (2-0), allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits in five-plus innings. He walked two and struck out seven on 82 pitches. Zach Muckinhirn (0-1) got stuck with the hard-luck loss for the Shorebirds (0-2), allowing three unearned runs on seven hits in 4.2 frames. Matthew Gorst earned his first save for Greenville with a 1-2-3 ninth.

Scoreless in the bottom of the fifth, the Drive’s Lorenzo Cedrola hit a sharp groundball to short that Irving Ortega couldn’t handle, the second of three errors for Ortega on the night. Santiago Espinal followed with a hit-and-run single to left that put Cedrola on second. After a steal of second and a strikeout, Bobby Dalbec slashed a single into left, scoring both runners. Tucker Tubbs followed with a double to right, bringing around Dalbec to make it 3-0.

The Shorebirds got a pair back in the top of the sixth. Ryan McKenna and Cole Billingsley led off with back-to-back singles, then a walk to Preston Palmeiro chased Hernandez from the game. On the first pitch from reliever Hunter Smith, Chris Shaw rolled a would-be double play grounder to short. Espinal executed the force at second, but Carlos Tovar’s return throw to first sailed wide of the mark, allowing Billingsley to score behind McKenna and make it 3-2. Delmarva would settle for the two as Smith bucked down to strike out Chris Clare and Collin Woody, ending the threat.

Delmarva would get no closer, notching just one hit the rest of the way. Smith handled scoreless frames in the seventh and eighth before handing it over to Gorst for a perfect ninth.

McKenna, Billingsley, Shaw, and Frank Crinella had the only four hits - all singles - for the Shorebirds. Delmarva committed as many errors as they had hits in the game.

Dalbec led the way for Greenville, going 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs. Espinal went 2-for-4 with a run and a stolen base.

Cody Dube and Kory Groves each made scoreless appearances for Delmarva. Dube allowed one hit in 2.1 innings in relief of Muckinhirn. Groves struck out two in a perfect eighth, his first game action since missing all of 2016 with an injury.

The Shorebirds continue their season-opening series with the third of four against the Drive on Saturday night. Delmarva right-hander Matthias Dietz, MLB.com’s No. 13 prospect in the Orioles system, takes the hill against Greenvile righty Mike Shawaryn, himself the 13th-best prospect in the Red Sox farm. First pitch from Fluor Field at the West End is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Pregame coverage on Fox Sports AM 960 and the MiLB First Pitch app begins at 6:45 p.m. with Will DeBoer on the call.

Delmarva Shorebirds
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The Delmarva Shorebirds are the Class “A” Affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. The Shorebirds are owned by 7th Inning Stretch, LLC, the same company that owns the Stockton Ports of the California League and the Everett AquaSox of the Northwest League.

The Shorebirds are celebrating their 22nd season in 2017 and have entertained nearly five million fans since beginning play at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium in Salisbury, Md. in 1996. The team captured South Atlantic League titles in 1997 and 2000 and successfully hosted the South Atlantic League All-Star Game in 1999 and 2011.