RALLIES FALL TO DRIVE SHORT AS SHOREBIRDS DROP FINALE
McKenna hits two late home runs in 14-11 loss

GREENVILLE, SC - A seven-run Greenville first set the tone as the Drive kept the Delmarva Shorebirds at arm’s length the whole game, winning finale of the four-game series 14-11 at Fluor Field at the West End.

After Delmarva (1-3) scored one in the top of the first on a Chris Clare two-out infield single, Greenville (3-1) struck back in full force against Shorebird starter Travis Seabrooke. A single and an error led to a two-run double by Bobby Dalbec to give the Drive an initial 2-1 lead. Tucker Tubbs followed with a double of his own to plate Dalbec. Seabrooke struck out the next two, but Nick Lovullo singled to bring around Tubbs and make it 4-1. Yoan Aybar brought in a run with a triple, then back-to-back doubles by Lorenzo Cedrola and Carlos Tovar chased Seabrooke from the game. The Drive took a 7-1 lead out of the inning after sending 11 men to the plate.

The Shorebirds got four back in the top of the third. With one out and the bases loaded, Gerrion Grim laced a line drive to the wall in left center, clearing the bases for a three-run double. Grim scored two batters later after a groundout and error, and Delmarva was back in it, 7-5.

Greenville nudged further in front in the fourth as Ryan Scott belted a three-run homer to right. Another Drive run scored in the fifth to make it 11-5.

The teams traded a run each in the sixth as Delmarva’s Collin Woody notched an RBI groundout and Greenville’s Roldani Baldwin doubled home another. In the bottom of the seventh, Dalbec cracked a two-out double off the wall in left center, and Tubbs hit a slow roller down the third base line for an infield single and throwing error, bringing home Dalbec. Baldwin then cracked his second double in as many innings to put the Drive up 14-6.

Delmarva made it interesting in the final two innings. Ryan McKenna led off the eighth with a solo home run that wrapped around the faux Pesky Pole in right. With two outs in the ninth, Alejandro Juvier and Grim clocked back-to-back singles to start a rally. Jake Ring then mashed a triple off the wall in center, bringing home both runners. McKenna followed with a towering fly ball to center that cleared the batter’s eye, a no-doubter for his second round-tripper of the game. The rally ended there as Cole Billingsley flew out to end the game.

Hildemaro Renquena (1-0) earned the win for the Drive with three innings of one-run, two hit relief pitching. Seabrook (0-1) took the loss after giving up seven runs (two earned) on seven hits in just two-thirds of an inning.

McKenna finished 3-for-6 with two homers, three RBIs, and three runs to lead the Shorebirds. Juvier went 4-for-5 with a double and two runs, while Grim finished 2-for-4 with a double, two runs, and three driven in.

Tubbs led the way for the Drive at the plate, going 4-for-5 with two doubles, an RBI, and four runs. Dalbec went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles, two RBIs, and three runs.

Both teams hit the ball well with runners on base. The Drive batted 9-for-20 with runners in scoring position, while the Shorebirs finished 6-for-17 in those situations.

The Shorebirds continue their season-opening seven-game road trip with the first of three at Greensboro on Monday night. Left-hander Alex Wells - the Orioles’ No. 17 prospect - takes the mound to face Grasshopper righty Michael King. First pitch from First National Bank Field in Greensboro is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Pregame coverage on Fox Sports AM 960 and the MiLB First Pitch app begins at 6:50 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.