GREENSBORO BLASTS THREE HOMERS IN WIN OVER DELMARVA
Francisco Jimenez Allowed Two Long Balls, Including Grand Slam
(Courtesy of Brendan Gulick with Delmarva Shorebirds Baseball)
GREENSBORO, NC – Delmarva had won eight of its last 11 games entering Monday night’s contest at Greensboro because of outstanding pitching over the last week and a half. Shorebirds starter Francisco Jimenez had a tough night against the hottest team in the league though, as the Grasshoppers won their eight in a row with a 9-2 victory over the Shorebirds at NewBridge Bank Park.
Trailing 9-0 in the eighth inning, the Shorebirds’ only offense came on the long ball. Drew Turbin (first) and Yermin Mercedes (third) circled the bases for the only Delmarva runs of the night.
Jimenez (3-4, 6.98) struggled with his command in the first inning. After walking two batters and hitting one to load the bases, Maxx Tissenbaum belted a grand slam to right field to open the scoring. Marlins first rounder Josh Naylor added two homers on the evening, a two-run shot in the fifth and a solo blast in the seventh to seal the game. Anfernee Seymour collected an RBI base hit in the sixth and Zach Sullivan hit a sacrifice fly to round out the scoring for the Grasshoppers.
Mercedes extended his on-base streak to 15 games, while Ademar Rifaela’s seventh inning double ensured he reached safely in his 21st consecutive game.
Delmarva fell to 3-2 on the road trip but will have a chance to even the series in Greensboro on Tuesday night. Brian Gonzalez (4-1, 2.01) takes the mound for a 7:00 pm first pitch.
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 celebrated their 20th season in 2015, and have entertained nearly five million fans since beginning play at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium in Salisbury, Md. in 1996. The team has captured South Atlantic League titles in 1997 and 2000 while successfully hosting the South Atlantic League All-Star Game in 1999 and 2011.
Brendan Gulick