Suns get spanked

April 17, 2008|By BOB PARASILITI

Pure and simple ... it was a case of ups and downs at Municipal Stadium on Wednesday.

The Hagerstown Suns got their pitches up and Delmarva got its pitches down.

When it was over, the Shorebirds had their run total up. For the Suns, the runs column was way down.

Delmarva unleashed an 18-hit attack - with at least one hit in every inning - while Hagerstown let three prime scoring chances go by the wayside in the Shorebirds' 10-1 victory.

"This was one of the games where you just tip your cap to them," said Hagerstown manager Darnell Coles. "They hit well. They ran the bases well. And they pitched well. For some reason, we kept getting the ball up and they were able to keep the ball down when they needed it."

Seven of the 10 runners the Suns left on base were in scoring position. Hagerstown scored its only run in the first inning before leaving runners on second and third. It went scoreless despite loading the bases with no outs in the sixth, and loading them again in the seventh.

"They were able to make the tough pitches when they needed them," Coles said. "When the pitches are up, you have a better chance of seeing the ball and make things happen. When they are down, there is a better chance to force the action. We didn't help ourselves by pitching up."

Hagerstown (6-7) got the early lead on Delmarva starter Zach Britton as Dan Lyons led off the first with a single to center and took second on Jake Smolinski's grounder to first. After Bill Rhinehart walked, Aaron Seuss singled to center for an RBI and the 1-0 lead.

A wild pitch moved the runners into scoring position, but Michael Burgess grounded out and Trevor Lawhorn struck out to end the inning.

Delmarva turned the tables immediately in the second against Suns starter Randy Matias (0-1), who had just joined Hagerstown on Wednesday when pitcher Hassan Pena was placed on the disabled list.

David Cash put the Shorebirds (7-6) on top with a two-out, three-run home run down the right-field line for a 3-1 lead. Cash went on to a 4-for-6 night with four RBIs.

Ryan Adams also had four hits while leadoff hitter Matt Angle had three hits, falling a homer short of the cycle.

Matias (0-1) lasted four innings, allowing five runs on eight hits with one walk and two strikeouts. Kai Tuomi allowed three runs (one earned) in two innings and Erik Arnesen pitched the final three innings to close the game.

Delmarva scored two runs in both the third and sixth innings and single runs in the fifth, seventh and eighth to complete the rout.

Rhinehart and Seuss each had two of the Suns' six hits. Britton (1-0) lasted 5 1/3 innings, allowing six hits, before giving way to Cliff Flagello for the final 3 2/3, who struck out six to pick up the save.

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