Delmarva

Kevin Keyes hit a two-out, two-run, tie-breaking double in the top of the seventh inning, and the Hagerstown Suns held on to defeat the Delmarva Shorebirds 3-1 on Sunday for their second straight victory. The Suns, who improved their second-half record to 18-17, snapped a four-game losing streak late Saturday night, defeating Delmarva 8-6 in 10 innings. On Sunday, Hagerstown starter Matt Swynenberg (4-1) went six innings for the victory. He allowed one unearned run, six hits and a walk while striking out two and hitting a batter.

The Delmarva Shorebirds rallied for four runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to beat the Hagerstown Suns 8-7 on Friday night. It was the fourth straight loss for the Suns, who fell to 16-17 in the second half of the South Atlantic League season. Delmarva (14-20) trailed 7-4 before rallying against Suns reliever Wilson Eusebio (0-6) in the eighth. The Shorebirds loaded the bases with no outs, and Joe Oliveira hit a two-run double to make it 7-6. Two runs then scored on an error by shortstop Jason Martinson.

For baseball players, an assignment to Hagerstown isn’t usually greeted favorably. The Suns are a low Single-A team, so playing for the Suns is either a first stepping stone or a huge demotion if you are a major leaguer. But for Chad Gaudin, getting the chance to pitch for the Suns on Sunday was a huge treat. The Washington Nationals relief pitcher allowed two hits in a two-inning stint on Sunday during the Suns' 11-4 victory over Delmarva on Sunday. It was Gaudin's first live game action since being placed on the disabled list on April 26 with right shoulder inflammation.

Hagerstown manager Brian Daubach had the perfect word to sum up the Suns’ Sunday at Municipal Stadium. “Perfect.” It may not have been perfect, but it was the closest thing to it. The Suns shucked the remnants of a hitting funk that ended any chance of winning a division title by unloading 19 hits in a 11-4 rout of Delmarva in the first-half finale. The stars were many for Hagerstown, which won its final two games after enduring a six-game losing streak that knocked them out of contention for the South Atlantic League Northern Division title.

April’s power brought a flowering May for the Hagerstown Suns this season. The Suns were the class of the South Atlantic League over the first two months of the season. Then came June, all too soon, along with a swoon. The Suns were 32-20 and holding a 2 1/2-game lead over Greensboro in the South Atlantic League’s Northern Division on June 1. From there, it all went south. Hagerstown is 6-10 with a .280 team batting average and 4.20 team ERA for the month entering Saturday’s game with Delmarva.

Kevin Keyes came through for the Hagerstown Suns on Saturday, but it wasn’t without a catch. Or a lot of hard work, either. The Suns outfielder hit two home runs — including a key three-run shot in the fourth inning — to lift Hagerstown to a 7-3 victory over Delmarva before 3,499 fans at Municipal Stadium. Keyes’ three hits and four RBIs were big, but everything he did before connecting for his hits set the stage. “I have been working hard on my swing and it really felt great today,” Keyes said.

With one swing of the bat and one raise of his arm, Randolph Oduber got it all. Oduber connected on a walk-off single with the bases loaded in the 10th inning to lift the Hagerstown Suns to a much-needed 2-1 victory over Delmarva on Friday before 2,832 fans at Municipal Stadium. The outfielder drove a liner through the hole at short to score Blake Kelso from third. He instantly threw his arm in the air. It was a celebration. It was redemption. And it was a sigh of relief for Oduber and the Suns in one swift instance.

The Hagerstown Suns return home to begin a homestand against Delmarva tonight, hoping to regain their form to get back atop the South Atlantic League Northern Division. The Suns dropped a costly pair of games to Lakewood on Wednesday to fall one-half game behind Hickory and Greensboro. Hickory (37-27) and Greensboro (38-28) are in a virtual tie for first place. The first half concludes Sunday. Hagerstown (37-28) first dropped a 3-2 decision in 12 innings in a game that was suspended in the 11th inning on Tuesday and continued Wednesday.

Adrian Sanchez drove in a key insurance run in the ninth inning on Friday and the Hagerstown Suns hung on for a 6-5 victory over Delmarva to extend their South Atlantic League Northern Division lead. Blake Kelso and Sanchez each singled in a run to give the Suns (37-24) a much-needed three-run cushion heading into the bottom of the inning. Delmarva scored two runs off closer Ben Graham, who got Shorebirds shortstop Manny Macado to ground out to end the game with the tying run at first base.

Randolph Oduber and Jason Martinson each homered to support Sammy Solis’ five-hit effort on Thursday as the Hagerstown Suns took a 4-1 victory over Delmarva. Martinson had two hits and scored twice as Solis (1-0) controlled the Shorebirds for 6 2/3 innings to get his first victory of the season. The win allowed the Suns (36-24) to extend their South Atlantic League Northern Division lead to 1 1/2 games over Greensboro. The Grasshoppers dropped an 8-3 decision to Kannapolis.