Shorebirds

SALISBURY, Md. -- Delmarva scored early and Hagerstown scored late. First blood took its toll. The Shorebirds took a 7-0 lead through five innings and held on as the Suns scored six in the final four on Monday for a 7-6 victory. Delmarva scored two runs in each of the first, second and fourth innings off Suns starter Josh Smoker. The Shorebirds added a seventh run in the fifth. The Suns came back with one in the sixth, a four-run eighth and a run in the ninth to fall just short.

Three Hagerstown pitchers held Delmarva to six hits and the Suns made an early 5-0 lead stand up in a 6-2 victory over the Shorebirds on Thursday night. Paul Applebee (6-2) picked up the victory for Hagerstown, allowing just two hits in five innings while striking out three. Chris McKenzie gave up two runs and three hits in two innings of work and Dean Weaver earned his first save of the year with two innings of one-hit ball. The Suns (63-52, 23-22 second half) scored a pair of runs in the top of the first off Delmarva starter Matt Bywater (0-2)

The Hagerstown Suns won a game of give and take on Thursday. Delmarva gave extra outs and the Suns took advantage of them. The Suns scored six unearned runs as the Shorebirds committed four critical errors to help blow the lid off a 12-0 victory before 1,705 fans at Municipal Stadium. Jason Martinson drove in four runs while Billy Burns and Justin Miller added three RBIs each as the Suns pounded out 13 hits against three Delmarva pitchers. Second-place Hagerstown (31-22)

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.

SALISBURY, Md. - Delmarva scored four runs in the eighth inning - highlighted by Michael Ohlman's go-ahead two-run single - on Wednesday for a 6-4 win over the Hagerstown Suns. The Suns (62-52, 22-22 second half) held a 4-1 lead after 5 1/2 innings, thanks to Jason Martinson's base-clearing triple. Michael Mooney and Michael Rooney led off with singles before Jeremy Nowak's RBI double chased Suns reliever Greg Holt (0-1). Sam Brown came on to allow Olhman's hit and Joe Oliveria's sacrifice fly to give Delmarva a two-run lead.

Usually, the Hagerstown Suns lean on the  offense late in games. On Friday, the pitching gave the bats a rest. Suns pitching retired the last 14 players it faced to nail down a 5-1 victory over Delmarva, making Cutter Dykstra's first-inning home run stand up as the game-winning hit. Starter Wilkin Estevez and relievers Ben Hawkins and Alex Kreis combined for 4 2/3 hitless innings to end the two-hit victory. The victory keeps the Suns (72-50, 30-23) on top in the South Atlantic League Northern Division's second-half standings.

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.

SALISBURY, Md. - Hagerstown starter Matt Grace baffled Delmarva on one hit for seven innings on Friday to allow the Suns to slip away with a 6-1 victory. The Shorebirds' Tyler Kelly broke up Grace's no-hitter with a one-out single in the fourth inning for the only hit the left-hander allowed. Grace (11-5) allowed three walks and four strikeouts in his stint to go 4-0 in his last nine outings since June 15. Delmarva put two runners on in the fourth as Jeremy Nowak followed Kelly's single with a walk.

More times than not, when the Hagerstown Suns are in a pinch, they turn to Skole. On Wednesday morning, the Suns definitely needed a pick-me-up. Skole connected for a three-run home run with two outs to start Hagerstown on a five-run seventh inning en route to an 8-4 victory over Delmarva in a morning matinee. The Suns trailed 3-2 until Skole's blast against Delmarva relief pitcher Jesse Beal. He now leads the South Atlantic League with 18 homers and 68 RBIs. It led the Suns (47-29, 5-2)

If anybody wondered, the Hagerstown Suns are serious about their craft. They, like former NFL coach Herm Edwards, believe you play ... to win ... the game. And the Suns proved it Sunday, even though they only won once. Erick Fernandez blooped an RBI single with two outs in the ninth inning to lift the Suns to a come-from-behind, walk-off 4-3 win over Delmarva in extra innings in the nightcap to earn a split in a Sunday doubleheader at Municipal Stadium. Fernandez landed the knockout punch the Suns missed earlier, as the Shorebirds thwarted Hagerstown's comeback attempt in the opener, using three three-run homers to take a 12-7 victory.

The Delmarva Shorebirds did something on Saturday they couldn't manage on Friday. They scored ... and did it early and often. Nik Balog highlighted a four-run first inning as the Shorebirds took an early lead and then held on tightly for a 7-6 victory over the Hagerstown Suns. It was a twist from Friday, when the Suns shut down the Shorebirds to the tune of 4-0. But this time, Delmarva scored all seven of its runs in the first three innings and settled in behind Branden Kline (1-0)

The Hagerstown Suns weren't able to bust out the champagne on Thursday. Manager Tripp Keister was perfectly satisfied with milk. That's because he was fortified by the Suns' play, even though they were skimmed in the end. Christian Walker hit a two-run home run to key a three-run 10th inning to lift Delmarva to a 7-4 victory and ruin the Suns' home opener before 2,650 fans on a Thirsty Thursday at Municipal Stadium. “We're absolutely not going to be crying in our milk tonight,” Keister said.

Christian Walker stroked an RBI single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning Sunday to lead Delmarva to a 2-1 walk-off victory over the Hagerstown Suns. The victory allowed the Shorebirds (3-1) to win the season-opening series over the Suns. Walker drove in both Delmarva runs in the win. Delmarva pitching - led by Branden Kline, a Thomas Johnson graduate and the Baltimore Orioles' No. 2 pick in the 2012 draft - held the Suns to three hits. Hagerstown's only run came on Brandon Miller's first home run in the seventh, a leadoff shot to center that tied the game at 1. Kline pitched six innings, allowing two hits, while walking two and striking out three in the no decision.

Wander Ramos drove in two runs to lead the Hagerstown Suns to a 5-3 win over Delmarva on Saturday in the opening game of a doubleheader. The Shorebirds came back for a 7-3 win in the nightcap, shutting out the Suns until the seventh inniing. The Suns jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning against Delmarva starter Mark Blackmar (0-1). Tony Renda led off with a single and took second on Blackmar's balk before scoring on Mike McQuillian's single to left. McQuillian advanced on a grounder and a passed ball before scoring on Ramos' ground out. Delmarva got a run back in the bottom of the second on Anthony Vega's RBI single off Suns' starter Brett Mooneyham to cut the deficit to 2-1. Hagerstown added two runs in the fourth on a run-scoring single by J.R. Higley and when Stephen Perez reached on a fielding error to make it 4-1. The Shorebirds closed again, scoring twice in the sixth on a two-run home run by Roderick Bernadina off reliever Blake Schwartz to close within 4-3. The Suns picked up an insurance run in the seventh when Renda led off with a double and eventually scored when Ramos reached on shortstop Adrian Marin's error.

Brian Rauh allowed just three hits in six innings as the Hagerstown Suns defeated the Delmarva Shorebirds 3-1 in the first game of a South Atlantic League doubleheader at Municipal Stadium on Saturday. Billy Burns' RBI single in the bottom of the sixth inning gave the Suns a sweep with a 6-5 victory in the nightcap, after Hagerstown blew a 5-1 lead in the top of the sixth. Hagerstown (79-51, 37-24), which leads the Northern Division's second-half race by 3 1/2 games over Hickory and West Virginia, has won five straight and 12 of 14. The Suns have won 13 straight against Delmarva.

Caleb Ramsey went 3-for-3 and four other Hagerstown hitters had two hits each as the Suns finished with 13 hits in an 8-5 victory over the Delmarva Shorebirds on Thursday night at Municipal Stadium. Hagerstown (77-51, 35-24 second half) leads the South Atlantic League's Northern Division by 2 1/2 games over Hickory and West Virginia. The red-hot Suns have won three straight and 10 of 12. Hagerstown has won its last 11 games against Delmarva (50-79, 22-38) since an 8-6 loss on June 2. The Suns opened Thursday's scoring with a run off Shorebirds starter Juan Guzman in the second inning.

Usually, the Hagerstown Suns lean on the  offense late in games. On Friday, the pitching gave the bats a rest. Suns pitching retired the last 14 players it faced to nail down a 5-1 victory over Delmarva, making Cutter Dykstra's first-inning home run stand up as the game-winning hit. Starter Wilkin Estevez and relievers Ben Hawkins and Alex Kreis combined for 4 2/3 hitless innings to end the two-hit victory. The victory keeps the Suns (72-50, 30-23) on top in the South Atlantic League Northern Division's second-half standings.

More times than not, when the Hagerstown Suns are in a pinch, they turn to Skole. On Wednesday morning, the Suns definitely needed a pick-me-up. Skole connected for a three-run home run with two outs to start Hagerstown on a five-run seventh inning en route to an 8-4 victory over Delmarva in a morning matinee. The Suns trailed 3-2 until Skole's blast against Delmarva relief pitcher Jesse Beal. He now leads the South Atlantic League with 18 homers and 68 RBIs. It led the Suns (47-29, 5-2)

The Hagerstown Suns took the lead in the third inning and pulled away from the Delmarva Shorebirds in the final two innings for a 9-3 victory in Tuesday night's South Atlantic League game. Leading 4-3 after seven innings, the Suns (46-29, 4-2) put the game away with a two-run eighth and a three-run ninth. Facing Shorebirds reliever Zach Petersime in the eighth, Bryce Ortega led off with a double to left and Cole Leonida beat out what was supposed to be a sacrifice bunt. Billy Burns' RBI single scored Ortega, and Cutter Dykstra's two-out RBI single scored Leonida.