TWINE WALKS OFF, SHOREBIRDS DROP THIRD STRAIGHT Home runs by Shaw, Ring not enough in 5-4 loss

[weams]

by Will DeBoer

Justin Twine hit a bases-loaded walk-off single with two outs in the ninth to lift the Greensboro Grasshoppers to a 5-4 win over the Delmarva Shorebirds on Tuesday night at First National Bank Field.

With the game tied 4-4, Boo Vazquez led off with a single to right. Then after a strikeout, Corey Bird moved Vazquez up with a groundout to the pitcher. After an intentional walk and a conventional walk loaded the bases, Twine smacked a grounder up the middle past a diving Alejandro Juvier at second and into center, scoring Vazquez and bringing those remaining in a crowd of 3,948 to a frenzy.

Ryley McEachern (1-0) took the win after blowing a save opportunity in the ninth. Zeke McGranahan was saddled with the loss after serving up Twine’s game-winner.

The Shorebirds (1-5) came out guns blazing in the top of the first. Ryan McKenna served a leadoff single into right and later stole second base. After a strikeout, Chris Shaw connected on a fastball and socked it to deep left center for a two-run round-tripper, giving the ‘Birds an early 2-0 cushion.

The teams traded zeroes until the bottom of the sixth when Garvis Lara lined an opposite-field solo homer to left, getting the Grasshoppers (5-1) within one.

Jake Ring blasted his own solo dinger to right center in the top of the seventh to make it a two-run ballgame again, but Greensboro countered in the bottom of the seventh with one more. Colby Lusignan singled to lead off and went to second on a wild pitch two batters later. After a walk and a strikeout, Corey Bird laced a liner in to center to bring around Lusignan and make it 3-2.

Aaron Knapp singled with one out in the bottom of the eighth, knocking reliever Cody Dube out and bringing McGranahan in from the bullpen for Delmarva. After a walk to Twine, Dalton Wheat slashed a hard single into right to score Knapp and tie the game. Right fielder Ring threw out Twine trying to advance first-to-third for the second out, but Lusignan came through again with a line drive to left center. Center fielder Ryan McKenna overran the ball, which trickled to the warning track and allowed Wheat to come home with the go-ahead run, giving the Grasshoppers their first lead of the night at 4-3.

The Shorebirds would not go quietly in the ninth, though. Daniel Fajardo reached on a one-out error by Lara at short. Ring then followed with a double to right center that banged off the base of the wall and rolled all the way into left field. Fajardo scored on the ricochet to tie it and Ring went to third on an overthrow at the plate. With one out, Delmarva had two chances to bring Ring home but stranded him on third, setting up Twine’s heroics in the last of the ninth.

Ring led the way at the plate for the Shorebirds, going 2-for-4 with a double, home run, and two RBIs. Shaw’s home run in the first was his second of the year.

Lusignan went 2-for-4 with a run and RBI for the Grasshoppers. Knapp also went 2-for-4, scoring once.

Neither starter factored into the decision. Lucas Humpal pitched his second straight quality start for the Shorebirds, allowing one run on two hits in six innings. He walked one and struck out six, at one point retiring 13 Grasshoppers in a row from the first through fifth innings.

Greensboro’s Jordan Holloway settled in after the Shaw homer, allowing just those two runs on four hits in five frames.