The IronBirds were the only affiliate in action Tuesday, and they got some major contributions from some lesser known prospects.
Triple-A: Norfolk Tides
Norfolk had an off day and will be back in action Wednesday.
Double-A: Bowie Baysox
Bowie had an off day and will be back in action Wednesday.
High-A: Aberdeen IronBirds 5, Winston-Salem Dash (White Sox) 2
The IronBirds were the only affiliate in action on Tuesday and they represented the organization well in their win over the Dash. Aberdeen raced out to an early lead and the bullpen did its job in backing up an excellent start from starter Daniel Lloyd.
The IronBirds kicked off their scoring in the second inning, as designated hitter Creed Willems led off the inning with a walk. Back-to-back singles from second baseman Frederick Bencosme and catcher Silas Ardoin gave the IronBirds a bases-loaded, no-outs scoring opportunity. First baseman Isaac De Leon then brought home the first run of the game as he lifted a sac fly to CF. Center fielder Isaac Bellony followed up with a sac fly of his own, and the IronBirds left the second inning with a 2-0 lead.
Aberdeen would add to its lead in the third inning thanks to some timely hitting from Jackson Holliday and Dylan Beavers. After the IronBirds started the inning with two quick outs, Holliday laced a double to right field to get the offense in motion. Beavers then blooped a single into center field to bring home Holliday and grow the Aberdeen lead to 3-0.
Holliday would get the IronBirds on the scoreboard again in the fifth inning. Max Wagner walked to give Aberdeen a one-out baserunner, and then Holliday walked to move Wagner into scoring position. Two batters later, Willems walked to load the bases, setting up Bencosme with a chance to really break the game open. The infielder took full advantage, shooting a single up the middle to bring home Wagner and Holliday and put Aberdeen up 5-0. Bencosme was the offensive star for the IronBirds Tuesday, as he finished 3-3 with two RBIs and a run scored.
The only player to outdo the second baseman was Lloyd. The former 14th-round pick shined for Aberdeen putting up five shutout innings while only allowing four hits and striking out five. The Dash only ever got runners in scoring position against Lloyd in the first and fifth, and both times he ended the inning with a punchout. The 22-year-old from South Carolina has really turned things around in June after struggling the first two months of the season. Over his last five starts, Lloyd has a 2.25 ERA with 24 Ks in 24 IP. This stretch has seen him lower his season ERA from 5.86 at the end of May to 4.18 currently.
While reliever Reese Sharp allowed a pair of runs across the sixth and seventh innings, Dan Hammer was able to come in and shut things down in the last two frames. The 25-year-old out of Pitt allowed no hits and only one walk over the last two innings, and racked up three Ks to earn the save for Aberdeen.
Low-A: Delmarva Shorebirds
Delmarva had an off day and will be back in action Wednesday.
Wednesday’s scheduled games
- Norfolk Tides vs. Charlotte Knights, 6:35pm ET. TBD vs. Chase Solesky
- Bowie Baysox vs. Somerset Patriots, 6:35pm ET. TBD vs. TBD
- Aberdeen IronBirds vs. Winston-Salem Dash, 7:05pm ET. Trace Bright vs. TBD
- Delmarva Shorebirds at Lynchburg Hillcats, 6:30pm ET. Jared Beck vs. TBD