Orioles minor league recap 8/23: Honeycutt debuts at Delmarva, Fabian homers for Norfolk

Jud Fabian hit a leadoff homer for his first Triple-A hit, and Vance Honeycutt reached base three times at Delmarva.

Triple-A: Worcester Red Sox 5, Norfolk Tides 3

Shayne Fontana provided Norfolk a 2-1 lead with a two-run double in the bottom of the fourth, and Maverick Handley doubled the lead with a single to left. Unfortunately, Worcester scored the final four runs of the game.

Tucker Davidson allowed three earned runs over five innings, and Levi Stoudt allowed the final two runs in the sixth. Matt Krook allowed a walk and a hit, but he struck out two in the seventh.

Jud Fabian provided the best highlight of the game with his first Triple-A hit/home run. Fabian launched an opposite-field dinger to leadoff the bottom of the first.

Double-A: Bowie Baysox 5, Erie SeaWolves (Tigers) 3

The Baysox struck first with a pair of runs in the first. Enrique Bradfield Jr. reached on a single, stole second, and came around to score on a ground-rule double by Samuel Basallo. Silas Ardoin chased home Basallo with a double of his own, but Bowie gave both runs back in the second inning.

Bowie secured the lead for good with a pair of runs in the fourth. Collin Burns plated Frederick Bencosme with a double, and Burns scored on a single by Connor Pavolony.

Bencosme launched a solo shot to mark the fifth run of the game. Basallo and Bencosme both notched multi-hit games, and Basallo added a walk.

Trace Bright allowed a pair of runs over 4.2 frames. Bright only allowed three hits, but he walked three and hit a batter.

High-A: Aberdeen IronBirds 9, Winston-Salem Dash (White Sox) 4

The IronBirds made a statement with seven runs in the first. Somehow, Aberdeen tallied all seven runs without a home run. Elio Prado walked twice in the inning, and three other batters received a base on balls. Jalen Vasquez added the second double of the inning, while Jake Cunningham, Carter Young and Aneudis Mordán all singled.

Starter Michael Forret allowed one run in three frames, and Luis De León struck out five over three scoreless innings.

Low-A: Delmarva Shorebirds 3, Down East Wood Ducks (Rangers) 1

Vance Honeycutt, Baltimore’s top pick in the 2024 draft, reached base three times in his Low-A debut. Honeycutt walked in his first at bat, singled in the fifth, and walked again in the eighth. He stole second and third base before scoring on an errant pickoff attempt in the eighth inning.

Maikol Hernández recorded two of Delmarva’s five hits. Hernández drove in Braylin Tavera to score the Shorebirds’ first run in the fourth inning, and he plated Tavera again with another single in the eighth. Tavera finished 1-for-3 with a walk and the two runs scored.

Braxton Bragg, an eighth round pick in 2023, struck out 11 batters in 5.1 innings of one run ball. Zach Peek tossed a pair of shutout innings in relief.

Box scores

Friday’s Schedule

• Norfolk: vs Worcester, 7:00. Starter: TBD
• Bowie: vs Erie, 7:05. Starter: Patrick Reilly (0-0, 3.09 ERA)
• Aberdeen: vs Winston-Salem, 7:05. Starter: Edgar Portes (5-3, 3.30 ERA)
• Delmarva: at Down East, 7:00. Starter: Yeiber Cartaya (1-0, 2.31 ERA)