Adam Hall and his Delmarva Shorebirds clinched the Governors' Cup for the second consecutive year as they downed the Hagerstown Suns 4-2 at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium.
Nick Vespi collected the win for the Shorebirds, throwing five shutout innings. Vespi allowed just three hits and one walk while striking out seven. Since May 18, Vespi has tossed 48.1 innings with a 1.33 ERA and has allowed more than one earned just once.
Jake Irvin was saddled with the loss for the Suns despite a Quality Start. Irvin threw six innings and allowed three runs on seven hits while striking out three. Reed Hayes allowed an unearned run in the ninth but stranded the bases loaded to earn his first save of the year for the Shorebirds.
The teams traded goose eggs on the scoreboard for the first four frames until Delmarva broke through in the fifth. Seamus Curran doubled to begin the inning, and after a strikeout, Nick Horvath moved him to third with a single to center. A wild pitch moved Horvath to second, and Ryne Ogren capitalized as he ripped a two-run triple to right center, bringing home the first two runs of the game. Hall pushed Ogren across the plate with a sacrifice fly, pushing the Shorebirds ahead 3-0.
Hagerstown manufactured their first run in the seventh. Kyle Marinconz drew a leadoff walk, stole second, and then advanced to third when the throw went into center field. Nic Perkins brought him home when he bounced out to second, making it a 3-1 Delmarva lead.
The Shorebirds answered immediately in the bottom of the seventh. Much like what Marinconz did moments earlier, Horvath singled to begin the frame, stole second, and advanced to third on a throwing error into third. Horvath then scampered home on a wild pitch to restore the three-run lead for Delmarva at 4-1.
The Suns made things interesting in the ninth. Justin Connell walked to kick off the inning and an Marinconz then reached on an error. After a flyout, Cole Daily walked to load the bases. Following a strikeout, Rafael Bautista rolled an infield single off the third base bag to make it a 4-2 ballgame before Hayes shut the door on Hagerstown.
Tyler Joyner nabbed his second hold of the year for the Shorebirds as he bridged the gap between Vespi and Hayes, throwing three innings and allowing just an unearned run.
Horvath scored two of the Shorebirds' four runs, going 2-for-4 with a stolen base. Edison Lantigua also had a multi-hit game, finishing 2-for-4 with a double while Robert Neustrom also chipped in two hits with a 2-for-4 performance.
Bautista collected half of Hagerstown's hits in the ballgame, going 2-for-5 with an RBI.
With 12 wins in a maximum of 22 games in the season series, the Shorebirds will retain the Governor's Cup for the second season in its existence. Delmarva outpaced the Suns 9-8 in 2018.
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