Aberdeen IronBirds take 2 out of 3 in quick series against Wilmington; Willems, Beavers swing hot bats
Jul. 18—Much like Major League Baseball, the minor leagues took a break for most of last week as the Aberdeen IronBirds played just a three-game set at home against Wilmington.
Pitching was strong all weekend as the IronBirds won the first two games of the series Friday and Saturday by 15-2 and 3-2 scores, respectively. However, they fell short of the sweep, losing Sunday to the Blue Rocks, 2-1.
Friday's offensive eruption was keyed by a six-run second inning. The highlight of the rally was a two-run home run by Creed Willems, his seventh of the season. Willems also doubled in a run in the first inning and later singles in two runs for a five-RBI game.
Dylan Beavers also had a big game with a double, a triple and two RBIs coming off his second-inning triple. Leadoff hitter Max Wagner went 4-for-5 with three RBIs, Ryan Higgins drove in two runs and No. 9 hitter Luis Valdez had three hits. Aberdeen collected 17 hits in the game.
On the mound, Cameron Weston got his first win as an IronBird. He threw five innings, scattering seven hits and allowing two runs, while striking out six. Daniel Lloyd pitched three scoreless innings of relief, allowing just one hit while also striking out six.
Saturday's contest was much more competitive. Tied at two in the seventh, Beavers walked with the bases loaded for the game-winning run. Willems drove in runs in each the first and third innings to account for the rest of the IronBirds offense. Beavers is up to 42 RBIs on the season, while Willems has 30.
Three pitchers combined on a four-hitter. Kyle Brnovich started and went three innings, allowing just one hit while striking out four. Trace Bright threw four innings and got credited with the win. He allowed two runs on three hits with five strikeouts.
Yaqui Rivera got his first save, throwing two hitless innings with three strikeouts.
The series finale saw the IronBirds' bats go cold, managing just three hits. Frederick Bencosme had two of the hits and drove in the team's lone run, his 31st RBI of the season.
Cooper Chandler took the tough-luck loss to drop to 5-4 on the year. He pitched four innings, giving up one run on five hits. The Bullpen pitched solid, but the lack of offense was the undoing.
Aberdeen (11-6 second half, 43-38 overall) hosts Bowling Green (12-6, 43-36) for a six-game series starting Tuesday night.
