The Aberdeen IronBirds inched closer to the .500 mark for the season on Tuesday night, as they toppled host Hudson Valley Renegades, 6-2.
The win put Aberdeen at 7-8 on the season. Through Tuesday's contest, the IronBirds were sitting in third place, 1.5 games behind Staten Island, and 2.5 games in back of Hudson Valley, in the New York-Penn League's McNamara Division.
Hudson Valley struck first in the Tuesday matchup, notching one run in the second inning. Aberdeen went ahead for good in the fourth with a three-run rally, while the Renegades scored their final run in the fifth. The IronBirds added one run in the eighth, and two more in their final at-bat.
Bowie, Md. native and former Archbishop Spalding standout Jeff Kemp hit a two-run homer, the second round-tripper of his professional career.
Mike Yastrzemski the Orioles' 14-round pick in this year's draft, picked up his first RBI since joining the team on Friday, and finished the game 2-for-2 with one run scored.
Trey Mancini, an eighth-round selection who is the highest draft pick currently on the IronBirds roster, hit his first pro home run, bashing a solo shot over the fence in the fourth. In all, Mancini went 3-for-5 with a double, one run and one RBI.
Manny Hernandez and Kris Richards both picked up one RBI.
Aberdeen starter Sebastian Vader (2-1) posted another solid outing, going 6-1/3 innings in which he struck out six, walked one and held the Renegades to four hits and two earned runs.