Opening night for the Aberdeen IronBirds was a case of too little, too late.
The Harford County ballclub fell on the road to the Hudson Valley Renegades, 4-2, as Class A short season New York – Penn League's 2016 season got under way.
The home team tallied two runs in the second and added two more in the sixth and cruised through the seventh up 4-0, before the visitors notched their first runs of the new season, a two-spot in the eighth.
Hudson Valley, which didn't score in its half of the eighth, then held the IronBirds, who brought the tying run to the plate, off the board in the ninth to claim the win.
It was the third straight season opening loss for Aberdeen.
The IronBirds Alex Wells, who was making his first professional start, set the side down in order in the first with two strikeouts, but then gave up a single and a triple in the second, with Hudson Valley's second run scoring on a groundout.
Wells kept the Renegades off the board over the next three innings, departing after five. He gave up four hits and walked a batter, to go with five strikeouts.
The Renegades scored their final two runs off Aberdeen's Will Shepley, who came on in the sixth. The runs scored on a single by Hudson Valley first baseman Kewby Meyer.
The IronBirds two scores came on RBI hits off the bats of Ryan McKenna and Randolph Gassaway. McKenna doubled to score Guillermo Salas and then scored on a Gassaway single two batters later.
Shepley pitched a scoreless seventh and gave way to Yi–Hsiang Lin, who set the hosts down in order in the eighth.
Wells took the loss for Aberdeen, while Hudson Valley's Adrian Navas got the win, allowing just one hit and no walks, with two strikeouts, in his five innings of work. Tim Ingram got the save.
Aberdeen had six hits for the game to eight for Hudson Valley. Salas and Glassaway were the only Ironbirds with multiple hits, each notching two.
The IronBirds will play at Hudson Valley again on Saturday night at 7:30 before moving on to Staten Island Sunday for a three game set.
The team's home opener is set for Wednesday, June 22 at Ripken Stadium with first pitch at 7:05 p.m.