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The Aberdeen IronBirds started their final road trip of the season Monday with a 5-2 loss at State College in New York-Penn League play.
The loss dropped the IronBirds to 27-41. Aberdeen will play two more at State College before coming home to close out the season. Brooklyn will visit for three, Thursday through Saturday, then Hudson Valley will be in town for the final two games of the season, Sunday and Labor Day Monday.
In Monday's loss, Aberdeen pounded out nine hits, but could muster just single runs in the second and seventh innings. The Spikes, meanwhile, used the long ball to plate all five runs.
Ryan McCarvel hit a two-run shot in the fourth and Ricardo Bautista added a three-run bomb in the sixth.
Cole Billingsley, batting in the leadoff spot for Aberdeen, went 3-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI to lead the IronBirds. Chris Clare was 2-for-4 and had the other Aberdeen RBI. Jaylen Ferguson and Alejandro Juvier both hit singles and scored Aberdeen's runs.
Travis Seabrooke (1-7) suffered the loss, pitching into the sixth. He allowed eight hits (both home runs) and all five earned runs. He also walked two batters. James Teague pitched three innings of scoreless relief. He allowed four hits and a walk, while striking out three.
A long day
Sunday was an extremely long day for the IronBirds and their fans. Aberdeen and Hudson Valley played a 13-inning game at Leidos Field at Ripken Stadium that lasted four hours and five minutes and ended with Aberdeen losing, 7-5.
The loss completed a three-game sweep by Hudson Valley, who leads the McNamara Division of the New York-Penn League.
In the loss, Aberdeen jumped ahead 4-3 in the third using the long ball. Ronald Soto hit his first home run as an IronBird, a solo shot, and Austin Hays smacked a two-run shot.
Hudson Valley surged back ahead with a pair of runs in the seventh, but Aberdeen also scored a run in the bottom of the seventh to knot the score at 5-5. It remained that way until the 13th. The Renegades put together a hit and two walks to plate the winning runs.
Will Shepley (1-2) took the loss, working just the one inning. Alex Wells started and had one of his toughest outings. Wells pitched three innings, allowing three runs on five hits and three walks. He struck out seven.
Ashur Tolliver (rehabbing from Norfolk), Ryan Moseley and Daniel Ayers combined for seven and two-third innings of scoreless baseball. Cole Billingsley (2-4), Hay (2-6) and Alejandro Juvier (2-5) led the IronBirds offense.
Saturday loss
Hudson Valley scored five times over the first two innings to send the Aberdeen to a 7-4 defeat Saturday night at Leidos Field at Ripken Stadium. Three Aberdeen errors contributed to the Hudson Valley scoring.
Aberdeen matched Hudson Valley's 11 hits, but could muster just four runs, scoring single runs in the first, fourth, sixth and eighth innings.
Kirvin Moesquit had a perfect day at the plate, collecting four hits in as many at bats. He stole a base and scored a run as well. Hays finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI, while Preston Palmeiro was 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI. Clare was hitless, but drove in two runs.
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Matthias Dietz (0-2) was dealt the loss, lasting two innings. Dietz gave up five runs (two earned) on five hits and two walks. He struck out one. Yi-Hsiang Lin pitched four innings, allowing two hits and two runs. He struck out three. Xavier Borde had the best success, tossing three scoreless innings. He gave up four hits and a walk and struck out five.
Friday loss
The series with Hudson Valley started Friday with another 7-4 loss at Leidos Field at Ripken Stadium. The IronBirds trailed 7-2 through six innings, before rallying for two runs in their final at bat.
Hays had another two-hit game to pace the offense, driving in a run and scoring a run. Mike Odenwaelder had an RBI single and Palmeiro added an RBI. Billingsley and Jason Heinrich both had singles and runs scored, as did Guillermo Salas.
Keegan Akin threw three innings of no-hit baseball, walking one and striking out four. Tolliver added an inning of no-hit ball, striking out two.
Andrew Elliott (0-3) took the loss, giving up three runs (one earned) on three hits and a walk over two and a third innings. He struck out three.
James Teague had an even tougher outing, yielding four runs on three hits and a walk, while recording just one out. Max Knutson came on to pitch the final two and a third innings, giving up two hits and striking out two.