A series that saw Aberdeen play three games home, then three away saw Wilmington get the better of the series, four games to two.
Aberdeen would go to Wilmington and get swept in the three-game away series, then return home to win two of three.
The series featured a couple pitching duels and a couple blowouts, but it was a little bit of coming back down to earth for Aberdeen, who had run away with the first half division title.
Coby Mayo had a tale of two halves for the series. He would go 0-for-8 in Wilmington but returned home to go 7-for-12 (.583) to finish the series 7-for-20 (.350).
In the series finale, a 9-3 IronBirds victory, Mayo would collect three hits in five plate appearances and would pick up home run No. 13, while collecting his 42nd RBI. He would also score three times during the game.
For the month of June, Mayo is batting .288, which has raised his season average to .250. Mayo has hit three homers and collected nine RBIs for the month and continues to lead Aberdeen in a majority of offensive categories, as his bat has started heating up.
Isaac Bellony had a strong series against the Blue Rocks, going a combined 5-for-12 (.417 BA). Bellony had only been in Aberdeen for 14 games, and he is making the most of his promotion.
In Sunday’s finale, Bellony would go 2-for-4 with a home run, a run scored and two RBIs. To add to his day, he would also pick up an outfield assist, throwing a runner out at third.
Though he is only batting .182 since his arrival, he has hit two homers and driven in eight runs. For the season overall, he is batting .240 with eight home runs, 38 RBIs and three stolen bases.
Peter Van Loon started Friday’s 4-0 victory and continued his season of dominance. Going four innings to start the game, Van Loon would allow three hits and no runs, while striking out four. Of his 66 pitches, 42 of them went for strikes.
Van Loon now has pitched 14 games on the year, compiling a 7-0 record and a 2.44 ERA across 48.0 innings. He carries a 59:17 strikeout to walk ratio, and opponents are batting just .237 against him.
A familiar face toed the rubber for a strong outting this week. In Thursday’s 1-0 loss, veteran righty Matt Harvey would take the ball for Aberdeen.
He would pitch 6.0 innings of four-hit ball, striking out four batters. Harvey would throw 82 pitches, 56 for strikes, while not allowing a run. He would not factor into the decision.
This is Harvey’s first appearance of the season, as he will continue to build up his arm strength for when his suspension is up at the end of June.
Aberdeen currently is 45-24 on the season and are 2-1 in series to start the second half of the season. They will face Winston-Salem Dash starting Tuesday in Aberdeen.
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