Playing the first game of a five-day road trip Monday night, the Aberdeen IronBirds lost, 7-2, to the host-team Staten Island Yankees. With the defeat, Aberdeen fell to 2-6 on the year.
Aberdeen struck first in Monday's matchup, as Jerome Pena, who reached on a bunt single, moved to second on a throwing error, then took third on a passed ball and scored when Dudley Leonora hit an RBI groundout.
Staten Island, however, responded with three runs in the home half of the second. The hosts would go on to score one run in the fourth, fifth, seventh and eighth innings.
In the top of the seventh, Aberdeen's Joel Hutter led off with a double, moved to third on Doug Bream's single and scored when Leonora hit his second RBI groundout of the evening. That would be the IronBirds' final tally.
Taking the loss was Aberdeen starter Jaime Esquivel (1-1), who allowed three earned runs on three hits over two innings. Esquivel struck out two and walked a pair before being lifted. Reliever Sander Beck went three innings, striking out one, walking two and allowing two earned runs on three hits, while Dustin Ward tossed two innings out of the Aberdeen bullpen, recording four strikeouts and allowing one earned run on four hits. Gene Escat closed out the game for the IronBirds, striking out one, walking three and surrendering one earned run on one hit.
Hutter had three of the IronBirds' five hits, going 3-for-4 with a double and one run. Pena and Bream each had singles in the loss.
