KINSTON, N.C. (August 7, 2025) – The Down East Bird Dawgs struggled to slow down the Sussex County Miners on Thursday, dropping both games of a doubleheader at Grainger Stadium, 7-2 and 17-2.

Jaylen Smith put the Bird Dawgs on the board first in Game 1 with a solo home run in the second inning for a 1-0 lead.

Sussex County tied it in the fourth when Sean Roby Jr. lifted a sacrifice fly. The Miners broke the game open with six runs in the sixth before Stephen DiTomaso scored on an error in the bottom half for the final 7-2 margin.

Spencer Johnston (7-5) took the loss, allowing seven runs, three earned, and nine hits over 5 2/3 innings.

Rob Hensey (7-3) earned the win, giving up two runs on five hits while striking out seven across seven innings.

Sussex County carried the momentum into Game 2, scoring twice in the first and once in the third before erupting for 10 runs on six hits in the fifth to make it 13-0.

Down East plated its only runs on an RBI groundout by Ali LaPread in the fifth and a sacrifice fly by Kalae Harrison in the sixth. The Miners tacked on four more in the seventh for the 17-2 win.

Ryan Sleeper (0-1) took the loss in his Bird Dawgs debut, surrendering three runs on three hits in 1 2/3 innings.

Blayne Huter (1-0) tossed four hitless innings before allowing two hits in the fifth, without yielding an earned run in his first professional start.

The Bird Dawgs fall to 29-45, and will take on the Miners in game 4 of the six-game series on Friday, August 8 at 7 p.m.