Down East Spoils Sons of Liberty Alter Ego Debut
Bird Dawgs shut out Sons of Liberty on Alter Ego Night
One night removed from a thrilling Opening Day walk-off victory, the Sussex County Miners (1-1) were shut out by the Down East Bird Dawgs (1-1), 8-0. Down East produced heavy firepower on both sides of the ball during the first Fireworks Night of the season at Skylands Stadium.
On a chilly Saturday evening, Sussex County debuted its Sons of Liberty alternate identity for the first of five Alter Ego Nights to honor the United States’ 250th anniversary and benefit a local charity or individual in need.
The Sons of Liberty and Bird Dawgs were locked in a scoreless tie until designated hitter Colby Backus’ two-RBI double gave Down East a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning. Down East broke the game open with a six-run seventh inning. The Sons of Liberty could not overcome the 8-0 deficit, mustering only four hits on the night.
Billy Parsons (0-1, 3.60 ERA) began his fourth season with Sussex County and his first as a starting pitcher by tossing five solid innings, allowing two runs and striking out five on 63 pitches.
Bird Dawgs starter Spencer Johnston (1-0, 0.00 ERA) pitched six masterful innings, allowing no runs on three hits while fanning seven. The Down East bullpen kept the Sons of Liberty in check the rest of the way. The Bird Dawgs finished with a team record of 15 strikeouts.
Parsons took the hard-luck loss, and Johnston picked up his first win of the season.
Second baseman Hunter D’Amato, left fielder Gabriel Maciel, first baseman Kiko Romero, and designated hitter Mahki Backstrom collected the only hits for the Sons of Liberty. The hard-hitting Backstrom recorded a single with a jaw-dropping 114 MPH exit velocity.
Sons of Liberty reliever Blayne Huter (21.60) surrendered four runs in his 1.2 innings of work. Four relief pitchers made their Sussex County debuts tonight: Zack Austin allowed two runs, Justin Silva (0.00) struck out one, Dalton Fowler (0.00) fanned two, and Miles Langhorne (0.00) punched out a pair.
The 6-4, 215-pound Langhorne, who represented Great Britain in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, lit up the radar gun with overpowering fastballs. He showcased a pitching repertoire that Sussex County hopes will become a weapon late in games.
The Miners will play the rubber match against the Bird Dawgs on Sunday, May 10, at 1:35 PM. The Mother’s Day Game presented by Atlantic Health will feature a special pregame brunch by The Barnyard and Family Fun Sunday specials.
Visit sussexcountyminers.com and follow the Miners on social media for tickets, news, and updates. Watch all Miners games live on HomeTeam Network and listen to the live Miners Radio Network broadcast on Mixlr.
By Sean Bretherick with Dennis Mark
Above: Billy Parsons pitches against the Down East Bird Dawgs in the Sons of Liberty alter ego jersey. Photo by Phil Hoops.