CarL1 Wilmington Blue Rocks

Coyle's Homer Pushes Salem to Victory

Published on August 3, 2012 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release


Salem, VA - When each team scored three runs in a plodding first inning, hitting set the tone. Ultimately, the Salem Red Sox (57-53, 16-25) got the biggest hits in the biggest spots as they took a back-and-forth series opener over the Wilmington Blue Rocks (48-62, 19-21) on Friday night, 7-5. Sean Coyle's two-out homer in the seventh inning snapped a brief 5-5 tie as the Rocks suffered their fifth loss in six games.

Wilmington did not know a deficit through the game's first five frames. Brett Eibner's 12th homer highlighted the Rocks' three-run first while a trio of two-out doubles paced Salem's offensive in the bottom half against Leondy Perez. But thanks to Murray Watts' first homer as a Blue Rock, an opposite-way shot in the fourth, Perez left in line for the win. In his second start since coming off the DL, Perez lasted five innings and struck out a season-best eight.

However, reliever Tyler Sample surrendered back-to-back run-scoring doubles to Adalberto Ibarra and James Kang, the bottom two bats in Salem's order, as the Red Sox claimed a 5-4 lead in the sixth. An inning later, Matt Fields drew a two-out walk from Charle Rosario and Lane Adams made it matter. His opposite-way single scored Fields from first despite an on-time relay throw by Coyle. While Ibarra's tag was on Fields' leg short of the plate, the catcher dropped the ball at the plate upon receipt and the game was tied.

That draw would not last as Coyle went opposite way for a wall-scraping eighth homer of the season and the 7-5 score that would go final. Sample (1-9) gave up four runs over two innings for the loss while Rosario (4-2) whiffed five over 2.1 innings for the win. Pete Ruiz tossed 1.2 perfect innings with two strikeouts for his fourth save.

The series continues at 6:05 p.m. on Saturday night. In a battle of highly-touted prospects, the Blue Rocks' Jason Adam (3-11, 3.80) faces fellow right-hander Matt Barnes (5-4, 3.36). Broadcast coverage begins at 5:35 p.m. as studio host Rob Cunningham brings fans the Rocks Report Pre-game Show, presented by Wawa, on 89.7 WGLS-FM and online at wgls.rowan.edu.

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Carolina League Stories from August 3, 2012


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