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Wilmington Blue Rocks

Mateo Drives in Four as Rocks Hold On

April 9, 2013 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release


Zebulon, NC - It was not easy, but the Wilmington Blue Rocks held on to beat the Carolina Mudcats on Monday night, 7-6. The Rocks had a five-run lead in the eighth, and a four-run edge with two outs and two strikes in the ninth, but the Mudcats charged back to pull within a single score before Malcom Culver finally slammed the door for the Blue Crew. The victory gave Wilmington its first winning streak of the young season.

Culver allowed an RBI single to Charlie Valerio in the eighth, but he seemed to be on cruise control in the final frame. He had two outs and a 7-3 edge before things began to get really interesting. Down to his last strike, Anthony Gallas roped an RBI double to the left-center field gap that cut the Wilmington lead to three. Joey Wendle followed with a single and then Bryson Miles hit a sinking liner to right. The ball caught Jorge Bonifcacio in no-man's land - trying to decide whether to play the ball on a hop or try for a game-ending diving grab.

He opted for the sliding catch try, but came up empty. The effort allowed two runs to score and, more importantly, put the potential tying-run in scoring position. Culver had enough however, as he induced a Jake Lowery grounder to Daniel Mateo at first which ended the game.

It was fitting that Mateo put the final nail into the Mudcats coffin, because it was his offensive heroics that were most responsible for the victory. The first baseman's three-run double was the big blow in Wilmington's four-run fourth inning. Four consecutive hits by Bonifacio, Cheslor Cuthbert, Lane Adams and Mateo plus a sacrifice fly off the bat of Parker Morin, gave the Rocks a 5-1 advantage.

After Carolina pulled back to within three scores, Wilmington got some insurance in the sixth when Mateo and Kenny Diekroeger stroked back-to-back homers. Mateo's was a bomb that easily cleared the 24-foot-high wall in dead-center. Diekroeger's just cleared the short porch in right, but both proved critical thanks to the late Carolina rally.

Cody Fassold came out of the bullpen for a little redemption. Entering the contest with an infinite ERA thanks to his walk-off loss without recording an out on Opening Night, Fassold (1-1) tossed three one-run frames to earn the bullpen its second straight win. Carolina starter Will Roberts (0-1) surrendered seven runs over six innings to suffer the setback.

Wilmington continues its three-game series in Carolina on Tuesday at 7:15 p.m. Southpaw Sam Selman takes the mound for the Blue Crew against Carolina right-hander Jordan Cooper. The Rocks return to the First State for their Home Opener on Friday, April 12 at 7:05 p.m. For tickets call 302-888-BLUE or visit Bluerocks.com.

PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:

The relief corps has not enjoyed a strong start to the 2013 season. Through four games, Wilmington's bullpen has surrendered 15 runs (13 earned) in 18.2 innings of work. The silver lining is that Wilmington relievers have earned wins in each of the last two contests. Antonio Cruz got the victory on Sunday while Cody Fassold earned the favorable decision on Monday. Fassold's ERA went from infinite to 6.00 thanks to his effort in the series-opener against the Mudcats.

The Rocks' rotation has been fantastic through four games. Kyle Zimmer set the tone in the opener by facing just 17 batters in five frames, striking out eight and walking none in a no-decision. John Lamb got stuck with the loss on Saturday, but the left-hander yielded just two runs in four innings pitched. On Sunday, Kyle Smith worked 4.1 scoreless frames before tiring two outs shy of being eligible for the win. Angel Baez did not have his best command on Monday, walking four, but he battled through four frames, allowing just one run on two hits. In four games, Steve Luebber's starting staff has posted a sterling 2.63 earned run average with 21 strikeouts and only eight walks.

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