NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, CFL stats



Wilmington Blue Rocks

McFall Homers Twice, Campbell Wins In Debut

June 8, 2007 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release


Winston-Salem, NC - After everything fell apart for a tailspin five-game losing streak, the Wilmington Blue Rocks (28-32) saw nearly everything fall right in a 4-2 win at Ernie Shore Field over the Winston-Salem Warthogs on Friday night. Brian McFall, who entered with just one home run over 170 at-bats, became the first Rock all season to homer twice in a single game. Lefty starter Matt Campbell (1-0) got the win in his Blue Rocks and Advanced-A debut with seven innings of two-run ball for a win. All-Star reliever Gilbert De La Vara bounced back from a blown save with his fifth clinch of the year, and All-Star center fielder Jose Duarte drove in an insurance run with a late ninth-inning single that extended his hitting streak to 12 games.

In the ninth, the Warthogs brought the tying run to the plate three times, including All-Stars Micah Schnurstein, the league leader in homers, and Cole Armstrong, who had homered three time off the Blue Rocks this season. But each of those two flied out to deep center field, and De La Vara struck out David Cook swinging to wrap up the 4-2 win. De La Vara worked the final two in scoreless fashion, allow just one hit and striking out two.

Duarte gave Wilmington an insurance tally in the top half of the inning. With two outs and an 0-for-4 night to that point, Duarte flared a ball down the right-field line just fair that scored Kiel Thibault from second base for the two-run cushion. That hit stretched Duarte's hitting streak to 12 games, tying Marc Maddox's 12-gamer from May 3-15 for the longest by a Blue Rock this season.

McFall gave Wilmington its first lead of the night with a solo homer to start the sixth inning, his second on the game and third on the season. His deep shot to left-center broke up a 2-2 tie.

Campbell, a first-round pick (29th overall) by the Royals in the 2004 Draft worked a career-high seven innings for his second straight start to get the win. The former University of South Carolina Gamecock, who missed all of last season after shoulder surgery, allowed just two runs on three hits and one walk with five strikeouts.

The southpaw got a pair of double plays behind him, one in the fifth and one in the seventh, to help him out. In the seventh, an error by shortstop Josh Johnson allowed Rod Allen, Jr. to reach after the twin killing. A balk on Campbell gave Allen, Jr. second base as the tying run was put in scoring position with Wilmington holding a 3-2 lead. But Campbell struck out third baseman Javier Castillo looking to strand the runner and wrap up his seventh inning of work.

The Blue Rocks had to rally several times for their first win in six games, and their second over their last 10. Paulo Orlando started the home half of the first with a double, and scored on an RBI groundout by Micah Schnurstein for a 1-0 Wilmington deficit in the first inning.

But McFall delivered his first home run of the night to start the second, a solo shot to left for a 1-1 tie. Runners were at the corners with one out that same inning when Johnson bounced a ball to third and Thibault broke for home. But Castillo threw home and Thibault slid into an Armstrong tag for an out at the plate.

The ‘Hogs took a 2-1 lead when Robbie Hudson scored from third during a rundown of Aaron Cunningham between first and second, while Wilmington tied the game on a Mario Lisson two-out RBI double down the left-field line in the fifth.

Game three of the four-game set will be played at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday night. Wilmington right-hander Blake Johnson (3-4, 4.84) will face fellow righty Kyle McCullouch (3-5, 3.88).

Check out the Wilmington Blue Rocks Statistics

• Discuss this story on the Carolina League message board...

Carolina League Stories from June 8, 2007


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central