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Wilmington Blue Rocks

Mejia Leads Comeback Win in 14 Innings

August 23, 2010 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release


Woodbridge, VA - For the first time in 53 tries, the Wilmington Blue Rocks (62-64, 30-26) have won a game they trailed after eight innings. On Monday night, Ernest Mejia's two-run single tied Wilmington and the Potomac Nationals (61-64, 30-25) at 3-3 in the ninth, and his two-run triple in the 14th put the Rocks ahead to stay in a 6-3 series-opening triumph. Mejia knocked in five runs on three hits as he fell just a double shy of the cycle. The Rocks' 100th all-time win at Pfitzner Stadium has them just a half-game back of the first-place P-Nats in the Northern Division.

Mejia's fifth home run of the season gave the Rocks a 1-0 lead in the second inning. However, that would be the only hit Potomac starter Danny Rosenbaum would allow over the opening six innings as he faced just one over the minimum. He would depart in line for the win thanks to a two-run third for the hosts.

Nick Moresi and Francisco Soriano combined for consecutive one-out doubles to tie the game, 1-1. Wilmington starter Ivor Hodgson would be called for a balk that gave Soriano third, forcing the infield to come in. While Dan Lyons popped out to second, Derek Norris followed with a liner over short that knocked in Soriano for a 2-1 game.

Hodgson surrendered an unearned tally in the fifth. Robby Jacobsen snapped an 0-for-21 with a leadoff triple to center field. An errantly tall relay throw from second baseman Rey Navarro sailed into the Blue Rocks benches, giving Jacobsen an advance home for a 3-1 deficit.

Potomac would not score again. Three Wilmington relievers combined to toss nine scoreless innings, allowing just five hits in that time while whiffing eight.

The top of Wilmington's order assembled a ninth-inning rally against Justin Phillabaum. With the third baseman Lyons in, Patrick Norris scorched a single off his diving glove. The next pitch hit Christian Colon and Wil Myers worked a full-count free pass to load the bases for Mejia. The burly first baseman slugged a two-run single into left that knotted the game at 3-all.

Potomac skipped Gary Cathcart made the move to Patrick McCoy who stranded both inherited runners with a strikeout and a groundball double play.

In the 14th, the top of Wilmington's order again came through. Norris doubled just fair down the left-field line to start the frame. Colon sacrificed him to third and Myers received an intentional walk. Again, Mejia came through. His triple to right made it 5-3 and a subsequent wild pitch allowed Mejia to score for the 6-3 margin that went final.

Lefty Ryan Dennick (1-0) faced the tying run in the bottom half of the frame. Bill Rhinehart and Sean Rooney busted out of respective 0-for-5 nights with successive two-out infield hits. Jose Lozada would not prove as fortunate as he followed with a groundout to third for an 0-for-5 finish himself as Dennick hurled three shutout innings for the win.

The final clash of these division rivals continues on Tuesday night at 7:03 p.m. Southpaw Will Smith (2-1, 3.69) gets the ball against right-hander Trevor Holder (2-2, 3.74) in the middle match of the three-game set.

PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:

Not only did Wilmington enter the night 0-52 when trailing after eight innings, Potomac began the game 46-0 when leading going into the ninth. Both season-long certainties halted on Monday night.

No CL team has played more free baseball than Potomac which fell to 10-8 in extra-inning affairs. The Blue Rocks own the circuit's best winning percentage in such clashes at 7-4.

The Blue Rocks guaranteed themselves a non-losing season against their longtime nemesis with their 10th victory against the P-Nats.

Aaron Crow, who would have thrown on Monday with the normal turn of the rotation, will instead pitch next in Friday's series opener at Lynchburg.

On the day he received his well-deserved fourth Carolina League Player of the Week honor over the last month and a half, Tyler Moore went 2-for-6 with a pair of singles and four strikeouts. He has hit just .242 (16-for-66) against the Rocks this season with 20 strikeouts and just two of his league-leading 28 homers.

The game was the longest for the Blue Rocks all season at 3:51.

Rain fell just before the start of the contest for the first several innings. It stalled for the middle frames but rained to varying degrees from the seventh inning until nearly the contest's conclusion.

The Blue Rocks sent the minimum to the plate 10 times on the night. Potomac did the same in seven frames.

Brendan Lafferty's four scoreless innings ran his run to 16.2 straight without a run. He faced just one over the minimum, an infield hit by Tyler Moore. Over his last 12 outings, the lefty has posted a 0.75 ERA while holding the league to a .150 batting average.

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