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Wilmington Blue Rocks

Rocks Rally to Tie Game in Ninth, But Fall Short in Extra Innings

September 13, 2015 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release


WILMINGTON, Del. - Down 2-1 in the bottom of the ninth in the Mills Cup Championship Series opener on Sunday, the Blue Rocks got a run to send the contest to extras, but eventually fell to Myrtle Beach in 10 innings by a score of 3-2. Ryan O'Hearn hit his first playoff home run for Wilmington, while Zach Lovvorn went 5.2 innings, allowing a pair of runs.

The Rocks used the long ball to take the lead in the bottom of the second inning. O'Hearn led off the frame against Myrtle Beach starter Jen-Ho Tseng, and the first baseman cranked a solo homer well over the right-field fence. O'Hearn tied for the team lead with eight home runs during the regular season, and his first of the playoffs gave the Rocks a 1-0 lead.

Meanwhile, Lovvorn cruised through five innings, but ran into trouble in the top of the sixth. Chesny Young began the frame by singling, then Pin-Chieh Chen followed by hitting Young with a batted ball. Young was called out, and Chen was awarded a base hit. Major-League rehabber Jorge Soler would be next, and he roped a double to the gap in left-center field that plated Chen and tied the game. Two batters later, Mark Zagunis produced a single to chase Soler home, handing the Pelicans a 2-1 advantage.

Wilmington put up a major threat in bottom of the seventh inning, but failed to crack the scoreboard. Elier Hernandez laced a single with one away, and was followed by a walk to Cam Gallagher. A wild pitch by Josh Conway moved both runners into scoring position, but Conway got Humberto Arteaga to ground out and Dominique Taylor to go down on strikes, ending the Wilmington threat.

Just like in Game Two of the Northern Division Championship Series, Frawley Stadium experienced high drama late. In the bottom of the ninth, Jasvir Rakkar entered vying for the save. His day was done after just three batters, though, as he allowed a single to O'Hearn, a walk to Hernandez, and a bunt hit to Gallagher. David Berg replaced him with the bases loaded and nobody out, facing Arteaga first. Arteaga grounded into a force out at home, but Wilmington would tie the game with the next batter. Taylor hit a ground ball to second base that Daniel Lockhart took to second himself, and Hernandez crossed to knot the game at two. Logan Moon grounded out to end the inning, and the game headed to extras.

In the top of the 10th inning, Daniel Lockhart led off by smacking a double over Hernandez's head in right field. Myrtle Beach would eventually load the bases with one out, and Victor Caratini came through with a single that pushed the Pelicans back in front by a score of 3-2. The Rocks could not scratch across a run in the bottom of the frame, and Myrtle Beach held on to take Game One.

The Mills Cup Championship Series continues on Monday with Game Two. The contest will be the final one at Frawley Stadium in 2015. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m., and fans can listen to the broadcast on 89.7 WGLS-FM. For tickets, call 302-888-BLUE, or visit www.bluerocks.com.

THEY SAID IT:

Manager Brian Buchanan:

"We had chances throughout (the game.) We had some runners at third with less than two outs and just couldn't get the big hit. Base loaded with no outs in the ninth and we ended up pushing a run across. That was a good opportunity but with just a base hit we could have won the game. But you have to give it to them, they threw some good pitches and I am proud of how (we) battled and came back."

"It is tough (having to go up against Jorge Soler) especially in the playoffs, we battled all year long to get to where we are and then in the playoffs we have to face Soler who is an established hitter. Minor leagues that is what we are here for, getting (the players) ready for the majors and he is on a rehab assignment and we can sit here and complain about it all we want but he is not going away. We got him a couple of times but it is just one of those things where it is what it is."

"Obviously the Chicago Cubs are in the race (for the postseason) and they want (Soler) back and that is a part of how the minor league is about, getting (players) ready and if a guy needs to get ready to help the big league team they are going to do it. It is unfortunate that it happens to be in the championship series but that is the way the ball bounces."

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