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Wilmington Blue Rocks

Wilmington Rocks Frederick, 4-3

April 23, 2008 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release


Frederick, MD - Right fielder Joe Dickerson lucked into a two-run inside-the-park homer during a three-run sixth inning, and the bullpen fired four perfect frames of relief as the Wilmington Blue Rocks (7-12) broke a four-game losing streak with a 4-3 win against the Frederick Keys at Harry Grove Stadium on Wednesday night. The inside-the-parker is the first for the Rocks since Norris Hopper on July 30, 2001 at Potomac. The Rocks settle for a 2-4 mark on their second road trip of the season and return to Wilmington for a six-game homestand starting Friday night against the Winston-Salem Warthogs at 7:05 p.m.

The Blue Crew jumped on the board first with a single score in the third inning. Derrick Robinson reached on a two-out walk, stole second, and scored on a ripped RBI double to left off the bat of Chris McConnell. Frederick would answer though, plating a run in the bottom half of that same third frame on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Matt Wieters.

Worry set in during the fifth, as the Keys broke the 1-1 deadlock with a pair of runs against starter Jason Godin (1-0). Danny Figueroa singled on the first pitch of the frame and moved to second on a Chris Amador sacrifice bunt. With Wieters at the plate, Figueroa swiped third, and already behind in the count 2-0, the Blue Rocks decided to walk Wieters intentionally. Godin accidentally grazed Chris Vinyard on the forearm with a tight fastball which loaded the bases for Bill Rowell. After working a full count, the prospect third bagger slammed a two-run single into left-center field for a 3-1 score. But Rowell also tried to leg out a double and was gunned down at second base.

Much like the Keys quick answer in the third, the Blue Rocks wasted little time in responding on the scoreboard with a three-run sixth. Kurt Mertins doubled to left, extending his hitting streak to 10 games, and Dickerson followed. The lefty stick shot a fly ball down the left-field line, and the left fielder, Amador, took an odd route to the ball, adjusting mid-sprint to circle toward home plate, straddling the chalk. But leaning forward on the run, Amador could not make the squeeze as the ball bounded off his glove in fair territory and further down the line. As the Blue Rocks whipped around the bases, a puzzled Amador could not find the rawhide. Convinced it caromed out of play, he gazed incessantly in the grassy seating area over the side fence. But the entire time, it lay deep in the corner as Mertins and Dickerson each crossed the plate standing up for a tie game, 3-3.

The Blue Rocks did not stop at the tie. Anthony Seratelli worked a full-count walk after the unique homer, a free pass that chased starter Jake Renshaw (2-2) in favor of southpaw reliever Chad Thall. Lefty bat David Wood fisted a single through the right-side hole, enabling Seratelli to go first-to-third. With Matt Morizio at the plate thereafter, a wild pitch sent Seratelli home for what proved to be the game's winning score.

The bullpen secured the victory with four perfect innings from Gilbert De La Vara and Tyler Chambliss. After De La Vara whiffed four batters over his three frames, Chambliss struck out a pair of hitters in the ninth and survived a single late scare. Pinch-hitting Todd Davison, a former University of Delaware Fightin' Blue Hen, came off the bench with the bases empty and two outs to club a line drive to right-center field. A line drive caught by Robinson, the center fielder, for the game's final out and the third save in four tries on the season for Chambliss.

Friday night's pitching match-up will pit Wilmington prospect Blake Wood (0-1, 5.29), the fourth-best chip in the Kansas City Royals system, against Winston-Salem stud John Ely (0-1, 1.89), the No. 9 overall prospect in the Chicago White Sox system. (Both rankings courtesy of Baseball America.)

PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:

Josh Johnson worked a walk in the third inning, his team-leading 12th on the season. He has reached base on hit and/or walk in each of his 12 games played this season.

Kurt Mertins' 10-game hitting streak is just the second of such length by a Blue Rock this season. Joe Dickerson had a 10-game ride of success himself from April 5-14.

While the Blue Rocks added to their league-best stolen base total with a pair of swipes on the night, catcher Matt Wieters looked impressive in gunning down three would-be base stealers.

Dickerson's home run is his second on the season, pacing the team which has clubbed a league-low four total homers through 19 games.

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