Balk Completes Wilmington Sweep on Grand Strand
June 4, 2019 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release
Myrtle Beach, SC - A two-out ninth-inning balk lifted the Wilmington Blue Rocks to a 4-3 victory over the Myrtle Beach Pelicans on Tuesday at TicketReturn.com Field. With the win Wilmington completed a three-game sweep of the Pelicans and ended their seven-game road trip with a 5-2 mark. More importantly, the Blue Crew lowered their magic number to four to clinch a first-half CL North crown with still 11 contests remaining.
Ricky Aracena got the decisive rally started with a one-out infield single. Blake Perkins followed with a walk and then Aracena moved to third on Brewer Hicklen's fielder's choice grounder. That set the stage for Ryan Kellogg's game-deciding mistake. With MJ Melendez at the plate the southpaw balked in the game-winning run.
Wilmington got multi-hit performances from Hicklen, Dennicher Carrasco, Nick Pratto and Colby Schultz en route to the win. The Rocks got on the board with a double-steal, as Pratto took second and Carrasco swiped home. Schultz and Pratto each added RBI-knocks while Carrasco scored two of the Blue Crew's runs.
The Rocks finished the night with 10 hits and registered double-digit knocks in consecutive games for the first time this season.
Holden Capps fanned five and allowed just a single score over 2.2 frames to get the win for Wilmington, while Tad Ratliff worked a one-two-three ninth to nail down his Carolina-League leading 13th save of the season.
After a scheduled night off Wilmington opens a seven-game homestand on Thursday against Fayetteville. First pitch is slated for 6:35 p.m. and tickets are available at BlueRocks.com. Fans who cannot make it to the ballpark can catch all the action with the Voice of the Blue Rocks, Cory Nidoh on 89.7 WGLS-FM.
PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:
Wilmington has been in first place for more than three-quarters of the 2019 season- 50 of the campaign's first 60 days. The Rocks lead both Frederick and Lynchburg by a season-high eight games, thanks in large part to their record swelling to a campaign-best 16 games above .500.
The Blue Crew have travelled exceedingly well this season. Wilmington is 22-10 on the road in 2019, the second-best mark in the CL. The only club with a better road record this year is the Down East Wood Ducks, who are 22-5. Ironically that is the only road destination Wilmington has not visited yet this season. One of the reasons for the variance in success have been Wilmington's ability to hit for power outside of the First State. Twenty of the Blue Crew's 24 homers this season have come away from the friendly confines of Frawley Stadium.
Four has been the magic number for the Wilmington offense in 2019. When the Rocks score four times in a game, they are 22-2 on the year. Conversely, when Wilmington manages just three scores or fewer in an affair the team is only 14-19. The Blue Crew's nine runs on Monday were their most since July 20 of last year.
Carolina League Stories from June 4, 2019
- 'Cats Sweep Keys 10-3 with Home Runs from Lutz, Henry and Feliciano - Carolina Mudcats
- Pelicans Swept by Blue Rocks to Conclude Homestand - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Lee, German Give P-Nats Sweep of Salem - Potomac Nationals
- Mudcats Sweep Keys - Frederick Keys
- Balk Completes Wilmington Sweep on Grand Strand - Wilmington Blue Rocks
- Bahr Deals Wood Ducks To Rubber Game Win Over Lynchburg - Down East Wood Ducks
- Bahr, Dorow Lead Wood Ducks to Series Win over Hillcats - Lynchburg Hillcats
- June 4 - Carolina Mudcats Game Information - Carolina Mudcats
- June 4 Game Information - Down East Wood Ducks
- Myrtle Beach Pelicans Game Notes: June 4 vs. Wilmington - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Winston-Salem Dash Game Notes (June 4 at Fayetteville) - Winston-Salem Dash
- P-Nats Celebrate Mystery Night, Military Appreciation Night, & Caped Crusaders Day over Weekend - Potomac Nationals
- Wood Ducks to Host Farmers Market Saturday June 8 - Down East Wood Ducks
- Feliciano Homers Twice as Mudcats Win Second Straight 7-4 in Zebulon - Carolina Mudcats
- Wilmington Bombs Birds in 9-5 Win - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Solo Shots Hand Woodpeckers Second Straight Loss - Fayetteville Woodpeckers
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