CarL1 Wilmington Blue Rocks

Blue Rocks Bomb Salem, 10-9

Published on May 30, 2008 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release


Salem, VA - Talk about unexpected. The Wilmington Blue Rocks, a team that ranked next-to-last in all of minor league baseball with 14 dingers in 51 games entering Thursday night, belted three home runs in the sixth inning alone as they defeated the Salem Avalanche at Memorial Stadium, 10-9. The round-trippers were part of a seven-run sixth inning, the Blue Crew's most explosive frame this season. With the win, Wilmington (26-26) worked a split on its four-game series in Salem and brought itself to the .500 mark for just the second time this season.

Trailing in the sixth, 5-2, Josh Johnson began the rally with a first-pitch swinging double. Catcher Jeff Howell followed with a homer to left, his second of the season. The very next batter, Anthony Seratelli, also left the yard with a slammed shot to right-center field, his fourth on the season and the team's first back-to-back homers of 2008. Reliever Raymar Diaz (2-3) retired each of the next two batters before Chris McConnell doubled to left-center. Salem lifted Diaz in favor of lefty Josh Appell, who walked Kurt Mertins and gave up a three-run homer to Joe Dickerson. Jeff Bianchi doubled thereafter and Johnson, the man who started the inning, capped off the scoring with an RBI single for a 9-5 lead the Blue Rocks would not surrender.

The Avs made things interesting late by plating single scores in the eighth and ninth innings against Gilbert De La Vara to make it a one-run game, 10-9. Koby Clemens tripled to begin the ninth and scored on a gift base hit by Jhon Florentino. De La Vara neglected to cover first base on an in-between grounder to the right side, allowing the tying run to reach and the winning score to bat. But the 2007 Carolina League All-Star retired the next three men in order, including a strikeout of the pinch-hitting Justin Tellam, to end the game and clinch his second save.

Reliever Aaron Hartsock (4-2) picked up the victory. In his first start with the Blue Rocks since rejoining the team from a single Double-A outing, the blonde-haired righty gave up two runs on four hits over 2.1 innings, walking one and striking out two.

Wilmington's seven-game road trip shifts to Lynchburg's City Stadium for a three-game weekend set against the Hillcats, a Pirates farm club. It starts Friday night at 7:05 p.m. with Wilmington southpaw Everett Teaford (3-1, 2.54) opposing prospect lefty Daniel Moskos (3-3, 5.60). The Blue Rocks swept the 'Cats in three games last weekend at Frawley Stadium by a combined score of 26-3.

PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:

Former Blue Rock Mike Aviles made his major league debut on Thursday night, starting at shortstop and batting ninth for the Kansas City Royals. Aviles hit .300 with six home runs and 69 RBIs for the Blue Crew in 2004. He became the 94th former Blue Rock to make it to the major leagues. He went 0-for-3 with a strikeout in a 5-1 loss to the Minnesota Twins.

He is the seventh Blue Rock from the 2004 team to make the big leagues.  That team is the most recent Riverfront squad to make the Mills Cup Championship Series, losing to the Kinston Indians in five games.

Anthony Seratelli's home run went off his face. Actually, it went off an electronic image of his face, as the line drive caromed off the video board in right-center and smacked against his head shot.

Reliever Aaron Hartsock now leads the team with his four wins.

Eight of Wilmington's nine starters earned a base hit on the game. Only Brett Bigler went hitless, but still reached on a walk as he went 0-for-4.

The team banged out 15 hits in total, tying its best single-game output of 2008.

Chris McConnell and Derrick Robinson each posted three-hit nights. Jeff Howell, Josh Johnson and Anthony Seratelli each logged two-hit efforts.

The Blue Rocks went 5-for-5 in stolen bases on the night, including a pair by Derrick Robinson to up his Carolina League-leading total to 28 on the season. The Blue Rocks lead all of minor league baseball with 122 stolen bases this season.

Thursday's victory is the longest nine-inning game for the Blue Rocks this season at 3:18.

The Blue Rocks left a season-high 14 men on base in the game, including nine in scoring position. They left the bases loaded three times on the night.

Darryl Kennedy's squad matched largest its come-from-behind win by rallying from three down, also done April 10 at Salem in a 5-4 win.

Wilmington hit back-to-back home runs for the first time since Ian Bladergroen followed a Claudio Arias homer with one of his own on August 22, 2006 versus the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. The franchise has never hit back-to-back-to-back homers in its history.

Check out the Wilmington Blue Rocks Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Carolina League Stories from May 30, 2008


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