Blue Rocks Come from Behind against Sox
Published on July 24, 2018 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release
Wilmington, DE - The Wilmington Blue Rocks (51-50/20-11) battled back against the Salem Red Sox (48-52/16-16) to earn the 8-6 win on Tuesday night at Frawley Stadium. After falling in to an early 3-0 deficit after the first three innings, the rallying Rocks put up two runs in the bottom of the seventh to bring the tying and go-ahead runs home en route to their fifth straight win. Third baseman Emmanuel Rivera led the offense with three hits and drove in two runs.
The Blue Rocks took their first lead of the game in the bottom of the seventh. With Gabriel Cancel on third and Rivera on first, Meibrys Viloria lined an RBI single to right to score Cancel and tie the game 4-4. A wild pitch by Red Sox pitcher Jared Oliver rolled far enough away from the plate to allow Rivera to score and give Wilmington the 5-4 lead.
Wilmington tacked on some vital insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth. With Rudy Martin on third, D.J. Burt hit an RBI single into right field to extend the lead to 6-4. Cancel followed up with a double to bring Burt home and make it 7-4. River followed suit and roped a double down the line in right to score Cancel and put the game out of reach, 8-4.
Salem got the scoring started in the top of the second. With one out and nobody on, Jerry Downs slugged a solo home run to put the Red Sox out in front, 1-0. The Red Sox tacked on some insurance runs in the top of the third. With a runner on first, Roldani Baldwin doubled to the gap in left to score C.J. Chatham to make it a 2-0 deficit for the Rocks. Michael Osinski followed up with an RBI double of his own to bring Baldwin home and make it a 3-0 ballgame.
Wilmington got on the board in the bottom of the fourth. After a lead-off double by Burt and a walk by Cancel, Rivera grounded into a double play to move Burt to third with two outs. Viloria roped a single up the middle to score Burt and make it a 3-1 game. The bases were loaded after back-to-back walks by Travis Jones and Brewer Hicklen. Martin drew the 26th bases loaded walk of the season for the Blue Rocks to inch a little closer with a 3-2 margin.
The Red Sox added a run in the top of the fifth. With two outs in the inning, Osinski stole second base and then advanced to third on a wild pitch. Victor Acosta tapped an RBI double into left to score Osinski and double the Red Sox lead to 4-2.
The Blue Rocks came up with an immediate response in their half of the fifth. With Blake Perkins on second and Cancel on first, Rivera hit a single off of the Red Sox shortstop's glove to score Perkins and make it a 4-3 ballgame.
Salem threatened a comeback effort in the top of the ninth. With Osinski on second, Jerry Downs smacked a two-run homer to center to put the Red Sox within striking distance, 8-6. Tyler Zuber stayed strong on the mound, striking out Acosta and Ryan Scott to close out the game and seal the win.
The Blue Rocks and Red Sox will play the second game of the series on Wednesday, July 25 at Frawley Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 11:05 a.m. as righty Carter Hope (4-3, 4.87 ERA) makes the start for Wilmington while fellow right-hander Daniel Gonzalez (7-5, 4.28 ERA) starts for Salem. Fans can listen to the game as Matt Janus and Cory Nidoh will have the call on 89.7 WGLS-FM.
PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:
The Rocks posted their 25th come-from-behind victory of the season after erasing a 3-0 deficit in the later innings of Tuesday's victory. With the win, the Blue Rocks pushed their win streak to a modest five games, one shy of matching their season-high of six which was from June 2 through June 7. The Blue Rocks have also won 9 of their last 11 games and 12 of their last 15. Wilmington now holds a 3.5 game lead in the Second Half Northern Division race.
The Blue Rocks had three different players pick up multiple hits in Monday's game including Emmanuel Rivera who led the way with three hits, including an RBI double, and also drove in a pair of runs. The third baseman has 17 multi-hit games of the season and 12 games in which he has driven in multiple runs. Outfielder Brewer Hicklen had a strong home debut and picked up a walk and double while making an acrobatic over-the-shoulder catch in left field. D.J. Burt also picked up a pair of hits and drove in a run to push his batting average to .313.
Meibrys Viloria continues his hot hitting at the plate and pushed his season-high hitting streak to seven games with a two-out RBI single in the fourth inning. The backstop is hitting a robust .458 (11-for-24) during the stretch and also improves his batting average to an impressive .342 (24-for-70) in the month of July. Viloria also drove in two runs in Monday's game to push his season total to 32, which is fifth-most on the team amongst active players.
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