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CarL1 Wilmington Blue Rocks

Blue Rocks Lose Six-Run Lead, Fall to Lynchburg in Extra Innings

May 11, 2015 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release


WILMINGTON, DE - The Blue Rocks scored the first six runs of the contest on Monday Night, but Lynchburg plated 11 of the last 12, and ended up rallying to defeat the Rocks 11-7. Wilmington drops to 16-14 while Lynchburg improves to 11-21. Neither starter, Eric Skoglund for Wilmington or Mitch Brown for Lynchburg, could make it through four innings, and Clint Frazier produced both the game-tying and game-winning hits for the Hillcats.

The Blue Rocks jumped out in front in the bottom of the first inning with a trio of runs. Jack Lopez walked to begin the frame, but was picked off of first base with Rafael Furcal at the dish. Furcal would double, then reach third base on an error. Mauricio Ramos would follow with a single that brought home Furcal, and after Zane Evans reached on another fielding error by the Hillcats, Frank Schwindel drove both men in with a double, making it 3-0 Wilmington.

In the bottom of the third inning, the Rocks added to their lead with another three-run frame. Schwindel doubled with one out, and was followed by a Dominique Taylor walk. Two batters later, Robert Pehl came through with a single that scored Schwindel. Daniel Rockett came up next, and he brought both Taylor and Pehl in with a triple, stretching the Wilmington lead to 6-0.

The Hillcats finally got on the board in the very next half inning, scoring three times in the top of the fourth. Luigi Rodriguez opened the inning with a single, then Bradley Zimmer walked two batters later. After Luigi Rodriguez stole third base, Nellie Rodriguez struck out for the second out of the frame. With Luigi Rodriguez on third and Zimmer on first, the teammates pulled off a double steal that got Zimmer to second base and brought Luigi Rodriguez to the plate for the first run of the evening for Lynchburg. Eric Haase then singled to drive in Zimmer for the second run of the inning. After another base hit from Paul Hendrix, Joe Sever produced a run-scoring knock himself that drove in Haase. Mike Papi walked, which spelled the end for Skoglund. Kevin McCarthy made his Advanced-A debut replacing Skoglund, and he managed to get out of the inning without further damage.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, the Rocks got a run back. Wilmington loaded the bases with no outs thanks to a walk by Furcal, a double by Ramos, and a walk by Evans. Schwindel would be next, and he was hit by a pitch, which forced a run home. Brown was then pulled in favor of reliever Mason Radeke, who managed to hold the Rocks scoreless the rest of the inning thanks to a fielder's choice and a double play.

The Hillcats got a run closer in the top half of the fifth inning. With the bases empty and two out, Zimmer smashed a home run off of McCarthy that got Lynchburg back to within 7-4. Nellie Rodriguez would follow with a swinging strike out to end the frame.

Down by three runs in the top of the ninth inning, the Hillcats put together a furious rally to tie the game. Sever blasted a solo homer with one down, and was followed by a double by Papi, who moved to third base on a wild pitch by Edwards. Roberts would come up with an RBI double to bring in Papi, and after a Luigi Rodriguez pop out, Frazier doubled to drive in Roberts to tie the game at seven. Nick Green would relive Edwards after the Frazier double, and got the Rocks out of the inning without another run. Wilmington would not score in the bottom of the ninth, and the game went to extra innings.

Lynchburg took the lead for the first time with four runs on one play in the top of the 11th inning. The Hillcats put the first three men on, then Frazier singled up the middle to score two, and then the other two runners came home because of a throwing error by Ramos. Lynchburg would not crack the scoreboard after that, but they exited the inning with a lead of 11-7. The Rocks went quietly in the bottom of the inning, dropping the series finale to the Hillcats.

Wilmington begins a three-game set on Tuesday when they welcome the Potomac Nationals to town. First pitch of game one of the series is scheduled for 6:35 p.m., and fans can listen to the broadcast on 89.7 WGLS-FM.

PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:

The Blue Rocks blew their largest lead of the season on Monday night, as they led by six runs at one point. Their previous high was a three-run blown lead, which they gave up on April 25 against the Frederick Keys. Wilmington is now 1-3 in extra-inning games this season, and they tied their longest game of the campaign innings-wise with an 11 inning contest. Monday also marked the single longest game of the 2015 season in regards to time, clocking in at three hours and 38 minutes.

The Blue Rocks pitching staff struck out 11 batters on Monday, making the game the third straight in which Wilmington pitchers have fanned double digit batters. On Saturday, the Rocks combined for 12 punch outs, while Sunday afternoon saw the Blue Crew fan 15 batters total. Wilmington has combined for 38 strikeouts over the last three contests.

Frank Schwindel is at it again. The Wilmington slugger already has an eight and nine game hitting streak under his belt this season, and with two hits on Monday, he has now hit safely in seven consecutive contests. Over the current hot stretch, Schwindel is batting .346 with four doubles, six RBIs, and six runs scored. Schwindel also hit his second long ball of the season during the streak back on May 9 against Lynchburg.

The Blue Rocks continue to struggle with the bases loaded. Schwindel was hit by a pitch with the bases juiced to bring in a run, but the Rocks went 0-for-2 other than that plate appearance, including a double play. Wilmington is now 5-for-31 with the bases full during the 2015 season, with three of those hits belonging to the now-departed Bubba Starling. Without him, the Blue Crew batters are 2-for-28, which is good for a collective batting average of .071.

THEY SAID IT:

Manager Brian Buchanan:

"We jumped on them early and we couldn't hold on. We made some bad pitches in key moments. It happens."

"[Kevin McCarthy] did well. He came in in a tough situation and he threw the ball well. He's been throwing down in Lexington and it's good to see him do what he did tonight. He did a nice job."

"For whatever reason, I don't know what it was, but we got away from our approach. We swung at a lot of balls in the dirt. In the first three or four innings we were swinging the bats well and we had chances to add on with the bases loaded and got one run out of it with the bases loaded and no outs. We couldn't get any more runs out of it. I think in the latter part of the game we just were not cashing in."

"[Frank Schwindel] is swinging the bat well. He's doing a nice job. He's working hard in the cage. Sometimes he over-swings a little bit, but he's got a good approach. If he sticks with it, he'll be fine. That's the key, just being consistent with your at-bats. That's part of the development process: getting more consistent with your at-bats, timing, [and] getting a good pitch to hit. Right now, he's doing well."

First baseman Frank Schwindel:

"It's frustrating. We hit the ball great early and I thought we had some good at-bats down the stretch. We had a couple hard hit balls that didn't drop but...that's a part of the game, that stuff happens. We've been on the other side of that...once or twice this year. We definitely had that game and gave it away."

"Short memory in this game. We've still got over 100 [games] left. We're still at the top of the standings. I think we're in a pretty good spot to start this year and just keep battling. Every day is a grind and it's a new day tomorrow."

"I just try to take it one at-bat at a time. I've had plenty of bad at-bats this year and I try to forget them as soon as possible and not let the bad at-bats affect me. I just try to get good pitches to hit and put good swings on it. That's really all I can control."

"It's been a battle every day. Some days...I come in and I [think], 'Oh, wow, I've never hit before,' and then some days where you feel unstoppable. You just try to stay as consistent, mentally, as you can and try to put good at-bats together."

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