Blue Rocks Steal Series Opener from Hillcats
Published on June 25, 2018 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release
Wilmington, DE - The Wilmington Blue Rocks (34-40 / 3-1) and Lynchburg Hillcats (32-40 / 3-2) duked it out on Monday night at Frawley stadium with the Rocks coming out on top 6-5. A back-and-forth game saw plenty of offense by both teams, but the Rocks' extra effort on the base paths proved to be the difference. Wilmington matched a franchise-record with five stolen bases in the game, including Nick Heath who stole two of his three in the eighth inning, to set him and the Blue Rocks up for the game winning run.
The Rocks entered the bottom of the eighth looking to break the stalemate and Heath manufactured a run on the base paths. After drawing a two-out walk, the outfielder stole second and then went to steal third before the pitch was thrown. Hillcats' reliever James Karinchak spiked the throw to third and the ball rolled into foul territory to allow Heath to hustle home to score go-ahead run and put Wilmington back on top 6-5. In the top of the ninth, Julio Pinto earned his second save of the season striking out the side in the top of the ninth to secure the 6-5 win.
The Hillcats struck first in the top of the second inning. Logan Ice hit a line drive into right field that was just deep enough to score Jorma Rodriguez and give Lynchburg the 1-0 lead. Wilmington put together a two-out rally in the bottom of the second inning to take the lead. Vance Vizcaino started the scoring with a two-run single that snuck into left field to put the Rocks on top 2-1.
Blake Perkins added an RBI single of his own that zipped past Lynchburg's third baseman Jorma Rodriguez to score Chris DeVito and add to the lead, 3-1. A wild pitch by Sam Hentges got away from his catcher and Vizcaino capitalized on the opportunity and scored to put the Rocks ahead 4-1.
Lynchburg responded in the top of the third. With runners at the corners, Daniel Tillo attempted to pickoff Rodriguez at first but the ball got away from DeVito, allowing Conner Capel to score making it a 4-2 ballgame. The Blue Rocks bought back an insurance run in the bottom of the third thanks to an RBI single by Heath to bring Gabriel Cancel home and extend the lead to 5-2.
The Hillcats came up with a big inning of their own in the top of the sixth. Mitch Longo put the Hillcats within one thanks to a bases-clearing RBI double to score Dillon Persinger and Ernie Clement to make it a 5-4 ballgame. Lynchburg tied the game on an RBI single by Capel to knot the game up at 5-5.
Wilmington will play the second game of the five-game series on Tuesday, June 26 at Frawley Stadium with first pitch at 6:35 p.m. The Blue Rocks will have right-hander Jace Vines (2-8, 5.94 ERA) on the mound while Lynchburg will send southpaw Tanner Tully (2-8, 5.30 ERA). Fans can also tune into the game with Matt Janus and Cory Nidoh on 89.7 WGLS-FM.
PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:
The Wilmington Blue Rocks continue to steal bases at a rapid pace to start the second half. In Monday night's win, the Blue Crew swiped five more bases to push their season total to 88. Nick Heath led the way with three to push his season total to 20 which leads the team and puts him in second in the Carolina League. The five stolen bases also marks the second time in the last four games the Rocks have matched a franchise record with five swiped bags in a single game. Wilmington accomplished the feat on Thursday at Potomac.
Starting pitcher Daniel Tillo battled his way through five innings of work and escaped early jams to keep the Rocks in the game. He did not factor in the decision and allowed three earned runs or less for the fifth time in seven starts with Wilmington. He also continues to pitch well at home and lowered his ERA to an impressive 1.29 when pitching on the Riverfront.
The two teams combined for 11 runs, 14 hits, 11 walks and 25 strikeouts in the back-and-forth-affair. Wilmington prevailed and opened the nine-game homestand with a victory and improved to 3-1 in the second half. Wilmington also has won five of their last six games dating back to the end of the first half. The Blue Rocks are 7-1 against Lynchburg this season and have won six in a row against the Hillcats.
Carolina League Stories from June 25, 2018
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