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CarL1 Wilmington Blue Rocks

Breakout Bats Carry Rocks to Victory

June 15, 2011 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release


Lynchburg, VA - John Whittleman's team-leading seventh home run tied it and Alex McClure's third hit of the night pushed in the go-ahead run as the Wilmington Blue Rocks grabbed a 4-3 eighth-inning lead that went final on Wednesday night. Their offensive heroics combined with two strikeouts and a perfect ninth from hard-throwing lefty Ryan Dennick, who recorded his third save as the Blue Crew (34-31) beat the Lynchburg Hillcats (29-37) on Wednesday night. The win made for a winning road trip as well, coincidentally enough at 4-3.

The Blue Rocks entered the eighth down 3-2 when Whittleman sent a 3-2 pitch from reliever Andrew Wilson (1-2) over the fence in right-center field. It was the third full count of the night for the Carolina League All-Star infielder, and his second extra-base hit of the evening. Tim Ferguson then worked a walk and Jose Bonilla sacrificed him up to second.

Lynchburg skipper Luis Salazar went further into his bullpen, bringing on Eliecer Cardenas whose wild pitch gave Ferguson third with McClure at the plate. The shortstop then lined a ball over first for an RBI and the 4-3 lead.

It made a winner out of right-hander Dusty Odenbach. In his third outing as a Blue Rock, Odenbach (1-0) allowed one run over three frames. He walked one, struck out two, and allowed two base hits. Starter Tim Melville departed a tie game after five frames of two-run ball. The ranked prospect gave up six hits and no walks while striking out four and issuing a wild pitch.

Wilmington returns home for its final series of the first half. A four-game set begins on Thursday night at 7:05 p.m. against the Winston-Salem Dash. Southpaw Noel Arguelles (2-2, 2.74) gets the start for Wilmington with Tyler Sample (4-4, 3.75) piggybacking behind him. The Dash counters with lefty Joe Serafin (0-5, 5.22). The Blue Rocks took two of three at Winston-Salem to begin their recently-completed road trip. Broadcast coverage begins at 6:35 p.m. as studio host Adam Dobrowolski brings fans the Rocks Report Pre-game Show, presented by Wawa, on 89.7 WGLS-FM and online at wgls.rowan.edu.

PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:

The Blue Rocks need just one win over their final four games to secure a winning first half. They will only play 69 games due to a rain cancellation of their game against Kinston on June 9.

John Whittleman entered the game in an 8-for-72 (.111) slump with 22 strikeouts and just one extra-base hit over his prior 21 games. He finished the night 2-for-4 with a double and a game-tying solo homer. Despite his troubles of late, his 14 doubles still rank second on the team.

Over his last four games, Alex McClure has amassed six base hits in lifting his batting average to a season-best .190. He was a .128 hitter on May 2. He has hit .226 (30-for-133) since. He also registered his 13th stolen base of the season, placing him second on the squad.

The team leader in steals at 14, Whit Merrifield, missed a second straight day's worth of game action after he was hit on the tailbone by a throw on Monday night. He did take batting practice though and his return to the lineup is imminent.

Wilmington improved its record to 11-12 in one-run games.

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