CarL1 Wilmington Blue Rocks

Donut Dominance in Myrtle Beach

Published on July 19, 2010 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release


Myrtle Beach, SC - Bryan Paukovits, Kevin Chapman and Barry Bowden combined on a four-hitter as the Wilmington Blue Rocks (48-46, 16-8) blanked the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (36-58, 10-14) on Monday night, 2-0. The team's eighth shutout win of the season is also its fifth of the month and its fifth straight road win, a season-best string of road success.

Paukovits (2-2) tossed seven scoreless innings for the win. He worked around a one-out walk to Cory Harrilchak and subsequent steal of second in the first, and a leadoff single by Jordan Kreke in the second. After Kreke's hit to short left, Paukovits retired 18 of the next 20 men he faced. He allowed just three hits and one walk.

The tall righty had a lead thanks to back-to-back inning-opening hits in the fifth. Nick Francis hit a hard grounder to Samuel Sime at third, who knocked the ball down with his backhanded glove, but could not make a play. In his second game as a Blue Rock, the recently promoted Rene Oriental followed with a first-pitch RBI double to the left-center gap for a 1-0 advantage. It would be the Rocks' lone extra-base hit of the night.

It also proved to be the only run allowed by prospect right-hander Randall Delgado (4-7) who allowed just four hits and one walk while striking out nine over seven innings.

A fielder's choice, a walk and two errors set the stage for the Rocks' lone eighth-inning hit to result in a run when Wil Myers singled home Patrick Norris. The run went unearned on reliever Paul Clemens who tossed the final two frames.

Sime reached on a tough error to shortstop Christian Colon at the start of the home eighth, as a fierce, late hop kicked the ball up near the 2010 first-round pick's face. Chapman, who came out of the bullpen to begin the inning, then dominated three successive Pelicans on looking strikeouts. Pinch-hitter L.V. Ware went down first. Mycal Jones suffered the same fate thereafter and griped so significantly that home plate umpire Tyler Wilson ejected him from the game. Harrilchak looked at a called strike three to end the inning.

In the bottom of the ninth, Dan Nelson singed, allowing the tying run to bat. Before Mike Jones could stand in, a small kitten raced onto the field and settled in the right-center gap. Norris, the Rocks' center fielder, secured the kitten under his glove and waited for field staff to come out and remove the creature, but none immediately came. A minute later, a member of the grounds crew came out to make visual contact with the intruder, but raced off thereafter as the Landshark mascot emerged from left to play Mothra to the Godzilla-like kitten. When no exchange of lightning breath took place, the same grounds crew member returned from behind the outfield fence with a piece of cloth to secure and remove the kitten with, allowing play to resume.

Jones then reached on a fielder's choice and took second on a wild pitch before Kreke lined out to the cleat-high glove of first baseman Ernesto Mejia who doubled off Jones at second to end the game. Bowden bolted down his team-leading ninth save and faced the minimum in the ninth.

The three-game series continues on Tuesday night at 7:05 p.m. The pitching match-up pits Wilmington southpaw Buddy Baumann (3-1, 2.26) against Pelicans prospect right-hander J.J. Hoover (7-5, 3.69).

PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:

Former Myrtle Beach Pelican Ernesto Mejia singled the first pitch of his first at-bat against his former club. He finished the night 1-for-4.

The Pelicans struggled to an 0-for-8 showing with runners in scoring position.

Nick Francis had the lone multi-hit performance for the Blue Rocks. He went 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored.

Hard winds gusted in from right most of the night at nearly 30 mph according to the National Weather Service.

As a result of the pinch-hitter and ejection in the home eighth, the Pelicans moved multiple players around defensively. L.V. Ware stayed in the game and played left field while Samuel Sime moved from third to short and Dan Nelson played third. Nelson had been the designated hitter, meaning the pitcher's position would have had to bat in the leadoff slot should the game have continued.

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Carolina League Stories from July 19, 2010


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