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CarL1 Wilmington Blue Rocks

Following One-Hit Effort, Wilmington Plates Nine in Rout

May 2, 2007 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release


Wilmington, DE - The unpredictability of baseball was on display at Frawley Stadium on Wednesday night, as the meekest hitting team in the Carolina League poured forth a 14-hit attack en route to a 9-0 lashing of the Frederick Keys. A game removed from being one-hit by four Frederick hurlers in a loss, Wilmington exploded for their highest run output of the season, fueled by a six-run seventh. Catcher Kiel Thibault belted the first Frawley homerun by a Blue Rock in 304 at-bats, while Jose Duarte and Miguel Vega each notched a pair of hits and combined to drive in three runs. Rayner Oliveros (1-0) came out the bullpen to hurl five three-hit innings for his first win of the season. Rehabbing major leaguer Scott Williamson (0-1) took the loss, yielding two first-inning runs on three hits. Wilmington's biggest inning of the season began with a single to center field by Kila Kaaihue off right-hander Chorye Spoone, who was beginning his sixth inning of work. After a Vega single, Brian McFall looped a single up the middle to chase Kaaihue home and give the Rocks a 3-0 edge, forcing manager Tommy Thompson to go to his bullpen. Lefty Trent Baysinger entered and retired Thibault on a fly ball to left, but then preceded to give up four-straight singles, including RBI knocks by Andrew Larsen and Valentino Arce. Duarte capped the string of hits with a two-run knock to center, giving Wilmington the insurmountable 9-0 lead. In all, he Blue Rocks sent 12 men to bat and plated six runs on seven hits in the explosive seventh frame. Spoone was charged with four runs in his five-plus innings of work, including six hits, three walks, three strikeouts, and the homer to Thibault. Coming with one out in the fourth, the long ball by Thibault was just the fifth of the season by Wilmington, which ranks last in the league in both that department as well as team batting average (.204). A designated longman out of the pen, Oliveros logged his longest outing of the season and the longest of any Blue Rock reliever on the year. The 6'2" Venezuelan struck out three batters and induced two inning-ending double plays, allowing him to face the minimum through his first four innings of work. David Humen worked the ninth, allowing one hit and one walk. Neither of the scheduled starting pitchers threw as expected in this topsy-turvy affair. Blue Rocks starter Patrick Green appeared to tweak a hamstring, as he came up slightly limp after covering the bag on a groundout from Blake Davis to begin the game. Green threw one pitch to Travis Brown before John Mizerock and the Wilmington training staff were out to the mound to inspect the Georgia native. Green was removed just one out into the game, forcing the Rocks to call upon Rowdy Hardy, who is scheduled to pitch on Friday as one-half of a piggybacking equation with Blake Johnson. Hardy came in and gave the Blue Rocks 2.2 solid innings of emergency relief, holding the Keys to no runs and two hits.

Meanwhile, in a surprise to all in attendance, Tommy Thompson opted to go with the right-handed Williamson to begin the game rather than his originally scheduled hurler Spoone. Williamson, the 1999 National League Rookie of the Year with the Cincinnati Reds, was slated to pitch one inning during the game as part of a minor league rehab assignment, but it was unexpected that he would throw the first inning.

Undaunted, the Blue Rock bats went to work early, pushing two runs across on the big league veteran. Jose Duarte led off with a double to center and would score on a two-out opposite-field single to right by Vega, driving in just his fourth run of the season. One batter later, McFall scored Vega from first on a hard-ripped double into the left field corner for a 2-0 Rocks lead.

The series with Frederick, as well as the homestand, concludes Thursday at 6:35 p.m. Blue Rocks righty Michael Penn (1-1, 2.70) opposes Keys right-hander David Hernandez (2-2, 2.74).

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