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CarL1 Wilmington Blue Rocks

Frederick Jumps out Early and Holds On

April 29, 2019 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release


Frederick, MD - The Wilmington Blue Rocks saw their three-game winning streak come to an end in a 5-2 loss to the Frederick Keys on Monday at Nymeo Field. The Rocks got two hits each from Brewer Hicklen and Cristian Perez and a solo homer from MJ Melendez, but did not score until the ninth inning.

Jackson Kowar allowed a season-high four runs in just 4.1 frames. The righty surrendered a solo homer to Jake Ring in the third and then an RBI-single Kirvin Moesquit later in the frame. Frederick added run-scoring knocks in the fourth against Kowar from Jomar Reyes and Jean Carillo.

On offense Wilmington could not solve the riddle that was Keys starter Brandon Hanifee. The righty worked around four walks, allowing just four hits while fanning four in five scoreless frames.

The Rocks did make some noise in the final frame. Melendez got a solo homer and then Wilmington brought the tying run to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs. But Diogenes Almengo shut the door. He fanned Hicklen to nail down his first save of the year (although a run did score on the punchout courtesy of a wild pitch).

Wilmington continues its seven-game road trip on Tuesday with another contest in Frederick. Southpaw Marcelo Martinez (1-0, 1.86) gets the start for the Rocks with first pitch slated for 7 p.m. Fans can catch all the action with the Voice of the Blue Rocks Cory Nidoh on 89.7 WGLS-FM or BlueRocks.com.

PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:

MJ Melendez hit his first career Advanced-A homer in the ninth inning on Monday. It was the 19-year-old's first long ball since last August 28. Entering this road trip Melendez was just 5-for-48 with four RBI on the season. He has a hit in all four games and has driven in eight on the journey. His long ball was yet another on the road. Nine of the Blue Crew's ten homers this season have come in games contested outside of the First State.

The Wilmington defense continues to struggle in 2019. The Rocks committed two more errors on Monday and now have at least one defensive miscue in 11 of the last 12 games. The Blue Crew is last in the Carolina League with 35 total errors as a team. The club has committed at least three errors in five different contests, multiple defensive miscues in 10 contests and one in all but five.

Wilmington has had an odd schedule to start the 2019 season. Wilmington opened the campaign with a series against Salem and then played 17 consecutive games against CL South opponents. The Rocks went 9-8 during that stretch. The Blue Crew are now in the midst of playing 24 out of 27 against the CL North. Wilmington is 3-1so far during this string of the slate.

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Carolina League Stories from April 29, 2019


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