CarL1 Wilmington Blue Rocks

Game-Winning Hit Caps Giavotella's Breakout Night

Published on May 17, 2009 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release


Lynchburg, VA - What a difference a day makes. One night after the Blue Rocks (17-18) blew a three-run lead in the eighth, they flipped the script on the host Lynchburg Hillcats (22-13), scoring the game's last five runs to rally from a four-run deficit and defeat the first-place 'Cats, 6-5. Johnny Giavotella delivered the game-winning blow with a two-out, broken-bat RBI single in the ninth. The win evens the three-game series at a game apiece, and brings the Blue Rocks within five games of Lynchburg. Ray Liotta (2-2) got the win in relief with his best outing of the year, and closer Aaron Hartsock earned his league-leading eighth save.

Down 5-1 in the sixth, Mike Moustakas started the comeback with a lead-off homer, his team-leading sixth on the year. A couple of two-out run-scoring hits brought the team within one in the seventh. Anthony Seratelli reached on an infield single and stole second. Two outs later, Derrick Robinson batting left against right-hander Chris Cullen doubled down the right-field line, scoring Seratelli. On the next pitch, Giavotella earned his first of two RBIs on the night with a stung single up the middle for a 5-4 score.

A Lynchburg mistake tied the game in the eighth. Jeff Bianchi smashed the first pitch of the inning to right for a double and took third on a David Lough sacrifice bunt. While Paulo Orlando batted thereafter, a passed ball on catcher Kris Watts allowed Bianchi to score standing, tying the game, 5-5.

Catcher Ryan Eigsti doubled on the first pitch of the ninth against R.J. Rodriguez (3-1). Adrian Ortiz sacrificed him to third but Robinson struck out. That put the pressure on Giavotella, who entered the game with just one hit over his previous 21 at-bats. He fell down 0-2 in the count, but worked it full and ripped the eighth pitch of his at-bat through the right-side hole for a base hit, his third of the evening, and the team's first lead of the night, 6-5.

Hartsock survived a scary ninth. Jared Keel notched a one-out single, pinch-runner Maiko Loyola went to second when Eddie Prasch grounded out to first base and the speedy Alex Presley stood in. He hit a grounder to third and Moustakas attempted to lunge at Loyola going second to third for a tag. However, the ball popped free during the tag attempt as Loyola arrived safely and Presley reached first, putting the potential winning run on base. Manager Brian Rupp brought the infield to the mound to discuss the situation as the pesky and multi-talented Jose De Los Santos was due up. De Los Santos, a speedster with a splendid slap-hitting and bunt game who already had three hits on the night, laid off a pitch out of the zone for ball one. Hartsock followed with three straight strikes though, whiffing the second baseman with a curve to end the game.

None of this would have been possible without some big middle innings from Liotta. Starter Eduardo Paulino struggled, allowing five runs (four earned) over the first four frames. Liotta, his piggybacking partner, started the fifth down 5-1 and hurled 3.1 scoreless innings, striking out three. He endured a dangerous seventh inning. The Hillcats loaded the bases with one out on three singles, but Liotta struck out Prasch swinging and retired Presley on a fly-out to left to leave the bases loaded.

With one out and a man on in the eighth, hard-throwing lefty Ben Swaggerty relieved Liotta and gave up a weak single to top Pirates' prospect Pedro Alvarez. The Tennessee native rebounded, striking out Matt Hague and inducing a force grounder to second off the bat of Miles Durham to strand a couple of runners.

The Blue Rocks continue their season-long 10-game road trip with a rubber-match finale at 2:05 p.m. on Sunday. Right-hander Mario Santiago (1-3, 5.46) faces fellow righty Matt McSwain (2-1, 4.86).

PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:

With team game No. 35 under their belts, the Blue Rocks have hit the halfway point on the season's first half and are 25% of the way through their 140-game schedule.

Potomac lost at Myrtle Beach, 6-2, drawing the Blue Rocks within four games of the second-place Nationals.

The Blue Rocks put the lead-off man on base six times on the night. Five times, that man scored. Three of those times, the lead-off man reached after hitting the first pitch of the inning.

The Hillcats entered the weekend set with only two series losses over their first 10 (7-2-1). One of those previous series losses came against Wilmington at Frawley Stadium (April 17-19). A Blue Rocks win on Sunday would give the Rocks their second straight series victory both overall and against the 'Cats.

The rally from a couple of four-run deficits fell just one score short of the team's largest comeback win of the year. Coincidentally enough, the only better such game saw the Blue Rocks rally from down five to beat Lynchburg on April 19, 8-7 in 10 innings.

Lynchburg left 14 men on base in the game, including seven in scoring position, the most men left on by any Blue Rocks foe this season. The Hillcats went 3-for-16 (.188) with men in scoring position.

Eight of the nine Blue Rocks in the order logged a hit. Derrick Robinson and Johnny Giavotella each had three hits and two RBIs. Anthony Seratelli and Ryan Eigsti both notched two-hit nights.

One night after the team totaled a single extra-base hit, five different Blue Rocks combined on five collective extra-base knocks for the squad.

Four of the teams' five meetings this year have been decided by a single run.

Check out the Wilmington Blue Rocks Statistics

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Carolina League Stories from May 17, 2009


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