CarL1 Wilmington Blue Rocks

Hicklen's Homer Sparks Rocks

Published on May 2, 2019 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release


Frederick, MD - Brewer Hicklen drove in a pair, scored twice, drew three free passes and hit his first homer of the season to lead the Wilmington Blue Rocks to a 5-4 victory over the Frederick Keys on Thursday at Nymeo Field. With the win Wilmington salvaged a split of its four-game series in Frederick and completed the team's seven-game road trip with a 5-2 mark.

Hicklen's longball set the tone early. His two-run blast scored Sebastian Rivero and gave the Rocks a 2-0 lead in the second inning. He was right in the thick of another two-run rally in the fourth. Hicklen worked a lead-off walk and was sacrificed to second by Dennicher Carrasco. Angelo Castellano brought him home with a single back through the box. Castellano scored three batters later on a sacrifice fly from Ricky Aracena.

Wilmington added what turned out to be a pivotal insurance run in the sixth. Marten Gasparini opened the frame with a triple and scored on a wild pitch.

That was enough for starter Daniel Lynch. The 2018 first round pick fanned five and walked none over a career-high seven innings. Lynch (2-1) allowed just two runs (one earned) on three hits. A fielding error by Castellano allowed Stuart Leevy to reach in the sixth. He scored two batters later on Willy Yahn's two-run blast to left-center. Lynch needed only 94 pitches to record 21 outs. He threw 61 of them for strikes.

Rito Lugo allowed two runs in the eighth, but Tad Ratliff held Frederick off the board over the final 1.2 frames to pick up his seventh save of the season.

The Rocks open a three-game homestand on Friday when they welcome the Carolina Mudcats to Frawley Stadium. Right-hander Brady Singer (2-2, 2.93) gets the start for the Rocks with first pitch slated for 7:05 p.m. Tickets are available at BlueRocks.com and fans who cannot make to the ballpark can catch all the action with the Voice of the Blue Rocks Cory Nidoh on 89.7 WGLS-FM.

PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:

Perhaps sunlight is the key for the Blue Crew this season. With Thursday's win Wilmington improved to 5-1 in day games during the 2019 campaign. Wilmington has outscored its opponents 25-16 under the sun.

Wilmington is 10-4 on the road in 2019. The Blue Crew offense has been much more potent away from the friendly confines of Frawley Stadium so far on the season. The Rocks have scored 31 more runs in away affairs and are batting 63 points higher on the road. Eleven of the Blue Crew's 12 homers have also come in games contested outside of the First State, including Brewer Hicklen's two-run bomb on Thursday. Wilmington has not hit a homerun in its home ballpark since Opening Night- a string of 13 consecutive contests.

The Wilmington defense continues to struggle in 2019. The Rocks committed nine errors during the four-game series in Frederick. They now have at least one defensive miscue in 14 of the last 15 games. The Blue Crew is last in the Carolina League with 43 total errors as a team. The club has committed at least three errors in six different contests, multiple defensive miscues in 12 games and one in all but five.

The magic number is four for the Wilmington Blue Rocks. The Blue Crew offense has scored four or more runs in a game 13 times this season and have only lost two of those contests. In the 15 games the Rocks have scored three runs or fewer they are just 5-10. Wilmington's offense has endured its struggles this year. The Blue Crew attack has managed five or fewer knocks in a game 12 times this season and are last in the Carolina League with 165 hits and a .200 batting average.

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's weekend series with Carolina that starts on Friday is the only inter-division stretch for the club until Memorial Day Weekend. The Rocks are 5-2 so far during this divisional stretch of the slate.

Check out the Wilmington Blue Rocks Statistics

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Carolina League Stories from May 2, 2019


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