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CarL1 Wilmington Blue Rocks

Hillcat Hit-Parade Halts Wilmington Win Streak

May 2, 2011 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release


Wilmington, DE - Right from the opening inning it was evident that Monday was not Tim Melville's night. The Wilmington Blue Rocks' Opening Day starter was shelled for seven runs (six earned) on 11 hits in only four innings, as Wilmington fell to the Lynchburg Hillcats, 9-1, at Frawley Stadium.

Melville (2-3) yielded a run in the first, four in the second and two more before getting chased after the fourth. The result was a long night for the first-place Blue Crew.

Back-to-back knocks by L.V. Ware and Todd Cunningham opened the game for Lynchburg and set up Phil Gosselin's RBI grounder to third that handed the Hillcats a 1-0 advantage through one.

Lynchburg added to the lead an inning later courtesy of RBI knocks by Andrelton Simmons and Keenan Wiley, which made it, 3-0, Hillkitties. Ware followed with a two-run bomb of a home run into the bullpen in right that blew the game open.

After managing his only scoreless inning of the evening, Melville surrendered two more scores in his final frame of work. An inning-opening error by third baseman John Whittleman, one of two Wilmington miscues on the night, led to an RBI double by Braeden Schlehuber. After Keenan Wiley moved the catcher to third with a single, he came home on Ware's sacrifice fly to left.

Meanwhile, the Wilmington offense could muster no sort of counter-effort. Whit Merrifield opened the game with a double to left, but was stranded at third base. It was the Rocks' last hit until the eighth inning.

The Blue Crew offense avoided the indignity of a shutout when it strung together three hits in that frame. Merrifield plated Jose Bonilla with his liner back through the box.

Wilmington looks to get back on the right track Tuesday in game two of this three-game set at Frawley Stadium. The piggyback combo of Justin Marks (1-1, 6.20) and Tyler Sample (1-1, 1.72) hit the hill for the Rocks against Lynchburg right-hander Willie Kempf (1-1, 10.50). First pitch is slated for 6:35 p.m.

It is a Tworrific Tuesday at Frawley Stadium, which means fans can get two box seats, two hot dogs, two sodas and two baseballs for only $26. For tickets call 302-888-BLUE or visit bluerocks.com.

PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:

Ryan Eigsti's second stint in Wilmington came to an end with his promotion back to Double-A on Monday. As a result, Juan Graterol returned to the Rocks' active roster after spending just over two weeks on the disabled list with a sprained right ankle. The usual catcher played first base in the Wilmington loss and went 0-for-3 with a walk and a fielding-error.

Jose Bonilla got the start behind the plate, but the Rocks did not follow the usual script. Wilmington lost for only the third time in Bonilla's 14 starts at catcher.

Adrian Ortiz, who was activated off the disabled list on Sunday, made his 2011 debut. The outfielder went 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts at the plate, but he did record an outfield assist in his very first inning of the season, denying Todd Cunningham's attempt to stretch a single into a double.

Nick Francis did the same to Lynchburg designated hitter Adam Milligan in the third. It was Francis' league-leading eighth outfield assist of the season.

The Rocks avoided a shutout with an eighth-inning run on Monday. Wilmington is the only team in the Carolina League who has scored at least once in every game so far this season. Entering Monday, the other seven teams around the loop had been blanked a collective 13 times.

For the second consecutive night the Wilmington offense could do nothing against the opponent's starting pitcher. After Andre Rienzo allowed just a single score on one hit in seven innings for Winston-Salem on Sunday, Chris Masters (3-0) blanked the Blue Crew in seven one-hit innings on Monday.

Monday's setback accounted for the most runs scored against Wilmington in a game in 2011. It also marked the most lopsided loss for the Rocks, and pitcher Tim Melville's seven runs allowed were the most yielded by a single pitcher all season for the Blue Crew.

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