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CarL1 Wilmington Blue Rocks

Kobernus' Single Wins It for Potomac

May 15, 2011 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release


Woodbridge, VA - A ninth-inning rally met a similar response as the Wilmington Blue Rocks (19-16) lost in walk-off fashion for the fourth time this season with a 5-4 finish at Potomac (14-21) on Sunday afternoon. After tying the game with two runs in the top of the ninth, the Rocks saw Jeff Kobernus snap an 0-for-18 skid with a two-out RBI single on a 3-2 pitch from Manauris Baez (1-1) to win it. The Rocks lost for the eighth time in nine road games including two of three at Pfitzner Stadium to the Nationals.

Kobernus' single scored Eury Perez from first base for the dramatic finish. It made a winner out of closer Pat Lehman (2-0). The Potomac right-hander entered the game with one run allowed and one blown save in eight tries all season. In the ninth, the Blue Rocks tagged him with a pair of scores to tie the game. With two outs and two strikes, Deivy Batista got his fourth hit in as many at-bats with a double over the head of Destin Hood in right field to score Juan Graterol from second. Whit Merrifield flared the next pitch over shortstop for an RBI single and a 4-4 deadlock.

For the second time in as many days, the Rocks grabbed a first-frame lead only to see it vanish. John Whittleman's two-out RBI double made it 1-0 against starter Mitchell Clegg. Steven Souza responded with a sacrifice fly to plate Jose Lozada in the bottom half of the inning against starter Jake Odorizzi. Hood singled in a go-ahead run in the third for his first of three RBIs on the day.

In the fifth, Perez reached on a one-out double, took third on a wild pitch, but was cut down at the plate on a fielder's choice off the bat of Kobernus by Batista. Kobernus stole second, Odorizzi hit Lozada with a pitch and Brian Rupp made the move to Baez. Hood followed with an RBI single to left for a 3-1 score. Odorizzi needed 96 pitches (61 strikes) to get through 4.2 innings. He gave up three runs on six hits and no walks while striking out four.

Baez settled from there, allowing only an infield hit to third until Hood came to the plate again at the start of the eighth. The man who turned down a football scholarship to the University of Alabama then blasted an epic home run to left, his second of the year, for a crucial insurance score that made it 4-2.

- Yet again, Baez responded, retiring five in a row until Perez collected his fourth hit in as many tries with a first-pitch two-out single in the bottom of the ninth before Kobernus' end-game heroics. The Rocks' other run came on a Batista single in the seventh.

The Blue Rocks' seven-game sojourn continues with the first of four at Salem on Monday at 7:05 p.m. The piggybacking duo of southpaw Noel Arguelles (2-1, 2.15) and right-hander Michael Mariot (3-0, 1.37) toss for Wilmington against Red Sox righty Ryan Pressly (3-1, 3.07). Broadcast coverage begins at 6:35 p.m. as studio host Adam Dobrowolski brings fans the Rocks Report Pre-game Show, presented by Wawa, on 89.7 WGLS-FM and online at wgls.rowan.edu.

PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:

Before the game, the Kansas City Royals announced outfielder Nick Francis received a promotion to Double-A Northwest Arkansas (TEX). Francis departs the Carolina League with a triple slash of .270/.310/.484. In 32 games, he hit a team-high 12 doubles, one triple, four homers and knocked in 21 runs. He also leaves with the league's most outfield assists (10). Former Blue Rocks catcher now a converted outfielder Wil Myers also hit the Naturals' disabled list on Sunday.

Wilmington's loss and Frederick's 9-1 win at Kinston have catapulted the Keys over the Blue Crew in the CL North standings. Come Monday morning, the Blue Rocks will fail to own at least a share of first place for the first time since April 11.

As of the numbers on Sunday morning, Wilmington's 16 one-run games (8-8) make for the second-highest such total in all of professional baseball including 150 affiliated teams from A-ball to the Majors. That makes for 46% of the team's total contests coming down to a one-run finish.

The Blue Rocks fell to 0-4 in rubber matches.

Wilmington put the leadoff man on base five times but only got that man home twice. The Blue Crew struggled to a 4-for-16 showing with men in scoring position.

Three different players posted 4-for-4 showings in the game. Wilmington's Deivy Batista picked up his first extra-base hit in 11 days and his first RBI since April 26. His Sunday effort lifted his season-long batting average by 40 points (.165-.205) for his best number since April 17. Potomac's Eury Perez had no extra-base all year until his three-double performance. His 7-for-8 showing over the series' last two days brought his contact clip up by 76 points (.237-.313). Destin Hood's four-hit afternoon included his second homer of the season and two hard infield singles.

With the promotion of Francis, John Whittleman batted in the clean-up position. He doubled twice, drove in a run and lined out to a diving Hood in right. Of his 32 hits this season, 19 have gone for extra bases including all of his five thus far on the road trip.

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