Montgomery's Monumental Night Leads to Victory
April 14, 2010 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release
Kinston, NC - Top Royals prospect according to Baseball America Michael Montgomery (1-0) looked every bit the part on Tuesday night. The 20-year-old southpaw whiffed a career-best 13 men in a 3-1 defeat of the Kinston Indians at Grainger Stadium to tie the three-game set at a game apiece. The phenom carried a perfect game into the seventh before an infield hit broke up the perfecto and no-no in one fell swoop. In eight of the night's nine innings, Wilmington pitching retired the side 1-2-3 as Montgomery and closer Eric Basurto combined for 17 strikeouts. Eric Hosmer, Jamie Romak and Salvador Perez each knocked in a run.
Montgomery did not allow a baserunner until Jordan Henry began the seventh with a high bouncer to the right side of the infield. Montgomery's first-base side leap came up short and second baseman J.D. Alfaro's charge secured the ball, but his throw to first arrived late for an infield single. Two outs later, the struggling Nate Recknagel broke a 1-for-14 funk with a first-pitch swinging RBI double to right-center to end the shutout bid. Montgomery rebounded by whiffing Kyle Bellows, the final batter he would face, to end the inning. Montgomery finished with seven innings of one-run ball. He allowed two hits and no walks.
Basurto retired all six batters he opposed, striking out four, to bolt down his first save, also the first save for any Blue Rock on the young year.
Wilmington's scoring came in the second and third innings. Jamie Romak drew a leadoff walk in the second. Two batters later, a hit-and-run single by Ryan Wood pushed Romak to third. Catcher Salvador Perez followed with a sacrifice fly and his first RBI of the season.
In the third, leadoff man Patrick Norris ripped a single to left, his first of the night, with one out. He stole second and a flyout later the rehabbing Alex Gordon joined him with a walk. Eric Hosmer promptly continued his scorching start to 2010 with a bullet RBI single up the middle that caught the glove of starter Kelvin De La Cruz (0-2), but still found more than medium-deep center field. Romak then collected his league-leading eighth RBI with a single to left.
The three-game series concludes with a Wednesday morning contest at 11 a.m. Another battle of major prospects pits Wilmington's Tim Melville (0-1, 67.50) against Kinston lefty Nick Hagadone (0-0, 0.00).
PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:
Michael Montgomery is the first Blue Rocks starter to get a win.
His 13 strikeouts are the most by a Blue Rock since current big leaguer AnÃbal Sánchez whiffed 14 versus Salem on April 16, 2005. He would pitch in the prestigious Futures Game later that season and hurl a Major League no-hitter the next season for the Marlins.
Eleven of Montgomery's 13 strikeouts came swinging.
Montgomery's seven innings pitched matched his career-high, originally set on August 6, 2009 at Potomac.
The southpaw's Wilmington debut included four no-hit innings at the start in Kinston against the Indians on July 26, 2009.
Wilmington pitching retired the side 1-2-3 in eight of the nine innings and needed just 111 pitches on the night while totaling 17 strikeouts.
Patrick Norris, who began the year just 3-for-23 entering the night, finished with a game-best two hits. The speedster also stole two bases.
The game lasted just 2:04.
Only two Kinston batters left the infield all night.
Carolina League Stories from April 14, 2010
- Dash Tramples Potomac with Offensive Outburst - Winston-Salem Dash
- Keys Blank Pelicans En Route to Fourth Straight - Frederick Keys
- Game Notes - Potomac Nationals
- Rocks Take Pitchers' Duel From K-Tribe - Wilmington Blue Rocks
- Wilmington Shuts Down K-Tribe - Kinston Indians
- Hillcats Top Red Sox 5-3 on Wednesday Afternoon - Salem Red Sox
- Fairel, Gualdron Sparkle in Hillcats Victory - Lynchburg Hillcats
- Lynchburg Hillcats Game Notes - Lynchburg Hillcats
- Montgomery's Monumental Night Leads to Victory - Wilmington Blue Rocks
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