CarL1 Wilmington Blue Rocks

Prospects Push Wilmington to .500

April 24, 2010 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release


Winston-Salem, NC - Prospects led the push as the Blue Rocks bested the Winston-Salem Dash on a rainy Saturday night, 7-3. The win marks the Blue Rocks' first three-game win streak and first taste of sea level in 2010. Wilmington, which began the year 0-3, had been below .500 all year. The man Baseball America dubbed Kansas City's top prospect entering the campaign, lefty Michael Montgomery (2-0), struck out seven in securing his second win. Another top-30 man, reliever Patrick Keating, struck out four in notching his first save and the team's top position-player prospect, first baseman Eric Hosmer, finished 3-for-4 to boost his league-best batting average to .456.

Montgomery jumped ahead of the first two batters he faced 0-2, but lost both to base hits. He would get some help to navigate out of a jam and would face the minimum from that point until the seventh inning. Jon Gilmore's right-side groundout moved the runners up and the duo tried to tag and advance on a fly-out to left by Seth Loman. But the lead man, Brandon Short, jogged toward the dish and Jamie Romak's throw to third beat Eduardo Escobar first for an odd inning-ending double play that held the Dash scoreless.

The Blue Rocks plated a pair of runs in the second on back-to-back two-out run-scoring hits from Ryan Wood and Eddie Prasch. For the second time in as many games as a Blue Rock, Prasch got a hit on the first pitch he saw on the night.

Catcher Salvador Perez helped Montgomery face the minimum in the second and third. Strikeouts bookended a caught stealing of Kenny Williams, Jr. by Perez in the second. The Carolina League's youngest player gunned down Short to conclude the third.

In the sixth, Perez knocked home Jason Taylor for a 4-0 lead. Taylor reached on a run-scoring double of his own against starter Justin Edwards (2-1). The Dash's Opening Day starter departed the game after that inning. He allowed four runs, seven hits and two walks in six innings. No team had hung more than three runs on any Winston-Salem starter until the Blue Rocks accomplished the feat in each of the series' first two games.

Montgomery set down 10 straight men before facing catcher Jason Bour. Bour fouled a ball down the right-field line that fell in front of a jogging Adrian Ortiz. On the next pitch, down 0-2 in the count, Bour tripled to right. Williams then doubled home Bour and crossed himself on a Kyle Shelton sharp single barely fair at first that made it 4-2 and chased Montgomery.

Keating struggled with command thereafter, misfiring on eight of his first nine pitches to walk Drew Garcia and Justin Green in succession and load the bases. But Keating induced accidental first-pitch contact on a check swing from Short that resulted in a nifty play by Hosmer at first to help leave the bases loaded.

The concluded Montgomery's line at 6.2 innings, eight hits, two runs, no walks and seven strikeouts.

The Blue Rocks collected an insurance run in the eighth when a lead-off walk put Hosmer on, an errant pick-off attempt moved him up and a wild pitch got him over to third. One out later, Taylor knocked him home with a sacrifice fly to right. A Bour sac fly in the bottom half of the inning drew Winston-Salem within two, 5-3, but the Blue Rocks plated two more insurance runs in the ninth. The inning began with Prasch's first home run as a Blue Rock, an impressive pull shot to right. Patrick Norris drove home the other tally on a groundout to short.

Keating struck out the side 1-2-3 in a perfect ninth.

In seeking their first series sweep of the season, the Blue Rocks turn to Tim Melville (1-1, 8.68) against fellow right-hander Nate Jones (1-1, 2.20). First pitch is slated for 2 p.m.

Check out the Wilmington Blue Rocks Statistics



Carolina League Stories from April 24, 2010


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