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Wilmington Blue Rocks

Regular Season Comes to Rainy Close with Shutout Loss

September 3, 2012 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release


Wilmington, DE - Now the real fun begins. The regular season came to an end on Monday afternoon as the Wilmington Blue Rocks (66-74, 37-33) fell to the Potomac Nationals (64-75, 33-36) by a 3-0 mark at Frawley Stadium in a rain-shortened game that was called in the bottom of the sixth inning, after a 30-minute rain delay.

After an original rain delay of one hour and 10 minutes, the two teams got underway at 2:15 p.m. In the fourth inning, the Nationals took the lead. With one out, Matt Skole got aboard with a walk against Wilmington starter Matt Ridings. Then Kevin Keyes skied a ball down the right field line that barely left the ball yard for a two-run homer and a 2-0 Potomac lead.

In the fifth, a defensive error cost Wilmington a run. With one out, Erick Fernandez got aboard with a hit. Then Blake Kelso smoked a ball that nearly took off the head of Ridings. With two outs, Skole skipped a ball to first base that Matt Fields whiffed on completely. It allowed Fernandez to score from second, edging the lead to three runs.

The Blue Rocks had bases loaded and two outs in the second before Angel Franco flew out to left against Potomac starter Taylor Hall to extinguish the threat in the then scoreless game.

In the fifth and down a trio of runs, Juan Graterol doubled with one out and was stranded there after Franco was retired and Orlando Calixte struck out looking.

After an off day on Tuesday, the Wilmington Blue Rocks start their playoff journey as they open the North Division Championship Series at Frawley Stadium for Game 1 against the Lynchburg Hillcats at 6:35 p.m. The Rocks will go with RHP Brooks Pounders (6-4, 4.32) and Lynchburg will go with RHP Gus Schlosser (13-7, 3.38). Broadcast coverage begins at 6:05 p.m. as studio host Rob Cunningham 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:

The Blue Rocks went 8-2 against the Nationals at home this season, the fifth time they have reached eight wins at home against the P-Nats and the first time since 2002. The Rocks best home mark against Potomac in a year was when they went 9-1 against the Nats in 1995. They have never swept the home slate with the Nationals.

This was the 15 th time the Blue Rocks were shutout this year. That was the most times any team has been shutout in the Carolina League in 2012. They tied the single-season franchise mark of 15, set back in 2001.

Matt Ridings notched a career-best nine strikeouts on Monday. He prior career-best was seven which he most recently did when he took on the Lynchburg Hillcats at home on August 17.

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Carolina League Stories from September 3, 2012


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