CarL1 Wilmington Blue Rocks

Rocks Escape with Win to Avoid Sweep

Published on July 1, 2011 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release


Wilmington, DE - The Wilmington Blue Rocks walked a tightrope on Friday night. The Blue Crew pitching staff stranded 13 Salem runners on base and held the Red Sox to a feeble 1-for-13 showing with runners in scoring position. As a result, Wilmington snuck out of Frawley Stadium with a 3-0 victory to avoid being swept in the three-game set.

Justin Marks began the magic act on the hill for the Rocks. Marks worked a perfect opening inning, but needed a man gunned down at the plate to avoid damage in the second. With runners at first and second and only one out, Josue Peley flared a sinking liner to right that a charging Nick Van Stratten overran. Deivy Batista was hustling the whole way from his second base position however. The infielder picked the ball up in shallow right and nailed Miles Head trying to score at the plate.

It set the tone for what would be a maddening night for Salem. The Sox put their first two runners on in the third, but Marks (4-5) retired three straight to end the frame. In the fifth, Salem loaded the bases on three Marks' walks, but the lefty fanned his final batter of the night to preserve the scoreless tie.

Marks got the win by tossing five scoreless frames. He fanned seven but issued four free passes in the process.

Wilmington jumped in front in the bottom of the fifth, scoring a run without the benefit of a hit. After Salem starter Ryan Pressly had faced the minimum through four, John Whittleman drew a leadoff free pass. He advanced to second on a grounder in front of the plate and then moved to third on a wild pitch. That allowed Tim Ferguson's soft chopper to third to score Whittleman and give the Rocks the first run of the night.

Tyler Sample came on in relief in the sixth and continued to tease the Sox. He stranded an inning-opening walk at third in that frame and then left runners at first and second in the seventh. Bryan Paukovits yielded a double and watched a man reach on error in the eighth, but left them at the corners when he induced an inning-ending pop up. The right-hander nailed down his second save of the season by facing the minimum in the ninth.

Wilmington's offense had provided him with some insurance in the seventh. The Rocks plated a pair in the inning thanks to an RBI double by Whittleman and a run-scoring single by Ferguson. The two had a hand in all three of Wilmington's runs in the game.

The Rocks hit the road as they open a four-game set with the Potomac Nationals on Saturday night at 6:35 p.m. Wilmington right-hander Elisaul Pimentel (4-5, 3.72) faces a stiff challenge in the series-opener. Potomac sends rehabbing big leaguer Chien-Ming Wang to the hill. Broadcast coverage begins at 6:05 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.

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Carolina League Stories from July 1, 2011


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