NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, CFL stats



Wilmington Blue Rocks

Rocks Roll To 6-3 Win

August 28, 2007 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release


Lynchburg, VA - A five-run fourth inning chased Lynchburg Hillcats starter Kyle Bloom and led the Wilmington Blue Rocks to a 6-3 win at City Stadium on Monday night. In their final road game of the 2007 regular season, the Blue Rocks won their sixth in a row, 11th over their last 12 overall and their 10th straight head-to-head against the 'Cats. The victory cut the Blue Rocks magic number down to just two to clinch a playoff spot. Miguel Vega homered, doubled and drove in two runs, while Arthur Santos hurled two scoreless innings of relief, striking out the side in a 1-2-3 ninth for his team-best ninth save of the season. The 2007 Blue Rocks finish the season 16-3 against the Hillcats, the best record of any Wilmington team against Lynchburg ever, and the second-best record against any foe for any Blue Rocks team.

Trailing 3-1 in the fourth inning, the Blue Rocks erupted for five runs as all nine in the order came to bat. Marc Maddox started the hefty frame with a single to left-center. Mario Lisson walked on four pitches, and Brad McCann reached on a force play at second base that put runners at the corners with one out.

Jeremy Cleveland followed with a tone-setting blow, bombing a two-run double to the left-center gap. Vega followed with a similar shot, another double that plated Cleveland, while Kiel Thibault made for a double-take with a first-pitch swinging RBI double to left as well. After Bloom walked Brett Bigler on four pitches, Josh Johnson pulled a 3-2 pitch over shortstop to score the fifth run of the frame, giving the Blue Rocks a 6-3 edge.

That was it for Bloom (9-12), who allowed six runs for the fourth time in five starts. Luis Valdez followed from the bullpen and pieced together the most impressive relieving performance by a Wilmington opponent this season. He worked a double play 1-6-3 from Jose Duarte to end the fourth, and did not allow a single base runner through 5.2 perfect innings in total, striking out seven in the process.

But while Valdez did not allow any further damage, his Wilmington counterparts worked with similar effectiveness. Starter Blake Johnson was knocked out after three innings, allowing three runs on six hits including a home run by Denny Nino. But Rayner Oliveros (2-3) assembled four innings of scoreless baseball behind him, scattering three hits while striking out one. And Santos followed with a pair of scoreless innings, giving up just a one-out single in the eighth. He struck out Angel Gonzalez looking to lock down the win.

Vega homered in the second inning to get his team on the scoreboard, a two-out blow pulled down the left-field line. It was his eighth of the season.

With their road schedule finished, the Blue Rocks return home for a seven-game homestand to finish out the regular campaign. It starts with the first of four against the Salem Avalanche on Tuesday night at 7:05 p.m. Right-hander Dan Cortes (6-8, 3.41), the reigning Pitcher of the Week in the Carolina League, will oppose right-hander Sean Walker (3-1, 3.81).

GAME NOTES:

Wilmington ends its road schedule with a season-best six-game road winning streak.

With four scoreless innings, Rayner Oliveros lowered his road ERA to 2.60.

The Blue Rocks left just one man on base all night.

The 16-3 showing against Lynchburg bested the effort of the 2001 Blue Rocks, who went 15-5 against the Pirates affiliate. Only the 1994 Blue Rocks 17-3 mark against the Kinston Indians betters this year's job against the Hillcats for single-season dominance of a league foe.

Check out the Wilmington Blue Rocks Statistics

• Discuss this story on the Carolina League message board...

Carolina League Stories from August 28, 2007


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Wilmington Blue Rocks Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central