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CarL1 Wilmington Blue Rocks

Rocks Watch Hillcats Score Six in the Second, Drop Game One 7-2

May 24, 2016 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release


Lynchburg, VA- The Wilmington Blue Rocks (13-30) went down to Virginia to face the Lynchburg Hillcats (30-15) for the first time this season and the Hillcats showed why they are leading the Northern Division by a wide margin. The squad that calls Calvin Falwell Field home scored six runs in the bottom of the second inning off of Rocks starter Zach Lovvorn (0-6, 4.40) and never looked back while taking game one of the series 7-2.

The trouble came on quickly in the bottom of the second inning. The first six batters of the inning all reached and scored for the Hillcats, highlighted by David Armendariz's first home run of the season, a three run shot to push the home team's advantage to 4-0. They added two more on a sacrifice fly and a fielding error by Robert Pehl. Another error in the fourth inning led to yet another run for the Hillcats as they jumped ahead 7-0 after four innings.

The Blue Crew's offense finally gained some traction in the sixth inning when the usual suspects got the ball rolling. Humberto Arteaga began the frame with a single and moved to third two batters latter when Brandon Downes doubled to right field. Although Wander Franco struck out in the next at bat, Alfredo Escalera continued his torrid pace and extended his hitting streak to seven games with a single up the middle to plate Arteaga and Downes and cut the deficit to 7-2. However, the boys from Frawley would get no closer the rest of the way and dropped the first game of the three game set 7-2.

Lovvorn gets saddled with the loss and it is his sixth consecutive negative decision to begin the season. Antonio Romero's (1-0) first decision is a win thanks to three innings of relief and Cameron Hill picked up his first save of the season for Lynchburg. Game two of the series will pit the Rocks' newest starter RHP Corey Ray (0-0, 0.00) against LHP Luis Lugo (2-1, 4.32) for the home squad. Those interested in listening to the game can tune in to WGLS-FM 89.7 or go to BlueRocks.com for all the game action.

Pebbles of Knowledge

For the first time this season, Zach Lovvorn allowed more than three earned runs in an outing. The righty was done in by Lynchburg's six spot in the second inning on Tuesday. He also loaded the bases in the third, but was able to get out unscathed, ending his night with six runs, eight hits and two walks to his ledger. Lovvorn was Wilmington's Opening Day starter and has not pitched poorly this season, working to a 4.40 ERA. But the Alabama native, who turns 22 on Thursday, has been saddled with an 0-6 record. The six losses equal a career-high at any level for Lovvorn and they are the most in the Carolina League.

There was a new batter at the top of the Blue Rocks lineup on Tuesday, Cody Jones. The outfielder joined the team on Sunday, but did not pick up a hit in his debut, going 0-for-4 from the top spot. The Round Rock, TX native batted .300 with the Lexington to start the year with eight extra base hits thanks to five doubles, two triples and his first professional home run. The home run came on April 24 against the West Virginia Power, but power is not usually his thing. Jones is known more for his speed on the base paths, snatching 35 bases in 45 attempts in his career.

With Jones slotted into the top spot, Alfredo Escalera moved down to the six hole, but picked up right where he left off at the top of the order going 2-for-4 while driving in the only two runs of the game for the Blue Crew. Escalera is on a tear as of late, hitting safely in his last seven games while batting an even .500 after picking up 13 hits in his 26 at bats. The outfielder has scored four runs in that span while collecting a pair of doubles and driving in five in addition to walking twice, getting hit by a pitch and stealing two bases.

Despite the come from behind victory on Saturday, when the Rocks' opponent scores first it usually means a loss for the Blue Crew. Coming into the game on Tuesday night against Lynchburg, the boys from Frawley were 3-22 on the season when they let the other team get ahead. The Hillcats scored the first runs of the game with a second inning six spot and went on to win 7-2 to push Wilmington's record to 3-23 when the opponent scores first. None of the three come from behind victories have been after facing deficits of more than two runs. The first comeback was against Carolina when down 1-0 after the top of the first, the second was the three run ninth inning rally on May 18 before the most recent comeback when the boys from Frawley scored five runs in the bottom of the first after falling behind 2-0.

They Said It

Blue Rocks Manager Jamie Quirk

"(Zach Lovvorn) just couldn't make the pitches when he had to. He's had trouble this season when there's been traffic on the bases getting out of innings. The innings when he's clean it's been very good, but when there's guys on base he's had a hard time controlling the damage and that's been his down. If he could've held them to two runs instead of six we're still in that ball game, but it just didn't work out that way."

"(Cody) Jones is going to be that prototypical centerfield and lead-off guy. We saw him in spring training and everybody liked him. It's nice to have a switch hitter with some speed at the top of the lineup that's for sure. He's going to help us."

"With (Alfredo) Escalera it really started when we moved him to second in the order a few weeks ago. When we moved him he adapted well. Confidence is the biggest thing with him. He's got it right now and that's a big thing in this game. He squared some balls up and has been doing a lot of that lately. I'm sure he feels good up there right now and he should."

"It's definitely weird to just be seeing a team (for the first time this season) at this point. Particularly a team in our division. If we were in the thick of this thing and battling it would be even weirder. They're a good team. We haven't seen them, but we've read box scores and seen names and now we can kind of put two and two together a little bit after seeing them. But yeah, I certainly wish the schedule were more balanced than it is."

Blue Rocks Outfielder Brandon Downes

"I definitely miss this state (Virginia) and had a lot of fun playing here in college. It's a great place. And playing against my buddy (Mike) Papi made it even better."

"We've definitely been better grinding it out no matter what the score is. But tonight was kind of the story of our year. We just can't seem to get that big hit with guys on base. For me personally I've been chasing and taking pitches that are too close with two strikes. As a four-hitter I've got to set the tone and I haven't been producing the way I want to, which puts more pressure on everyone else. But it was definitely good to see us keep fighting and try and work our way back into the game."

"It's frustrating because a majority of the time I'm striking out because I'm getting myself out. I'm chasing pitches early and then taking ones I can't take with two strikes. I've just got to find a way to stay locked in on every single pitch and not give away at bats."

"I do feel like when I'm getting pitches in the zone I'm not missing it like I was earlier. I've got to focus on that and block out the negative and build on it. But the biggest thing is staying focused and locked in on every single pitch every single at bat."

"Working with these coaches who have played in the majors has really helped me. They're all about me only swinging at strikes and we are working so hard on it everyday. They'll tell you this game is tough and it's all about grinding and working hard. I've just got to stick with it."

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