CarL1 Wilmington Blue Rocks

Rough Night for Rocks as They Drop Two in Myrtle

Published on April 19, 2014 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release


Myrtle Beach, SC - Despite taking a first-inning lead in each game of Saturday night's doubleheader, the Wilmington Blue Rocks were swept by the Myrtle Beach Pelicans on a chilly evening at TicketReturn.com Field. The Rocks lost the opener, 4-3, and fell in the nightcap, 7-2. The setbacks left the Blue Crew two games under .500 for the season at 7-9.

Myrtle Beach was able to rally back from a three-run deficit to win game one of the twin-bill. Both teams plated three runs in the opening frame.

Wilmington's first five batters reached on their way to scoring three in the top of the first. Raul A. Mondesi led off with a single, and then Bubba Starling crushed a double to the wall in left-center field to score Mondesi from first. That brought up Zane Evans, who proceeded to line a base hit back up the middle to plate Starling. After Johermyn Chavez was hit by a pitch, a Jack Lopez's fielder's choice grounder drove home the third and final run of the frame.

Unfortunately for Wilmington, it would be the Rocks' final tally of the contest.

The Pelicans delivered an immediate response in the bottom of the inning by scoring three times off of Blue Rocks starter Christian Binford. Binford allowed his first walk of the season to leadoff hitter Odubel Herrera and then induced a popout of Christopher Bostick. Nick Williams reached first on a fielder's choice grounder to put a runner at first with two outs. Three consecutive base knocks from Joey Gallo, Jorge Alfaro, and Preston Beck quickly tied the game, 3-3. After Binford was able to escape the first without further damage, he retired the next 10 batters he faced.

Myrtle Beach scored the go-ahead run and, ultimately, the winning run in the bottom of the fifth inning. Zach Cone led off the frame by drawing a free pass off of Binford and then stole second base. With one out in the inning, Bostick drilled a single to left, which plated Herrera and gave Myrtle Beach a 4-3 lead they would hold for good.

In the nightcap, Pelicans starter Victor Payano issued walks to four of the first five batters he faced to hand the Rocks a 1-0 lead. Mondesi led off the game with a base on balls and then scored on a free pass to Chavez. After the walk to Chavez, Payano did not yield another run and settled down to pitch 3.2 innings, striking out six.

The Pelicans erased Wilmington's early lead for the second time Saturday when Royce Bollinger drove home Gallo from third with a second-inning sacrifice fly to tie the game, 1-1. Gallo had doubled off of Blue Rocks starter Daniel Stumpf to lead off the frame and moved to third on a single by Alfaro.

Myrtle Beach would score twice more in the third inning, once in the fourth frame and three times in the fifth to open up a 7-1 lead over the Rocks. The big blow came when Bollinger drilled a two-run homer to deep left-center field in the bottom of the fifth off of Aroni Nina. Bollinger finished the nightcap 2-for-2 at the plate with a double, a dinger, and five RBIs.

Wilmington scored its final run of game two in the top of the seventh inning when Hunter Dozier ripped a one-out single and came around to score on an Evans double into the left-field corner.

Binford (1-1, 2.20) took the game-one loss for the Blue Rocks, while Luis Parra (3-0, 4.41) was victorious in the first game for Myrtle Beach. Keone Kela picked up his fourth save of the season for the Pelicans in the opener by tossing 1.2 perfect innings and whiffing three. Stumpf (0-3, 5.40) took the loss in the nightcap, while Cody Ege (2-0, 3.60) earned the win in the nightcap with 3.1 innings pitched in relief of Payano.

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Carolina League Stories from April 19, 2014


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