Sloppy Loss Halts Winning Streak at Three
Published on August 10, 2010 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release
Wilmington, DE - The Wilmington Blue Rocks comeback magic ran dry on Tuesday night at Frawley Stadium. After scoring come-from-behind wins on three successive nights, Wilmington dropped a 5-4 decision to the Winston-Salem Dash, and fell two games behind the Potomac Nationals in the race for a Carolina League North second-half crown.
On an oppressively humid night, the teams played their second straight sloppy game. After combining to commit four errors in Monday night's series-opener, the Dash and Rocks totaled five errors on Tuesday. The miscues led to a pair of unearned runs.
Wilmington got off to a strong start, taking a 1-0 lead in the second inning on back-to-back hits by Ernesto Mejia and Nick Francis. Winston-Salem tied the game in the fourth, however, courtesy of two walks and an RBI single by Jose Martinez.
Control continued to be an issue for Wilmington starter Bryan Paukovits in the fifth. The right-hander hit Greg Paiml to open the frame and then his errant pickoff attempt allowed Paiml to circle all the way around to third. He followed with a free pass to Brandon Short and then surrendered a run-scoring single to Drew Garcia. Another walk to Jon Gilmore came next, and Paukovits' night was through.
On came Ivor Hodgson, Jr. with the bases loaded and no outs. It only took Hodgson two pitches to escape the jam with limited damage. His first offering of the night was smoked back to the mound by Seth Loman. Hodgson knocked it down though, and then started a 1-6-3 double play. A run scored to make it, 3-1, but when the reliever induced a fly ball to right on the very next pitch to end the inning, it felt like a moral victory for the Rocks.
Wilmington evened the contest in the bottom of the fifth. A two-out rally was sparked by Patrick Norris when he drew a walk. Christian Colonfollowed with a single, which set up Wil Myers' game-tying two-run double.
Unfortunately for the Blue Crew, the tie did not last long. Winston-Salem used a Colon error to post a pair of unearned runs and take the lead for good. Martinez opened the frame with an infield single. Kenny Williams, Jr. then grounded one sharply to shortstop, but Colon lifted up on the ball, and it squirted through his legs into left-center field. Both Williams and Martinez came home one out later when Short deposited a two-run triple over the head of left fielder Rene Oriental.
The Rocks cut the deficit in half in the eighth thanks to another two-out rally. Francis doubled and then scored when Eddie Prasch ripped a liner off the foot of Garcia at second base. But Joey Lewis ended the inning when he grounded out to second, and the Blue Crew went down in order in the ninth.
Wilmington hosts the Dash again on Wednesday night at 7:05 p.m. Southpaw Buddy Baumann (3-2, 2.36) gets the start for the Rocks, while Winston-Salem will counter with right-hander Stephen Sauer (6-9, 5.12)
PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:
Wil Myers went 2-for-4 in the loss and extended his hitting streak to a season-high 11 games on Tuesday. During his string of success, the league's youngest player has hit .538 (21-for-39) and has raised his Advanced-A batting average by 70 points to .395.
Outfielder Nick Francis also enjoyed a big night at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a double an RBI and a run scored to extend his hitting streak to 10 games. He has connected at a .366 (15-for-41) clip during that time. Nine of those 15 hits have gone for extra bases. He has driven in 11 runs over those 10 games while scoring nine times.
The bottom-third of Wilmington's order could not buy a hit on Tuesday. Joey Lewis, Rey Navarro and Rene Oriental combined to go 0-for-12 with two strikeouts and a double play.
Winston-Salem won despite allowing multiple opportunities slip through its fingers. The Dash stranded 10 men on-base, eight of which were left in scoring position. With runners at second and/or third base, Winston-Salem went just 3-for-14.
Tuesday night's contest took a robust 3:01 to play. Each of the Rocks' previous four affairs had lasted between 2:21 and 2:25.
Carolina League Stories from August 10, 2010
- Sloppy Loss Halts Winning Streak at Three - Wilmington Blue Rocks
- Sox Walk off with 4-3 Win Over K-Tribe - Salem RidgeYaks
- Power Parade Pushes Pelicans Past Keys - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Short's Clutch Triple Sends Dash to Win - Winston-Salem Dash
- Pelicans Belt Keys 10-5 - Frederick Keys
- Salem Gets by Kinston 4-3 in Ten Innings - Kinston Indians
- K-Tribe Game Notes - Kinston Indians
- Potomac Pulls Even with Hillcats - Potomac Nationals
- Nats Take Afternoon Affair - Hill City Howlers
- Hillcats Are Now 10-7 In Their Last 17 Road Games - Hill City Howlers
- Steve Lombardozzi Promoted to Harrisburg - Potomac Nationals
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