CarL1 Wilmington Blue Rocks

Spectacular Double Play Salvages Split

Published on August 27, 2011 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release


Salem, VA - After blowing a pair of leads in an error-plagued 7-4 loss, the Wilmington Blue Rocks (61-68, 25-35) used a defensive gem to avoid an even greater collapse in a 6-5 win over the Salem Red Sox (58-73, 27-35) for a twinbill split on Friday night. The conclusion of a suspended game from July 8 went Salem's way, but the Blue Crew responded with technically its fifth straight win over the Red Sox.

A four-run lead had been shaved to one in the nightcap. With the bases loaded and one out, reliever Jon Keck got Delaware native Derrik Gibson to hit a fly ball to right field. In foul ground by half a step, Nick Van Stratten not only made the catch, but followed with a pea to catcher Jared Dyer at the plate that just beat West Chester, PA product Peter Hissey for a game-ending double play. The outfielder cut a man down at the dish for the second time at the road trip with his seventh assist in 44 games as a Blue Rocks outfielder this season.

After starter Justin Marks allowed a two-spot in the first frame, the Blue Crew plated six unanswered runs to grab a lead it would not relinquish. Two Salem miscues by Gibson and Kolbrin Vitek marred a four-run second, making all of the runs unearned. All of the runs crossed with two down against Ryan Pressly (6-11). Michael Liberto delivered the key blow with his two-run double to left-center. An inning later, Joey Lewis' third homer of the week, his sixth of the season, arced over the right-field fence for a 6-2 bulge.

Miles Head's two-out single put men at the corners in the fourth and chased Marks. Ryan Dennick (3-6) entered and tossed a wild pitch that allowed Vitek to score from third before a Hissey pop out ended the inning. Vitek drove in a score the next frame on a bases-loaded walk before Bryce Brentz bounced into an inning-ending double play.

In the seventh and final frame, Keckgave up a score on Shannon Wilkerson's single up the middle. Josue Peley's subsequent infield knock loaded the bases with one out, setting up Gibson's game-ending double-play ball to right.

The opening conclusion of a suspended affair resumed play with the Blue Crew up 2-0 in the bottom of the second. Michael Mariot (8-4), who began the game seven weeks earlier, resumed the contest and allowed an unearned run that very inning. Peley reached on a dropped catch by Whit Merrifield and scored on David Mailman's double to left-center field.

John Whittleman's run-scoring double in the third against Stolmy Pimentel (4-4) stretched the Rocks' advantage to 3-1. In the fourth, Whittleman's two-out throwing error to second on a grounder by Gibson gave Brentz and Peley a window to score two more unearned tallies on Mariot, deadlocking the game at 3-all. Tim Ferguson notched his second RBI of the game with a sacrifice fly in the sixth to snap the brief deadlock.

The advantage would be short lived. Gibson tied the contest with a just-fair double in the seventh and later scored a go-ahead run on Wilkerson's groundout to second. Bryan Paukovits allowed two unearned runs in the eighth on an RBI double by Peley and catcher Julio Rodriguez's throwing error to round out the scoring.

The Blue Rocks' final road series of the season continues at 6:05 p.m. on Saturday night. Wilmington right-hander Elisaul Pimentel (6-7, 3.63) will face rehabbing big leaguer Bobby Jenks. Broadcast coverage begins at 5:35 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.

PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:

The seven-inning nightcap took longer to play (2:33) than the nine-inning opener (2:29).

The loss in the suspended game's conclusion officially counts as a rubber match. With the loss, the Blue Rocks have lost all of their nine road series on the half with their 10th and final one pending this weekend.

One night after defeating Potomac 11-5 despite getting outscored 5-3 in earned runs, the Blue Rocks lost the opener 7-4 even though it owned a 3-2 advantage in earned runs.

Wilmington's three errors in game one lifted its season-long total of miscues to 140. While that total trails Winston-Salem's 145, the Blue Rocks own the CL's worst fielding percentage (.970).

Salem starter Ryan Pressly allowed six runs (two earned) on eight hits and two walks to drop the nightcap. In six starts against the Blue Rocks this season he has gone 0-5 with a 6.39 ERA and a .299 batting average against.

Juan Abreu, the Blue Rocks' closer for two months in the 2009 season, has been called up to the bigs by his current club, the Houston Astros. He was dealt along with Delaware native Brett Oberholtzer in a four-for-one trade of outfielder Michael Bourn from the Atlanta Braves at this year's non-waiver deadline. When he makes his debut, he will become the 116th former Blue Crewer to appear in the show and the ninth this season.

Before the game, the Royals placed Blue Rocks' catcher Jose Bonilla on the disabled list with a lower body injury. Fellow backstop Travis Jones has rejoined the team from Low-A Kane County (MWL).

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