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CarL1 Wilmington Blue Rocks

Three Hits from Matias Ignite Rocks' Rally

April 8, 2019 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release


Wilmington, DE - Seuly Matias jumpstarted the Blue Rocks offense on Monday as Wilmington rallied to beat the Winston-Salem Dash, 5-3, at Frawley Stadium. Matias came just a homer shy of the cycle and drove in a pair as the Blue Crew took its third consecutive contest and moved above .500 for the first time in 2019.

Matias got the Rocks on the board in the fourth. With Wilmington trailing 2-0, the sixth-ranked prospect in the Royals' system, according to MLB.com, lined a double to left that scored Nick Pratto.

He was also the lynchpin in a three-run sixth that put the Blue Crew ahead to stay. Matias plated Pratto again with a triple to dead-center field. Blake Perkins worked a walk one out later, which set up Cristian Perez, who laid down a perfect bunt on a suicide squeeze. Relief pitcher Wyatt Burns (0-1) threw the ball away as Matias scored and both Perez and Perkins ended up in scoring position. Angelo Castellano followed with a sacrifice fly that gave Wilmington the lead for good.

Matias helped provide some insurance in the eighth. The outfielder singled and came around to score on Perez's line-drive single to left.

Daniel Tillo was the benefactor of all that offense. The left-hander allowed two early runs, but settled in for a quality start. In the longest outing of the season by a Blue Rock, Tillo (1-0) notched a quality start, yielding just three runs (two earned) on five hits. He pitched to contact, fanning only one, but also peppered the zone, walking just one as well.

Tad Ratliff worked a one-two-three ninth to pick up his second save of the season.

Wilmington continues its three-game series with the Dash at Frawley Stadium on Tuesday. Right-hander Nolan Watson makes his first start of the season for the Blue Crew, while the Dash counters with former Blue Rock Cristian Castillo. First pitch is slated for 6:35 p.m. and tickets are available at BlueRocks.com.

PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:

The season is young, but Monday saw the Rocks accomplish an array of firsts in 2019. Wilmington established season-highs with five runs and seven hits as a team. Seuly Matias became the first Blue Rock with three hits in a game, while Daniel Tillo's six frames marked the longest outing of any pitcher this year. Tad Ratliff also became the first Rock to register two saves in 2019 and the two-run rally was Wilmington's biggest comeback victory to date. The three-game winning streak is also the Rocks' longest of the campaign.

For five innings on Monday Wilmington was held at bay by a former Blue Rock. Kyle Kubat had allowed just one run on two hits until he ran out of gas in the bottom of the sixth. The lefty allowed two tallies in the frame and took a no-decision in an eventual Winston-Salem setback. Kubat called Frawley Stadium home in 2016, going 4-1 with a 4.28 ERA in 25 total games and two starts. The Blue Crew will face another Wilmington alum on Tuesday when Cristian Castillo takes the mound for the Dash. Castillo spent two seasons as a Blue Rock. He went 7-12 with a 4.13 ERA in 26 starts in 2017. Last year Castillo was the Blue Rocks' Opening Night starter, but injuries plagued his season as he finished 4-5 with a 5.16 ERA in 17 games and nine starts. This is the first time this decade Wilmington has faced two former Blue Rock pitchers on consecutive days.

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