Wilmington Drops Series against Hub City 4-2
Published on April 20, 2026 under South Atlantic League (SAL)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release
WILMINGTON, Del. - After a successful week on the road in which Wilmington picked up its first series win of the season, the Blue Rocks were ready to hit the field in front of their home crowd.
"Anytime that you can have a really good week like last week for us, the guys are going to be excited on the bus ride home," Manager Ted Tom said ahead of Tuesday's contest. "Now it's right back to work. We took the off day to be able to rest and recover, and now it's right back to being able to crush the two-to-six."
Heading into this week's matchup, the Blue Rocks lead the league with an impressive 25 stolen bases. Their tactical running game, which propelled them to a series win over Hudson Valley, relied heavily on drawing walks and making good decisions on the base path. Prepping for their six-game series against Hub City, which boasted an impressive 85-29 strikeout-to-walk ratio, Wilmington knew implementing their running game against this pitching staff would be challenging.
"The big thing is that [Hub City] is going to be better at controlling the running game, which means that we have to make good decisions," Tom said. "We've been really good at applying pressure and taking advantage of 90-feet so far, but the next step in our development is making sure that we are doing it correctly and getting the jumps that the game requires."
Through the first three games of the series, the Spartanburgers maintained their high strikeout-to-walk ratio, which severely limited the Blue Rocks' running game. Wilmington managed only one stolen base on two attempts throughout the first three contests. However, the Blue Rocks did not go down quietly in either of these matches.
Wilmington stayed true to Tom's mantra of busting their tails each night as they continued to push until the final out. Despite the Spartanburgers taking the first lead through the first five matches of the six-game series, the Blue Rocks were consistently hard on their heels, scoring 15 of their 42 total runs in the seventh inning or later.
Friday night, Frawley Stadium was abuzz with energy and excitement. Starting pitcher Bryan Polanco got the Blue Rocks off on a strong start, holding Hub City to three runs and striking out seven. However, Hub City's pitching arsenal was also reaping the rewards of a strong start as they did not allow a hit through the first five innings. Yet, the Blue Rocks continued to push. In the bottom of the sixth inning, veteran Blue Rock T.J. White sent a ball 423-feet deep, past the center-field wall to score two and tie the game. The crowd went wild with anticipation as they witnessed a second chance open up for Wilmington.
"The crowd was amazing," White said. "I think they definitely rattled [Hub City's] pitchers, which worked out in our favor."
The Blue Rocks went on to score the go-ahead on a wild pitch and took a decisive 7-4 victory over the Spartanburgers.
New life was breathed into the Wilmington bats as they set their sights on a series split with Hub City.
Saturday was akin to a home-run derby as the Blue Rocks scored four homers. Two of the out-of-the-park shots belonged to first baseman Ethan Petry. The former South Carolina Gamecock is one of the most powerful bats within the Blue Rocks' lineup. Petry currently leads the offense with 12 RBI and a 0.370 batting average, and ranks second on the team in hits with 17.
Spirits were high in the Wilmington dugout after taking a lopsided win over Hub City on Saturday. Despite a two-hour rain delay, the Blue Rocks' bats were poised and ready. The Blue Rocks were the first to scratch the scoreboard as they jumped to an early lead over the Spartanburgers. However, Hub City was not prepared to quit, as they surged to a lead in the later innings.
Elijah Nunez lined a single down the right field line to send the game into extra innings and keep Wilmington's chances alive. The Blue Rocks continued to fight from the plate in extra innings, including a two-RBI home run from TJ White to push the contest to the twelfth inning. However, after 12 innings, the Spartanburgers came out on top, securing the series win.
While it was not the outcome they wanted, the Blue Rocks will keep their heads high as they turn their attention to the next series. Wilmington is on the road to face the Frederick Keys, High-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, in a six-game series. The Blue Rocks currently sit in third in the Northern Division rankings, two games ahead of the Keys. They will look to get back in the win column on Tuesday, April 21. First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. EST.
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