CarL1 Wilmington Blue Rocks

Wilmington Edges Frederick 3-2, Wins Third Straight One-Run Game

Published on August 7, 2008 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release


Wilmington, DE - For the fourth time this season, a ball off the bat of Cody Strait wound up winning a game for the Wilmington Blue Rocks. The Wilmington DH broke a 2-all tie in the eighth with his fifth home run, leading the Blue Rocks to a 3-2 victory over the Frederick Keys at Frawley Stadium on Thursday night. Aaron Hartsock earned his eighth victory with 1.2 innings of scoreless relief and Greg Holland pitched in and out of trouble in the ninth for his fourth save. With the series-opening victory over Frederick, the Rocks have won three straight games by a single run.

Trailing 2-0, the Keys evened the game against Ed Cegarra in the top of the seventh. The 19-year-old Wilmington righty had faced two over the minimum entering the inning, but gave up back-to-back hits to Brandon Snyder and Chris Vinyard to start things. The next man up, Brandon Tripp, lifted a sacrifice fly to left to draw the visitors to within one. After a strikeout, Billy Rowell doubled to left field, putting men at second and third. After a quick pep talk from manager Darryl Kennedy, Cegarra got ahead of Chris Amador 0-2 before the Frederick left fielder cracked a single through the left side to knot the game.

Hartsock (8-4) came out of the pen to strike out Mike Pierce to end the seventh and the whisked through a 1-2-3 eighth. The right-hander fanned three of the four men he faced.

Strait was sitting on an 0-for-3 night when he led off the bottom of the eighth against Jeff Moore. On a 2-0 offering, Strait whacked a high drive down the left-field line that stayed barely fair and proved to be the game-winner.

Holland got the nod for the ninth since All-Star closer Tyler Chambliss worked the previous two nights and was unavailable to throw. Thanks to a one-out single, a two-out walk and a wild pitch, the Keys threatened to tie or take the lead with runners at second and third. But, Holland collected himself and got Amador to roll a grounder to second baseman Kurt Mertins to end the game.

The Blue Rocks had built a two-run lead for Cegarra with single runs in fourth and fifth. Brad Correll drew a free pass from Keys starter Tim Bascom to begin the fourth and scored two outs later on a Mertins liner over the second baseman. Derrick Robinson's leadoff triple in the fifth turned into the second run when McConnell shot a grounder underneath Rowell at third base.

Cegarra set his Blue Rocks' season-high with six strikeouts over seven innings. The native Venezuelan leads all Wilmington starters with five starts of seven innings or more.

The Blue Rocks and Keys clash in the second game of their four-game set at 7:05 p.m. on Friday. Struggling lefty Paul Mildren (0-6, 7.71) will take the mound for Wilmington. Frederick counters with righty Kyle Schmidt (9-9, 4.21).

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Carolina League Stories from August 7, 2008


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