CarL1 Wilmington Blue Rocks

Wilmington Leaves Tying-Run at Third in Ninth

Published on June 25, 2010 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release


Wilmington, DE - The Wilmington Blue Rocks offense appeared dormant for much of Friday night's encounter with the Salem Red Sox. Wilmington managed just three hits in the first seven frames, and was getting blanked by the Sox staff. Things changed in the final two frames as Wilmington scored three runs and moved the tying run just 90 feet from the plate. But the rally stalled and Salem preserved a 4-3 win at Frawley Stadium.

Friday's contest began as a pitcher's duel, with Tim Melville and Miguel Gonzalez keeping both offenses off balance. Through six innings the game's lone run was scored courtesy of Salem's Peter Hissey. The West Chester, PA native singled home Ryan Dent with two outs in the third.

Despite allowing that tally and trailing 1-0, Melville (2-8) appeared to be the more over-powering pitcher. He fanned five and walked only one over the first six innings. The right-hander had retired nine of the previous 10 batters he faced entering the seventh, but out of nowhere he lost his ability to throw a strike. Melville walked the first three batters of the inning before being relieved by Brendan Lafferty.

Unfortunately for Wilmington, the change slowed Salem's momentum, but did not halt it. Drew Hedman whiffed for the first out, but Dent gave the Sox a 2-0 lead on his sacrifice fly to left field. Adrian Ortiz's throw home on the play beat Oscar Tejeda to the plate, but Tejeda's slide beat Salvador Perez's tag. Jon Hee extended the lead to 3-0, when his sinking liner to left fell in for an RBI single.

The Sox added another run one frame later. Back-to-back two-out hits allowed a run to score on an Eric Hosmer error at first base. No one realized at the time it would prove to be a pivotal insurance run.

Four runs were enough (although barely) for Gonzalez (1-0), who enjoyed his longest outing since 2007. The right-hander, who missed all of 2008 with a knee injury and the entire 2009 campaign due to Tommy John Surgery, went five scoreless frames, fanning one and walking none to grab the victory.

Wilmington finally got on the board against the Salem bullpen in the eighth. An infield single by Patrick Norris and a line-drive knock by Ortiz put two men on for Nick Francis. The Wilmington right fielder plated both when he laced a double down the left-field line.

In the ninth, the Rocks placed their first three batters of the frame on base. Perez beat out an infield single, Jamar Walton worked a walk and Rey Navarro reached safely on an error by Tejeda. Navarro had tried to give himself up with a sacrifice bunt, but Tejeda failed to find the bag on Federowicz's toss to first.

With the bases loaded and no outs, much of the Blue Crew's momentum died when Adam Frost bounced into a 6-4-3 double play. A run scored, and the tying tally moved to third, but there were suddenly two outs. Norris kept the game alive when he worked a walk, but Ortiz brought the proceeding to a close when his bunt up the first-base chalk was fielded by Hedman, who tagged Ortiz out.

Wilmington will wrap up this brief three-game set on Saturday night at 7:05 p.m. Carolina League All-Star Chris Dwyer (4-3, 2.95) takes the hill for the Blue Crew against Salem right-hander Stolmy Pimentel (5-5, 3.63).

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Carolina League Stories from June 25, 2010


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