CarL1 Wilmington Blue Rocks

Wilmington Pitching Stifles Kinston Offense

August 23, 2009 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release


Wilmington, DE- The Wilmington Blue Rocks swept an impromptu doubleheader from the Kinston Indians on Sunday at Frawley Stadium. The Rocks took the opener 3-1, in a game that began on Saturday night but was suspended in the third inning by rain. Wilmington finished things off with another 3-1 victory in the originally scheduled Sunday contest.

In the game that began on Saturday, the K-Tribe snuck out to a 1-0 lead in the second, when Kyle Haines came home on Alex Castillo's seeing-eye RBI single to right. Wilmington answered right back in the home half of the frame when Jamar Walton reached on an infield single, and scored on Chase Fontaine's single to left.

That is when the rain, which began to fall in the second, intensified in the third, and brought the game to a halt after the top of the third.

As a result, the game resumed on Sunday just after noon, with the Rocks batting in the bottom of the third inning. Wilmington wasted little time jumping in front.

With one down, Derrick Robinson sent a 2-2 pitch over the right-field fence. It was Robinson's fourth home run of the season, all of which came in the last 23 days. Johnny Giavotella followed with a single, and stole second as Clint Robinson struck out on a 3-2 pitch. The theft allowed Giavotella to come home on Nick Van Stratten's single to right, which gave Wilmington a two-run lead.

The bullpen made that advantage hold up. After Alex Caldera tossed three one-run frames on Saturday, Kelvin Villa and Louis Coleman went into clamp down mode on Sunday.

Villa (6-7) entered in the fourth and allowed only four hits over the next four frames. The left-hander struck out three and walked only one as kept the K-Tribe off the board. He was replaced by Coleman in the eighth, and the 2009 fifth round pick by Kansas City picked up his second professional save, and his first as a Blue Rock.

In game two the Rocks got off to a fast start, scoring once in the second and twice more in the third. Clint Robinson started the rally in the second when he was hit by a pitch. He moved to second on Van Stratten's bunt single, and came home to score on Walton's double down the right-field line.

In the third, Wilmington put together a two-out rally. Mike Moustakas got it started by blasting his team-leading 14th home run of the season out to right. Clint Robinson followed with a double to right, he then scored on another RBI single by Van Stratten. Robinson finished the second game 2-for-2 with two runs, while Van Stratten drove in a pair over the two games.

Wilmington's only uneasy moment came in the fifth as starter Danny Gutierrez began to show signs of fatigue as he walked a pair to load the bases with two outs. He was replaced by reliever Barry Bowden (1-0), who made his Wilmington debut a happy one by striking out Adam Davis to escape the jam unscathed.

Closer Brandon Sisk came on in the ninth, and fanned a pair to convert his 14th straight save, and earn his 17th save overall on the year.

Kinston starter Russell Young (5-6) failed to last five innings for the first time since May 30. The left-hander allowed three runs on six hits to take the loss.

The Rocks now hit the road, as they are set to begin a seven-game road trip on Monday in Lynchburg. Game one of Wilmington's four-game set with the Hillkitties is slated for a 7:05 p.m. first pitch. Eduardo Paulino (8-6, 3.75 takes the hill for the Blue Crew, while Lynchburg will counter with right-hander Bryan Morris (4-6, 4.94).

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Carolina League Stories from August 23, 2009


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