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CarL1 Wilmington Blue Rocks

Wilmington Starts Second Half with Another One-Run Win

June 20, 2019 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release


Wilmington, DE - The Wilmington Blue Rocks started the second half on Thursday in the same fashion that helped them win a first-half CL North crown. Wilmington scored two runs in the first inning and never relinquished the advantage in a 3-2 win over the Frederick Keys at Frawley Stadium. The Blue Crew improved to a season-best 20 games over .500 with the victory.

Wilmington came back from the All-Star break sans any rust at the plate. Michael Gigliotti was hit by the second pitch of the game from Frederick hurler DL Hall. One out later Brewer Hicklen drew a walk and then Dennicher Carrasco's single to left got the Rocks a run. After Nick Prato worked a walk to load the bases, Cristian Perez lifted a sacrifice fly to right that plated Hicklen and gave Wilmington a 2-0 edge.

Kris Bubic also came out smoking. The Wilmington lefty tossed six scoreless innings. Bubic allowed just two hits while fanning five and walking none. He threw 90 pitches, 60 of which went for strikes.

The Rocks strung together what turned out to be a pivotal insurance run in the sixth. Blake Perkins jumpstarted the rally with a one-out triple to right. Hicklen followed with a walk and then Carrasco singled in Perkins.

That gave the Blue Crew bullpen some leeway, which they would use. Holden Capps uncorked a wild pitch in the seventh that allowed a run to score. Then Daniel Fajardo doubled in Sean Miller to pull within a run in the eighth.

Josh Dye stranded Fajardo in scoring position to preserve the one-run edge. Tad Ratliff followed with a scoreless ninth to nail down his Carolina League-leading 15th save of the season.

Wilmington continues its four-game homestand at Frawley Stadium on Friday at 7:05 p.m. Tickets are available online at BlueRocks.com and fans who can't make it to the ballpark can catch all the action with the Voice of the Blue Rocks, Cory Nidoh, on 89.7 WGLS-FM.

PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:

Wilmington continues to find great success this season against left-handed starting pitchers. The Rocks scored two first-inning runs on Thursday against DL Hall and improved to 18-6 when facing a southpaw to open the game.

Michael Gigliotti made his Advanced-A debut on Thursday. The 13th-ranked prospect in the Kansas City system, according to MLB.com, went 1-for-3 with a double, a hit-by-pitch and a run scored. Gigliotti started the season in Lexington, where he hit .309 with a homer, 19 doubles and 22 RBI. His 29 stolen bases led the South Atlantic League at the time of his promotion. He also ranked amongst the top 10 in the South Atlantic League in batting average, on-base percentage, doubles and runs scored.

Wilmington has excelled in close contests this season. The Blue Crew lead the Carolina League with 32 games decided by a single score in 2019 and have played 45 affairs with a margin of victory of two-or-less. Wilmington is an impressive 35-10 in those close calls including 25-6 in one-run decisions. The Rocks are also 27-1 when holding an advantage through seven innings and 30-0 when leading after eight.

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