Sports stats



CarL1 Wilmington Blue Rocks

Wilmington Takes Wire-To-Wire Win

May 21, 2011 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release


Wilmington, DE - Early offensive production turned into a steady stream of run-production for the Wilmington Blue Rocks on Saturday night as they routed the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, 9-3. The victory was the Rocks' sixth consecutive win.

Wilmington started the game with a bang, getting three consecutive extra-base hits to open the bottom of the first inning. Whit Merrifield laced a one-hopper off the fence in left for a double which set the night's tone. Carlo Testa followed with a triple to left that gave the Rocks a 1-0 lead. Testa then came around to score on Rey Navarro's ensuing RBI two-bag knock to the right-center field alley. Myrtle Beach starter Wilfredo Boscan (0-2) walked the next two batters before finally recording an out. But Jose Bonilla got the Rocks one more run when he lifted a sacrifice fly into right field.

The Rocks added to their advantage in the fourth, plating a pair on an RBI double off the bat of Testa and a run-scoring single up the middle by John Whittleman. The Rocks made it 6-1 in the fifth on an RBI fielder's choice grounder by Merrifield. They blew the game open an inning later with three more tallies.

Whittleman knocked in the frame's first score with an RBI double off the top of the wall in right. He then came home on Leury Garcia's third error of the series. Two batters later, Deivy Batista capped Wilmington's offensive onslaught with a run-scoring double to the right-center gap.

It was more than enough for Rocks' starter Jake Odorizzi. The right-hander allowed a run in the second inning, but avoided further damage by pitching around two runners in scoring position with only one away. He then used the double play to his advantage in the fourth, fifth and sixth frames. Odorizzi (4-0) allowed lead-off singles to open each of the innings, but then induced twin-killings from the very next batter on his way to three successive minimum-faced frames.

He was not as overpowering as he had been in previous starts, fanning only four, but he was pitch efficient. Odorizzi went 6.2 innings, yielding one run on seven hits while walking only one.

The teams meet again at Frawley Stadium on Sunday afternoon at 1:35 p.m. as Wilmington goes for a three-game sweep. The piggyback duo of Noel Arguelles (2-1, 2.43) and Michael Mariot (4-0, 1.46) hit the hill for the Rocks against Myrtle Beach right-hander Joe Wieland (4-2, 1.62). Broadcast coverage begins at 1:05 p.m. as studio host Adam Dobrowolski brings fans the Rocks Report Pre-game Show, presented by Wawa, on 89.7 WGLS-FM and online at wgls.rowan.edu. For tickets call 302-888-BLUE or visit bluerocks.com.

PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:

Steven Caseres made his debut in a Wilmington Blue Rocks uniform on Saturday night. The recently promoted corner infielder, who served as the Blue Crew' s designated hitter in the 9-3 win, walked in his first plate appearance and singled in his second. He finished the night 1-for-4 with that free pass and two strikeouts.

Carlo Testa continues to excel in the two-spot of manager Brian Rupp's batting order. Testa went 3-for-4 on Saturday with a triple, a double, two RBIs and a walk. The outfielder is 5-for-9 with three extra-base hits and four RBIs in the first two games of this series with the Pelicans. Since being elevated to second in the lineup, Testa is hitting .347 (17-for-49) with nine extra-base hits and nine RBIs in 13 games.

Wilmington is winning despite failing to capitalize on every offensive opportunity. The Rocks left a man on base in every inning and stranded 12 overall on the game. In the first two games of this series the Blue Crew has left a collective 22 men on the base paths. Wilmington does have 12 hits with men in scoring position in the two wins however.

The Blue Rocks own a 19-6 record against Southern Division competition in 2011. They have not lost a series to a Southern foe since dropping two of three against the Kinston Indians at Frawley Stadium from April 18-20.

Every Rock in the starting lineup had at least one hit on Saturday. Wilmington's 14 knocks were the team's most since a 13-4 win over the Potomac Nationals on May 13 when it registered 17 hits.

Check out the Wilmington Blue Rocks Statistics

• Discuss this story on the Carolina League message board...

Carolina League Stories from May 21, 2011


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Wilmington Blue Rocks Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central