WILMINGTON, DE (8/22/26) — The Wilmington Blue Rocks beat the Frederick Keys 1-0 Friday night at Frawley Stadium, winning the second game of Friday’s doubleheader.
Wilmington improved to 60-58 overall and 29-24 in the second half. Frederick dropped to 71-44 overall and 30-21 in the second half.
The victory was Wilmington’s fourth in a row and its third win in the last 36 hours. The Blue Rocks have allowed just one run over their last three games.
Riley Maddox set the tone for the pitching staff, allowing just two hits over five scoreless innings while striking out six. He became the third Wilmington pitcher in as many days to record a scoreless start with six strikeouts, joining Miguel Sime Jr. and Jarlin Susana.
“I think I throw 10 miles an hour less than some guys, but a lot of people do,” Maddox said. “But it's been stacking days, just knowing what works at this point in the season and just continue to be consistent with that and executing pitches. I mean, that's all it is, just consistently executing and going with that.”
Tucker Biven, Jackson Dannelley and Yeuris Jiminez followed Maddox out of the bullpen. Jiminez closed out the game with two strikeouts for his fifth save of the season.
Wilmington’s lone run came on a heads-up play from outfielder Yermey Cabrera. The 19-year-old singled, advanced to second on a balk, stole third and then stole home to give the Blue Rocks the only run they needed.
Manager Ted Tom praised Wilmington’s ability to create scoring opportunities despite the limited offense.
“We're not scoring a bunch of runs, but we're scoring them when we're able to,” Tom said. “Obviously tonight we steal home to get the lone run. So guys, their heads are in the right places. They're intense there. The results are going to take care of themselves.”
The Blue Rocks recorded six hits, with Angel Feliz collecting two. Chris Hacopian, Jacob Walsh and Cabrera each added one hit.
Frederick struggled to capitalize against Wilmington’s pitching, going 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and leaving eight runners on base.
Dannelley also made a key defensive play in the eighth inning, picking off the potential tying run at first base.
“I knew that if I just kind of stayed relaxed, held the ball a little long like I had been, I'd probably get him,” Maddox said. “So it was huge weight off my shoulder getting the lead off guy off the bases.”
The shutout continued a pitching surge that has helped keep Wilmington in the playoff race with the regular season nearing its end.
Dannelley said the bullpen has fed off the success of the pitching staff as a whole.
“Hats off to this bullpen,” Dannelley said. “This is by far the coolest bullpen I've been a part of.”
Wilmington remains two games behind the final playoff spot in the South Atlantic League, but Tom said the team must continue to focus on the day-to-day.
“It's something we talk about, but at the end of the day, this time of year, if you put yourself in a position to play exciting baseball, you just got to show up tomorrow,” Tom said. “So you got to sleep fast, enjoy this, sleep fast and come out and do it again.”
Wilmington will continue its series against Frederick on Sunday at Frawley Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m.