WILMINGTON, DE (6/6/26) — The Wilmington Blue Rocks lose, 5-2, Saturday night against the Bowling Green Hot Rods.
Wilmington lost its second straight series on Saturday and dropped below .500 with a record of 27-28. The Bowling Green Hot Rods extended their lead atop the South Atlantic League South Division with a 40-15 record.
The game was interrupted by a weather delay in the top of the sixth inning with the score tied 2-2. The delay seemingly neutralized the Rocks' offense and ended starter Alexander Meckley's night.
“Out of the delay we didn’t come out strong, we walked guys,” manager Ted Tom said. “We didn’t take care of the baseball, and there’s four runs.”
Meckley, who was preparing to come out for the sixth inning before the delay, finished with five innings pitched, allowing two runs while striking out five.
“Alex was awesome,” Tom said. “He just kept getting better as his outing went on, and he did that tonight.”
After allowing three runs in 2 1/3 innings in his first start of the season, Meckley has shown improvement in recent outings and continued that trend Saturday.
“Throwing more offspeed,” Meckley said when asked what he would take away from the outing. “They’re a really good hitting team. They’re going to put it in play, so you’ve got to throw your best stuff, and I feel like overall I did that.”
Immediately following the delay, Bowling Green jumped all over reliever Eiker Huizi, who loaded the bases without recording an out and allowed two runs as the Hot Rods took control.
The Rocks' offense showed life early, tying the game in the third inning. However, Wilmington once again struggled to come through with runners in scoring position.
“I think it’s simple, we’ve got to keep things simple,” Tom said. “We just need to stick to our strengths.”
Kevin Bazzell continued his hot stretch at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI. Designated hitter Ronny Cruz added two hits, finishing 2-for-4.
Bazzell's turnaround has been one of the bright spots in Wilmington's season. After ending April with a .056 batting average, he hit .378 in May and has raised his season average to .316.
For Bazzell, the adjustment has been more mental than physical.
“It’s a lot more mental than physical,” Bazzell said. “We can make all the physical changes we want, but it’s not really about that. We’ve played baseball our whole lives, and your swing isn’t going to get that much different in one day.”
No one is happier to see Bazzell's resurgence than Tom.
“He’s a guy that works his tail off,” Tom said. “He’s gone through some adversity. It’s awesome to see this guy have success.”
Bowling Green finished with eight hits. Caden Bodine led the way, going 3-for-4 with an RBI and a walk, while Narciso Polanco added two hits.
The Blue Rocks will conclude the series Sunday at 1:05 p.m. Gavin Bruni is the probable starter for Wilmington.