WILMINGTON, DE (7/24/26) — The Wilmington Blue Rocks defeated the Jersey Shore BlueClaws, 9-1, Friday night at Frawley Stadium, Wilmington had a no hitter going into the seventh.
Wilmington secured its second straight win to improve to 47-46 overall and 16-12 in the second half. The Blue Rocks also clinched the six-game series over Jersey Shore and remained in the South Atlantic League North Division race. The Renegades dropped to 45-46 overall and 15-13 in the second half.
The Blue Rocks allowed just two hits and carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning after being tagged for 12 runs on nine hits in Thursday's loss. Starter Miguel Sime Jr. set the tone, tossing five scoreless innings while allowing no hits, walking two and striking out four to earn his first win of the season. Merrick Baldo followed with two and two-thirds innings before surrendering the Renegades' first hit in the eighth, and Brady Hill recorded the final four outs to finish the combined two-hitter.
"They're not really excited about what happened yesterday," manager Ted Tom said. "Our guys have really short memories, and they just came out and played today. You're only as good as tomorrow's starter, and Miguel Sime Jr. was unbelievable on the mound today."
Sime Jr. entered the outing coming off a difficult start in which he walked six batters, but relied on improved command rather than overpowering stuff against Hudson Valley.
"I'm trying not to do too much against the batters," Sime Jr. said. "I was forcing myself in the zone before. Tonight I was just trying not to force it and trust my stuff."
Pitching coach Justin Lord said the organization's emphasis on commanding the strike zone has been a focal point throughout the week.
"There's been a little bit more concentration on our locations," Lord said. "What he did tonight was just control what he could control. He locked in on his location, and when we did make a bad pitch, he stayed present and didn't let anything snowball."
Tom echoed that sentiment, praising Sime Jr.'s ability to harness his electric arsenal.
"He has that kind of stuff every night," Tom said. "It's just whether or not he can bottle the weapon in the strike zone. It was really good to see."
While the pitching staff dominated, Wilmington's offense supplied more than enough support with an 11-hit attack highlighted by a five-run fourth inning.
The Blue Rocks broke the game open after carrying a 2-0 lead into the fourth. Yeremy Cabrera lined a two-run double to center before Kevin Bazzell crushed a two-run homer to left-center field later in the inning. Jacob Walsh followed with an RBI double to cap the five-run frame and extend the lead to 7-0.
Bazzell finished 3-for-5 with a home run, two doubles and three RBIs, while Cabrera went 2-for-5 with two RBIs. Angel Feliz collected two doubles, scored twice and drove in a run, and Elijah Green added two hits and an RBI. Wilmington drew nine walks and finished 5-for-12 with runners in scoring position.
"I haven't been swinging it real great as of late, but I've just been sticking with the process," Bazzell said. "Hudson's (Byorick) been helping me a lot mentally, just staying with it."
Bazzell also credited the team's ability to move on quickly after Thursday's loss.
"It says a lot about this team," Bazzell said. "Every day's a new day. Thinking about the past doesn't change the outcome. As long as we reset after every win or loss, we've got a great chance to win."
Wilmington manufactured its first two runs before the offensive explosion. Elijah Nunez lifted a sacrifice fly in the second inning before Feliz ripped an RBI ground-rule double in the third. Green added an RBI single in the sixth, and Bazzell drove home his third run of the night with an RBI double in the seventh.
Tom was pleased with the quality of Wilmington's offensive approach despite the crooked numbers.
"That's what it's supposed to look like," Tom said. "It's not necessarily the results. It's taking good swings on good pitches, putting pressure on the defense and putting your guys in position to have success."
Hudson Valley's lone run came in the eighth inning on Roderick Arias' RBI single after Baldo had retired the first eight batters he faced.
The Blue Rocks will look to secure the series victory Saturday night at Frawley Stadium. Yeuris Jimenez is the projected starter for Wilmington.