Wilmington Blue Rocks
The Wilmington Blue Rocks returned to the road this past week, securing two victories out of six games in their series against the Greenville Drive.
Here is your series recap
Tuesday Night:
On Tuesday night, right-handed pitcher Seth Shurman took the mound in Greenville as the Wilmington Blue Rocks opened a six-game series against the Greenville Drive. He pitched four innings, delivering four strikeouts, allowing no walks, and giving up one earned run.
Phillip Glasser reached base with a single and stole second. He advanced to third when Jarrett McKenzie grounded out during his at-bat. On the next pitch, a wild pitch got away, allowing Phillip Glasser to score and put Wilmington ahead in the top of the first.
Maxwell Romero Junior scored thanks to a Phillip Glasser single in the top of the second. Wilmington’s offense went silent, and a rain delay was implemented.
The rain stopped, and the game resumed an hour and 15 minutes later, with Wilmington leading 2-1. Luis Ravelo’s home run tied the game at 2-2 as they headed into the top of the 8th inning. Wilmington regained the lead with a man on base thanks to a single by Roismar Quintana, which brought home the go-ahead run. However, the lead was short-lived; Miguel Gomez's 1-2 count resulted in a game-tying home run from Jhostynxon Garcia in the top of the 9th. The Blue Rocks managed to get hits but did not score or threaten further.
In the bottom of the 9th, Matt Cronin struck out two batters and grounded out the final batter. Murphy Stanley singled, and TJ White followed with a ground-rule double. Jared McKenzie scored, putting the Blue Rocks ahead 4-3. Maxwell Romero then struck out, but Joe Naranjo hit a ground-rule double that allowed two more runs to score. The next two batters for the Blue Rocks grounded out and popped out.
Brendan Collins earned the save in the bottom of the 10th, and Wilmington won 6-3 in extra innings.
Wednesday Night:
Wednesday night was not Wilmington’s night, as the Blue Rocks struggled to stay in the winner’s column. The game did not go their way, with Wilmington losing 12-0. They managed only three hits, had nine strikeouts, walked 12 batters, and allowed 12 earned runs, including four home runs.
Marc Davis, the right-handed pitcher from Lisburn, Ga., pitched three innings, giving up three hits, two runs (both earned), one walk, and recording four strikeouts.
Thursday Night:
Wilmington hoped to get back on solid ground Thursday night. The start of the new month brings hope to the Blue Rocks, who are 5-8 on the road during the second half of the season.
Right-handed pitcher Jose Atencio took the mound for the Wilmington Blue Rocks, pitching five innings during which he allowed two home runs, struck out four batters, walked one, and gave up three earned runs, ultimately surrendering seven hits.
The Wilmington bats were silent for the first three innings, with no hits recorded as they entered the top of the fifth. Although there was some base running in the top of the fourth—Phillip Glasser was hit by a pitch, and Gavin Dugas hit into a force-out, resulting in Glasser being out at second—Dugas advanced to second base when a wild pitch got away.
Tensions exploded in the bottom of the seventh when Luke Young hit a Greenville Drive batter, leading to the benches clearing. Although words were exchanged, there was no physical altercation, and neither Young nor the batter was ejected. As the inning continued with two outs and the bases loaded, Young secured the final out by striking out the batter on a called third strike.
The Drive pitching staff completed the no-hitter, with Yordanny Isaias Monegro starting the effort by pitching five innings, delivering six strikeouts, and allowing no runs, hits, earned runs, or walks. The bullpen then maintained the no-hitter for the remainder of the game, and the Drive committed only one error on the night.
Wilmington lost the game 4-0, bringing their second-half away record to 5-9. They now find themselves in a two-game slump with only three games remaining in the series before returning home.
Friday Night:
During Friday's game, Wilmington batters had 41 at-bats, scored 14 runs, recorded 13 hits, and drove in 10 RBIs while striking out seven times. Phillip Glasser hit a home run in the top of the first inning, putting Wilmington up 1-0, and added another home run in the top of the third, marking his first two-home-run game in his professional career. Murphy Stanley hit a homerun in the top of the eighth, giving the Blue Rocks the overall lead. Wilmington went on to win Friday night’s game 14-6 over the Drive.
The Blue Rocks sent their flame-throwing pitcher, Jarlin Susana, to the mound. The right-hander pitched five innings, giving up three hits, two runs, one earned run, and no walks while recording eight strikeouts. This performance brought his ERA to 3.15 and improved his overall record to 2-0. Wilmington's bullpen added to the effort, finishing the night with 11 strikeouts, no walks, four earned runs, nine hits, and nine runs allowed. Miguel Gomez delivered the final three outs in the bottom of the ninth to secure Wilmington’s victory and start the weekend on the right foot.
Saturday Night:
The Blue Rocks had an explosive night at the batter's box. TJ White went 2-for-3 and is now hitting .310. Maxwell Romero Jr. had a triple that drove in two runs, bringing home Murphy Stanley and TJ White in the top of the sixth inning, putting Wilmington up 6-4. Romero later scored due to a fielding error by the Drive, which allowed Marcus Brown to reach base, extending Wilmington's lead to 7-4 in the bottom of the sixth.
Tyler Schoff came in to relieve Reilly Cornelio. Schoff gave up five hits and three runs with one strikeout. By the end of the sixth, the game was tied as they entered the top of the seventh.
The Blue Rocks regained the lead in the top of the 8th inning when Murphy Stehly hit a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring a runner and moving Jared McKenzie to third with two outs. Maxwell Romero Jr. then singled on a line drive to right field, allowing McKenzie to score and making it 9-7.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Greenville Drive responded with a home run. Later in the inning, Eduard López singled on a line drive to right field, re-tying the game at 9-9. The game remained tied, forcing both teams to go to extra innings again in this series. With Matt Suggs on second to start extra innings, Marcus Brown flew out to center, advancing Suggs to third. Jonathan Thomas hit a sacrifice bunt, allowing Suggs to score as Wilmington retook the lead. Thomas reached first, but the next batter, Phillip Glasser, grounded into a double play to end the inning.
Eduardo López delivered a double to left field for the Drive, allowing Juan Chacón to score and tying the game at 10-10.
The bottom of the 10th ended with Wilmington creating a force-out, sending the game into the top of the 11th. In the top of the 11th, Wilmington batters Gavin Dugas and Jared McKenzie struck out during their at-bats. Murphy Stehly, the final batter for Wilmington in the inning, grounded out.
In the bottom of the 11th, with one out and Richard Guasch intentionally walking, Ronald Rosario delivered the winning hit with a double to center field. Wilmington lost the game 11-10.
Sunday Afternoon
The Blue Rocks entered Sunday’s game looking to secure one last win before returning home. Seth Shuman Took the mound for the Blue Rocks. Shuman pitched three innings for the Blue Rocks, giving up seven hits and six runs, all earned, with no walks, four strikeouts, and three home runs.
On the offensive side, Matt Suggs started things for the Blue Rocks in the top of the second inning with a powerful home run to right field. As the game continued, the Blue Rocks kept up the pressure. In the top of the fifth, TJ White added to the excitement with a solo shot to left field, narrowing the gap and making it a 7-6 game. The momentum continued in the top of the eighth when Murphy Stehly came through with a clutch single to center field, driving in two runs. This hit advanced TJ White to third and moved Stehly himself into scoring position at second base, keeping Wilmington's hopes alive in a hard-fought contest.
Wilmington continued to battle into the top of the ninth, but ultimately, Greenville Drive secured the win with a final score of 14-9. Despite the Blue Rocks' efforts, the Drive's offense proved too strong in the later innings, sealing their victory.
On Tuesday night, the Wilmington Blue Rocks return home to take on the Jersey Shore BlueClaws, and they will follow up with another home series against the Brooklyn Cyclones.
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