Blue Rocks Have Last Word in Eighth
FREDERICK, MD -Carlos Diaz delivered the go-ahead RBI single in the eighth inning to lead the Wilmington Blue Rocks (53-83/26-41) to a 4-3 win over the Frederick Keys (67-71/31-37) on Saturday night at Nymeo Field. It was the Keys fourth straight loss and the club's seventh in its last eight games to the Blue Rocks.
DJ Stewart tied the game in the seventh with a solo homer off Brennan Henry, though the Rocks answered in the eighth. Mike Hill opened the stanza with a double off Ivan Hernandez and moved to third on a single by Austin Bailey. A John Brontsema fly out to center was too shallow for Hill to tag, but Diaz came through one batter later with a single to right.
In the ninth, the orange and black put the tying and go-ahead runs on base, but Luis Rico struck out Aderlin Rodriguez and got Conor Bierfeldt to groundout to end the ballgame. On the night, the Keys stranded 10 on base and were 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position.
Wilmington led 2-0 through the first 4.5 innings. Anderson Miller drove in Bailey with an opposite field single in the third, while Elier Hernandez got an RBI infield single in the fifth which brought in Brontsema from third.
Rodriguez singled home Salcedo from second in the home fifth. That got the Keys on the board and gave the Keys slugger his 92nd RBI of the year, pulling him into a tie for third-most by a Keys player in a single-season.
Hill got the run back in the sixth with a solo shot to right, while the Keys scored the next two before the Rocks scratched across the eventual winning run.
Hernandez (3-2) suffered the loss, allowing the only the eighth inning run. He pitched three innings, scattered three hits and struck out three. Todd Eaton worked 1.2 scoreless frames to get the win, while Rico racked up his seventh save.
The Keys and Blue Rocks play the penultimate game of the regular season on Sunday night. Right-hander David Richardson (4-6, 4.20) starts for the Keys against Rocks righty Corey Ray 8-6, 4.36). First pitch is slated for 6:00 p.m and the broadcast can be heard on 1450 AM The Source, frederickkeys.com and the TuneIn Radio App. For tickets, fans can call the Keys at 301-815-9939 or visit frederickkeys.com.