Contreras Turns in Quality Outing as Dogs Avoid Sweep in Lakewood

LAKEWOOD, N.J. - Right-hander Roansy Contreras turned in six quality innings while striking out seven as the RiverDogs avoided a three-game sweep from the BlueClaws on Thursday night at First Energy Park.
The RiverDogs (51-53, 14-20) shook off a three-game losing skid behind their 19-year-old starter's terrific outing. Contreras (W, 7-5) gave up a 2-0 lead with a pair allowed in the third but clamped down from there, allowing just the two early hits while working around three walks. It marked the Dominican Republic arm's fifth straight start turning in at least five innings and allowing two earned runs or less.
Charleston took the lead for the good in the sixth, breaking a 2-2 tie when Eric Wagaman got the job done with the bases loaded, grounding into a fielder's choice play to score Canaan Smith. Smith singled before back-to-back walks from Francisco Morales (L, 1-5) filled the bases with one out to set up the prime chance. In the seventh, Brandon Lockridge broke out of a 0-for-10 skid to single into center field, scoring Oliver Dunn, who drew a leadoff walk, to give the Dogs a two-run cushion.
Lakewood (41-61, 12-20) made it an uncomfortable finish by erasing the insurance marker in the seventh. Left Tim Hardy left a 1-2 pitch up that left fielder Malvin Matos laced into left for a double and later scored on a ground out by Ben Pelletier to pull the BlueClaws within a run.
Hardy continued on the mound up until there was one out in the ninth before he was lifted by manager Julio Mosquera. Keegan Curtis inherited the game's tying run on first and worked around the leadoff free pass to retire the only two batters he faced in his RiverDogs debut. Dunn bailed him out on a terrific pick at the hot corner before the Alabama native struck out Seth Lancaster looking to help the Dogs hang on and avoid the sweep.
The victory snapped an overall six-game losing streak for the Dogs dating back to the 2017 season. The Holy City had dropped their last four road contests for just the second time all year before hanging on for the one-run victory.

Upcoming
The RiverDogs team bus rolls onto Salisbury, MD, where the RiverDogs settle in to face the league-leading Delmarva Shorebirds in a four-game, wraparound set that starts Friday night from Arthur W. Perdue Stadium. In their first meeting of the season against the Orioles affiliate, the Dogs will send right-hander Yoendrys Gomez to make his Single-A debut. The 19-year-old was called up on Thursday from Pulaski, where he recorded a 2.12 ERA over six starts. He'll take All-Star right-hander Luis Gil's spot in the rotation after Charleston also saw key rotation piece Alexander Vizcaino move up to Tampa before Thursday night's game. Gomez was rated as the Yankees' No. 24 prospect in the pre-season by Baseball America. He'll match up with Shorebirds ace Grayson Rodriguez (7-3, 2.94); the lefty and Orioles' first-rounder from 2018 is coming off his worst start of the season when he was chased in the first inning and allowed six runs on Saturday in West Virginia. First pitch is at 7:05 p.m.
Catch the game on WTMA 1250 AM in the tri-county area and online streaming on the TuneIn Radio app. Fans can "Make Fun" with the RiverDogs all season long down at The Joe. Single-game tickets, including options to the Riley Park Club, are available at riverdogs.com/tickets or by contacting the RiverDogs front office at 843-577-3647 (DOGS). A full schedule and list of game times for the 2019 season is available at riverdogs.com.
--RIVERDOGS--