Blue Rocks Brought Consistent Effort but Ultimately Fell 5-1 in Series Against the Hot Rods

WILMINGTON, Del – After a tough stretch against the Brooklyn Mets, the Wilmington Blue Rocks returned to Frawley Stadium to face the top team in the Southern Division of the South Atlantic League. The Bowling Green Hot Rods entered the series against the Wilmington Blue Rocks atop the Southern Division with a 36-14 record.

In his first season as manager of the Blue Rocks, Ted Tom has strived to build a culture of consistent effort and perseverance. Wilmington exemplified these ideals throughout the six-game homestead against Bowling Green, continuing to push through the final innings.

After dropping game one of the series 10-2, the Blue Rocks were facing a potential shutout loss on Wednesday, June 3. However, right-fielder Ethan Petry knocked in a two-out line drive to right field to score Ronny Cruz off third and put Wilmington on the board.

The Blue Rocks brought the ninth-inning rally to life the following two nights. TJ White and Randal Diaz combined with a single and a double to bring the Blue Rocks within two runs of the Hot Rods in the final inning of game four.

However, the highlight of the series for the Blue Rocks was their comeback win on Friday, June 5. Wilmington was fired up as newly minted Blue Rock Miguel Sime Jr. made his High A debut on the mound. The 19-year-old arm was the 111th overall pick, selected in the fourth round by the Washington Nationals in the 2025 draft. After 10 games with the Fredericksburg Nationals, Sime Jr. received the nod for High-A ball.

In his first appearance for Wilmington, Sime Jr. went 3.2 innings, allowing five hits, three runs, two earned runs, and striking out three batters. The 6’4 pitcher maintained the 3-3 tied score through his outing. After a successful showing on the bump, Sime Jr. has earned the start for game one on the road against the Greensboro Grasshoppers on Tuesday, June 9.

Deadlocked through the first four frames, the Hot Rods inched ahead to a two-run lead with a sacrifice-fly in the top of the ninth.

With the series decision on the line, the Blue Rocks brought the fight to the plate. Elijah Green led with a single to put a runner on base. The anticipation rose as TJ White kicked in a double to put the tying run in scoring position. Frawley Stadium erupted into cheers as right-fielder Randal Diaz launched the go-ahead homer to walk off the Hot Rods 6-5 and claim the Blue Rocks’ first win of the series and snap a six-game skid.

Unfortunately, the Blue Rocks were unable to repeat Friday’s success as the Hot Rods took the series 5-1. However, Wilmington exemplified a never-give-up attitude throughout the series, allowing Tom’s sentiment of busting their tails each night to ring true.

Wilmington will look to bring the perseverant attitude to the field as the close of the first-half of the season looms. The Blue Rocks currently sit in third of the North Division rankings with a 27-27 record. They have another challenging stretch ahead as they face the Greensboro Grasshoppers for the first time this season. Greensboro has consistently held the number one spot in the Northern Division since the start of the season before being dethroned by the Frederick Keys last week. Sitting 1.5 games behind the Northern Division leaders, the Grasshoppers will be on a tear as they look to capture a bid to the postseason with a first-place finish in the first-half of the season.

Wilmington will need to bring the hot bats, a determined attitude, and consistent defense as they battle Greensboro this week.

First pitch is scheduled for Tuesday, June 9, at 6:30 pm EST.