Lynch Shines as Rocks Defeat Hillcats

Lynchburg, VA - The Wilmington Blue Rocks concluded their final road trip of the 2019 regular season with a 4-0 shutout victory over the Lynchburg Hillcats. Lefty Daniel Lynch was dominant on the mound for the Rocks as he tossed six scoreless innings of four-hit ball and fanned six Lynchburg batters.

The Blue Crew got on the board early Thursday night as MJ Melendez blasted his ninth home run of the season to give Wilmington the 1-0 lead in top half of the second inning. It didn't take the Rocks long to manufacture some insurance as Cristian Perez drove in Tyler Hill and Nick Pratto with a two-run single in the third inning, making it 3-0. The final run of the game crossed home plate in the fourth inning as Colby Schultz scored on a sacrifice fly of the bat of Brewer Hicklen, padding Wilmington's lead to 4-0. 
Following Hicklen's sac-fly RBI, Lynchburg starter Kirk McCarty was pulled from the game after allowing four runs on nine hits through three and two thirds innings of work. The Hillcats bullpen held the Rocks hitless through the final five and one third innings, but the Lynchburg offense couldn't muster any run support.
The Blue Rocks head back to the friendly confines of Frawley Stadium for their final homestand of the regular season as they take on the Myrtle Beach Pelicans in a four-game set starting Friday. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Fans can catch all of the action with the Voice of the Blue Rocks, Cory Nidoh, on 89.7 WGLS-FM.
Pebbles of Knowledge:
The Rocks victory on Thursday night was one for the record books as Wilmington recorded their 80thwin of the season. It marks the first 80-win season for the Blue Rocks since 2009, when the team finished with a record of 84-55. The 2019 Blue Rocks have a chance to reach the 84-win mark with a series sweep of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans this weekend.  
The four-game set in Lynchburg marked the conclusion of the season series between the Blue Rocks and Hillcats. Wilmington ended up taking the season series in dominant fashion as they finished with a 12-5 record against Lynchburg this season, which is the best record the Rocks have against any of their Northern Division foes.