Hicklen Helps Push Rocks Past Dash

Winston-Salem, NC - Brewer Hicklen's  two hits, two walks, an RBI and a run scored helped the Wilmington Blue Rocks to a 4-3 win over the Winston-Salem Dash on Tuesday at BB&T Ballpark. Hicklen's run-scoring single in the seventh put Wilmington ahead to stay as the Rocks were victorious for the ninth time in their last 11 games.

Cristian Perez  jumped-started the decisive seventh frame for the Blue Crew. His lead-off single with the score tied, 3-3, got the wheels in motion. A derailment was avoided when the Wilmington infielder narrowly avoided a subsequent pickoff-caught-stealing courtesy of a throwing error by Will Kincanon. That set the stage for Hicklen, whose two-out single to center put the Rocks ahead to stay.
Hicklen's two-out heroics allowed Brady Singer (1-1) to get the first win of his professional career. The top-ranked prospect in the Royals's system, according to Baseball America, allowed three runs on six hits while fanning five and walking only one. Daniel Duarte tossed two scoreless frames of bridge work before Tad Ratliff worked around a lead-off double in the bottom of the ninth to nail down his fourth save in as many tries.
The Rocks jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Kyle Isbel  worked a lead-off walk and eventually scored on a wild pitch. Later in the frame Nick Pratto  brought home Hicklen on a groundball to third.
Winston-Salem drew even in the third on Nick Madrigal single. The Rocks went back in front courtesy of Sebastian Rivero's  sacrifice fly in the fourth, but Zach Remilard's solo homer in the bottom of the inning retied the game.
Wilmington concludes its first road trip of the season on Wednesday at Winston-Salem. Southpaw Marcelo Martinez  makes his Advanced-A debut for the Rocks. First pitch is slated for 7 p.m. and fans can catch all the action with the Voice of the Blue Rocks Cory Nidoh on 89.7 WGLS-FM or BlueRocks.com.
PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:
Kyle Isbel saw his seven-game hitting streak come to a close on Tuesday. Isbel batted .357 during the steak, which was the longest by a Blue Rock this season. He still managed to spark the Rocks' offense to victory. Isbel's lead-off walk led to an opening-inning run in a game Wilmington would never trail.
The Blue Crew won for the fifth time this season in a game decided by only a single score. Wilmington is now 5-3 in one-run contests this year. The eight games decided by just one run are the most in the Carolina League over the first two weeks of the 2019 campaign.
The Blue Rocks turned in a clean defensive slate on Tuesday. It marked the third straight game the Blue Crew did not commit an error, something the team had not accomplished all season. Wilmington still leads the Carolina League with 19 total defensive blemishes in 2019.
Wilmington may call the Carolina League's Northern Division home, but in the early part of the season the Blue Crew will be much more familiar with the CL South. The Rocks are in the midst of 17 consecutive games against southern division foes. Wilmington swept a three-game series at home against the Dash and then took three of four at Carolina. The Rocks are in the midst of a three-game set at Winston-Salem and then play a four-game series at home against the Down East Wood Ducks before welcoming the Dash back to Frawley Stadium for three more. The Rocks are currently 7-2 during this long stretch of southern hospitality.
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