Hill Helps Rocks Past Pelicans

Myrtle Beach, SC - A dazzling debut from Delaware native Tyler Hill  propelled the Wilmington Blue Rocks to a 6-2 victory over the Myrtle Beach Pelicans on Friday at TicketReturn.com Field on Friday. Hill went 3-for-3 with three extra-base hits, three RBI and two runs scored as the Blue Crew won for the third time in their last four tries.

The Royals added Hill to the Wilmington roster on Friday morning and he did not waste any time proving his hometown team just how valuable he can be. The outfielder launched a solo homer in his very first at bat in a Blue Rocks uniform. He followed that up with a double that plated Dennicher Carrasco in the fourth and then added another two-bagger that scored Carrasco again in the ninth.
It was more than enough run support for Wilmington starter Marcelo Martinez . The lefty was rudely greeted by Major League rehabber Ben Zobrist in the opening frame with a solo homer, but went virtually untouched from there. Martinez (6-7) retired the final 16 batters he faced, yielding just a single score over six sparkling innings. He fanned four and walked none while throwing 55 of his 76 pitches for strikes.
Wilmington added an RBI-single and a sacrifice fly from Colby Schultz  as well as a run-scoring knock by Kyle Kasser.
Josh Dye  got the final five outs for the Blue Crew to pick up his third save of the season.
The Rocks continue their six-game road trip at Myrtle Beach on Saturday at 6:05 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:
Four has been the magic number for the Blue Rocks in 2019. When Wilmington scores four or more runs the team is 41-7, but when the offense produces three tallies or fewer they are just 26-42.
Wilmington has exceled on the road this season. The Rocks are 36-24 away from the friendly confines of Frawley Stadium, which is the second-best road record in the Carolina League. One of the reasons for Wilmington's success in away games has been its ability to hit for power. The Blue Crew have hit 42 of their 51 homers this season outside of the First State.
The combination of Wilmington starters Kris Bubic and Marcelo Martinez have been magnificent over the last two nights. Martinez retired 16 consecutive hitters at one point on Friday while Bubic tossed the first complete game of his career on Thursday. The duo has whiffed 14 and walked only two over 15 innings in the back-to-back wins