Late Homers Lift Rocks Past Potomac

Woodbridge, VA- The Wilmington Blue Rocks rallied to tie Sunday's series finale with two runs in the seventh and then added three more tallies in the ninth to beat the Potomac Nationals, 5-3, at Northwest Federal Field. MJ Melendez  and Colby Schultz  each homered during the comeback for the Rocks. With the win Wilmington secured a series triumph and reached a season-high nine games above .500.

Melendez got the rally going with one out in the seventh. The 20-year-old catcher blasted a 2-1 pitch over the left field fence to bring the Rocks within a single score. Sebastian Rivero kept the momentum going when he doubled down the line in left. Ricky Aracena  brought Rivero home to tie the game one out later with his line-drive single to center.
After Potomac went back in front in the eighth, another long ball drew Wilmington even in the final frame. With one away Schultz sent the first pitch he saw from reliever Frankie Bartow (0-2) soaring out to right. Rudy Martin then drew a two-out walk, stole second and came home with the winning run courtesy of an RBI-single by former P-Nat Blake Perkins . Cristian Perez would add an insurance run thanks to his ensuing single.
Josh Mitchell  got the win despite allowing the go-ahead run in the eighth on a Telmito Augustine single. Mitchell (1-0) yielded four hits, but only the one score. Tyler Zuber  issued a lead-off walk in the ninth, but then retired the next three batters to grab his sixth save of the year.
The Blue Crew continue their seven-day, eight-game road trip when they open their series on Monday at Salem. Lefty Daniel Lynch gets the ball for Wilmington with first pitch slated for 7:05 p.m. Fans can catch all the action with the Voice of the Blue Rocks Cory Nidoh on 89.7 WGLS-FM.
PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:
The Blue Rocks hit three homers during their series in Potomac and have five in their last eight games. Entering the final frame of Tuesday's doubleheader the Blue Crew offense had gone 155 frames at Frawley Stadium without hitting a home run. Wilmington got a walk-off blast that frame from MJ Melendez and Dennicher Carrasco  added his two-run bomb on Thursday, so the Rocks now have two dingers in the First State over their last 17 trips to the plate at home. Carrasco added another homer on Friday and then Melendez and Colby Schultz came through with their late heroics in the series finale on Sunday. Overall, Wilmington has hit 14 of its 17 long balls in 2019 on the road.
Four has been the magic number for the Wilmington Blue Rocks offense in 2019. When the Rocks score four times in a game they are 16-2. Conversely, when Wilmington manages just three scores or fewer in an affair the team is just 10-15.
Wilmington has had an odd schedule to start the 2019 season. Wilmington opened the campaign with a series against Salem and then played 17 consecutive games against CL South opponents. The Rocks went 9-8 during that stretch. The Blue Crew are now in the midst of playing 24 out of 26 against the CL North. The Rocks are 14-6 so far during this divisional-heavy portion of the slate and 14-8 on the year against CL North foes.
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