Pratto and Martinez Lead Wilmington to Win

Lynchburg, VA- Nick Pratto  drove in two runs while Marcelo Martinez  turned in his second straight quality start as the Wilmington Blue Rocks beat the Lynchburg Hillcats, 3-1 on Friday at Calvin Falwell Field. The win ended Wilmington's three-game losing streak, which was its longest since late-April. 

For the second straight night neither offense could get going through the first five innings. The Rocks ended the stalemate with a pair in the sixth. 
Brewer Hicklen  got the frame started when he legged out an infield single. MJ Melendez  got Wilmington on the board when the Carolina League All-Star followed with a triple to dead center. Pratto then brought Melendez in with a sacrifice fly to center.
Lynchburg looked for a response in the bottom of the inning. Mike Rivera doubled and then Luke Wakamatsu singled to put runners at the corners. Steven Kwan came through with a sacrifice fly to left, but then Martinez shut the door to get out of the inning without further damage.
The Rocks added an insurance tally in the eighth when Pratto launched a solo bomb to right.
Martinez earned the win by holding Lynchburg to just one run on three hits over six innings. The lefty fanned seven and, perhaps most impressively, fanned none. He out-dueled Juan Hillman, who yielded two scores in 5.2 frames. Tad Ratliff  worked a perfect ninth to pick up his Carolina League-leading 14^th save of the season.
Wilmington continues its first-half closing road trip to Lynchburg. First pitch on Friday is slated for 6:00 p.m. and fans can catch all the action with the Voice of the Blue Rocks, Cory Nidoh, on 89.7 WGLS-FM
PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:
Wilmington has excelled in close contests this season. The Blue Crew lead the Carolina League with 31 games decided by a single score in 2019 and have played 44 affairs with a margin of victory of two-or-less. Wilmington is an impressive 34-10 in those close calls including 25-6 in one-run decisions. The Rocks are also 25-1 when holding an advantage through seven innings and 28-0 when leading after eight.
The Rocks have done most of their homer damage on the road this season. Wilmington has hit 21 of its 25 long balls this season outside of the First State. Nick Pratto  hit a solo dinger in the eighth inning on Friday, which was his second as a Blue Rock. The home run was his first on the road as an Advanced-A player. The Blue Crew are 12-5 this season in games where they leave the yard.