Globe iconLogin iconRecap iconSearch iconTickets icon
High-A Affiliate
The Official Site of the Wilmington Blue Rocks Wilmington Blue Rocks

Rocks Rally to Cap Off Long Day

Blue Rocks Win Fourth Straight
Robert Garcia earned the win in the Blue Rocks 6-5 win at Down East Friday. (Brad Glazier)
August 16, 2019

Kinston, NC- After a torturously long overnight bus ride to Kinston, the Wilmington Blue Rocks fell behind early but battled back to beat the Down East Wood Ducks 6-5 on Friday at Grainger Stadium. A flat tire turned the Blue Crew's journey from a seven-hour trip into a 12-hour marathon,

Kinston, NC- After a torturously long overnight bus ride to Kinston, the Wilmington Blue Rocks fell behind early but battled back to beat the Down East Wood Ducks 6-5 on Friday at Grainger Stadium. A flat tire turned the Blue Crew's journey from a seven-hour trip into a 12-hour marathon, as they did not arrive at the team hotel until after 11 a.m. in the morning. Yet the Rocks had the mental wherewithal to battle back thanks to a five-run eighth inning. The victory was Wilmington's fourth straight and the team equaled it's best record of the season at 22 games above .500.

Patience was the key word in the top of the eighth. Sebastian Rivero and Colby Schultz opened the frame with singles and then Wilmington saw four straight batters reach without benefit of base hit. Ricky Aracena was hit by a pitch to load the bases before Kyle Kasser , Kyle Isbel and Tyler Hill each drew RBI-walks. Dennicher Carrasco ended the string with a fly out but Nick Pratto and Rivero picked it right back up with two more bases-loaded free passes.  
The Rocks were in position for their late run thanks to hanging tough early. 
Rito Lugo received a rude greeting but battled his way through the bottom of the first. The lefty allowed the first four batters to reach and Curtis Terry's RBI-single gave Down East a 1-0 edge. Yet Lugo limited damage by retiring the next three hitters. The lefty battled his way through five frames, holding the Wood Ducks to just a pair of runs, despite seven hits. 
Robert Garcia got the win by tossing a scoreless seventh, while Tad Ratliff worked his way out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth. Down East managed two runs in the ninth, but Ratliff still nailed down his 23rd save of the year. 
Wilmington continues its brief three-game trip to Down East on Saturday at 6 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:
Wilmington has operated as a quality over quantity offensive attack all season long. The CL North First Half champs won despite getting out-hit 13-7 on Friday. It marked the 32nd time in 2019 the Rocks have won despite managing fewer knocks than their vanquished foe.
The Blue Crew continue to get it done in close games this season. The Rocks lead the Carolina League with 52 games decided by a single score in 2019 and have played 71 affairs with a margin of victory of two-or-less. Wilmington is an impressive 50-21 in those close calls including 38-14 in one-run decisions
Four continues to be the magic number for the Blue Rocks in 2019. Wilmington improved to 44-7 when scoring four-or-more runs in a game this season. Conversely the Blue Crew are just 28-43 when playing three-or-fewer runs.