Rocks Win Another One-Run Game

Wilmington, DE - The Wilmington Blue Rocks let two early leads slip away and then nearly saw a third evaporate in the final inning on Tuesday, before finally holding on for a 7-6 victory over the Salem Red Sox at Frawley Stadium. The Rocks saw their three-run ninth-frame advantage trimmed to one before Josh Dye  got the final out and put the punctuation mark on the team's fourth straight win at home.

Tyler Hill had a big night against his former team with four successful plate appearances, including three hits, two RBI and a sacrifice fly. He helped Wilmington build a two-run lead in the first, a one-run advantage in the seventh and then a three-run cushion in the eighth.
Each time Salem authored a response. Keith Curcio's solo shot in the sixth tied the game and then Garrett Benge's solo blast pulled Salem even again in the eighth.
This time it was Wilmington who found an immediate answer. Cristian Perez opened the bottom of the eighth with a single and then Ricky Aracena reached on an error. Brewer Hicklen  grounded into a fielder's choice for the first out, but Hill's fly ball to center put the Blue Crew ahead. Dennicher Carrasco followed by providing some pivotal on a two-run single to right-center.
Salem attempted one last rally in the ninth. Three straight hits to open the inning made it a two-run game, before Kole Cottam's sacrifice fly shrunk Wilmington's advantage to a single score. One out later Benge drew a walk, which pushed the potential tying-run into scoring position and sent the Blue Crew deeper into their bullpen. Dye was called on and got the job done by whiffing Ryan Fitzgerald to nail down his fourth save of the season. 
The Rocks continue their seven-game homestand on Wednesday with a doubleheader against Salem. First pitch of game one at Frawley Stadium is slated for 4:35 p.m. and tickets are available online at BlueRocks.com. Fans can catch all of the action with the Voice of the Blue Rocks, Cory Nidoh, on 89.7 WGLS-FM. 
PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:
The Rocks lead the Carolina League with 55 games decided by a single score in 2019 and have played 74 affairs with a margin of victory of two-or-less. Wilmington is an impressive 51-23 in those close calls including 39-16 in one-run decisions.
The Royals added Delaware native Tyler Hill to the Wilmington roster on August 9 and he has made the most of the opportunity. Hill had three hits and two RBI on Tuesday against his former team and in his first 10 games as a Blue Rock is slashing a remarkable .429/.475/.600. Originally drafted by the Red Sox in the 19th round of the 2014 Hill was selected by the Tigers in the Minor League phase of the Rule 5 Draft. Detroit turned around and traded him to the Yankees for cash and then New York released him in June. Hill was born in Wilmington and graduated from the Delaware Military Academy.
Four continues to be the magic number for the Blue Rocks in 2019. Wilmington improved to 44-8 when scoring four-or-more runs in a game this season. Conversely the Blue Crew are just 28-44 when playing three-or-fewer runs.