UD/ DE HS and DE Ath News and Blue Rocks

[dawrestling]

Re: UD/Natl HS Baseball Reports


ATTENTION: SPORTSFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: THURSDAY JUNE 19, 2014
CONTACT: MATT JANUS 302-888-5393 OR SETH BERNSTEIN 302-888-2580

Shortstop Hits Grand Slam, Goes 3-For-4



Myrtle Beach, SC ? Hanser Alberto went 3-for-4 and launched a fifth-inning grand slam off of Wilmington starter Luis Santos, leading the Myrtle Beach Pelicans to an 8-2 victory over the Blue Rocks in the opening game of the second half. The loss dropped the Blue Crew to 33-36 on the season and 0-1 in the second half.



Entering the home half of the fifth inning at TicketReturn.Com Field, Santos was cruising along and the Blue Rocks led, 2-1. However things changed in a hurry when Jose Cardona singled to left-center with one out in the frame. Luis Mendez followed that up with a bunt single and Chris Garia with an infield single, loading the bases for Alberto. The right-handed hitting shortstop belted a grand slam on the first pitch to left-center field, putting the Pelicans up, 5-2. Santos escaped the inning without giving up more runs, but the damage was done.


Myrtle Beach extended its lead to 8-2 with two more runs in the seventh and one in the eighth. All three runs scored off of Daniel Stumpf, who yielded three runs on five hits over two innings of work. In the seventh inning, Garia and Alberto hit back-to-back singles with one out in the frame. Alberto's base hit moved the speedy Garia to third while Alberto ended up taking second on the throw. Both came in to score on Preston Beck's RBI single. In the eighth inning, Chris Grayson tripled with one out and came plateward when the next batter, Kevin Torres, singled him home.


The Blue Rocks went ahead, 1-0, in the top of the third inning on an RBI triple by Bubba Starling. Jack Lopez singled off of Pelicans starter Chad Bell with one out in the frame, before Starling drilled an opposite-field three-bagger to right, plating Lopez from first.


Wilmington extended its lead in the top of the fourth inning on an RBI grounder by Terrance Gore. Cam Gallagher led off the frame with a single and advanced to second on a perfectly placed sacrifice bunt by Daniel Rockett. Kenny Diekroeger then singled, advancing Gallagher to third, putting runners at the corners for Gore. Gore grounded into a force out at second, but it was enough to score Gallagher and hand Wilmington a 2-0 lead.


The Pelicans answered right back with a tally of their own in the bottom of the fourth to draw within 2-1. Alberto doubled to left-center and then advanced to third on a flyout by beck. David Lyon plated Alberto with an RBI infield single.



Bell (1-0, 3.18) picked up his first Advanced-A win of the season for the Pelicans while Santos (0-1, 6.23) suffered his first Advanced-A defeat of the campaign for the Blue Rocks. Bell tossed 5.2 sterling frames and yielded two runs on eight hits. Santos threw six innings and gave up five runs on seven hits while striking out three and walking just one.



Wilmington returns to action Friday night at TicketReturn.Com Field for the second of three games against Myrtle Beach. The Blue Rocks will send southpaw Sean Manaea (2-5, 4.84) to the mound, while the Pelicans will counter with righty Sam Wolff (6-3, 2.77). First pitch is slated for 7:05 p.m. and fans can listen to the broadcast on 89.7 WGLS-FM. The Blue Rocks return home on Wednesday, June 25, to open up a three-game homestand against the Lynchburg Hillcats. For tickets, call 302-888-BLUE or visit BlueRocks.com.



PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:


Bubba Starling kicked off the second half in style, going 2-for-4 with a triple and an RBI. The outfielder endured a rough close to the opening half of his season and entered the All-Star break mired in an 8-for-57 slump. The outfielder has had moments of brilliance this season, though. His defense in center field has proved to be the best in the Carolina League this season. He also strung together a 15-game hitting streak between May 12 and May 26. The highlight of Starling's first half may have been the grand slam he hit off of Washington Nationals star Gio Gonzalez on June 6. Gonzalez was on a rehab assignment with the Potomac Nationals at the time. Overall this season, Starling is batting .190 with 13 doubles, three triples, three homers and 31 RBIs in 66 games.


Hanser Alberto's fifth-inning grand slam off of Luis Santos was the first allowed by the Blue Rocks this season. Wilmington had not allowed a grand slam since June 24, 2013, when Lynchburg's Robby Hefflinger took Cory Hall deep. Hall pitched in 19 games a year ago for the Blue Rocks and went 1-2 with a 5.88 ERA. The Blue Crew has also hit two grand slams this season. One was by Hunter Dozier on May 6 in the ninth inning at Salem, which led the Blue Rocks to a 6-3 come-from-behind win. Bubba Starling's grand slam at Potomac was the other one. Wilmington ultimately lost that game, 11-10.


Left-handed reliever Daniel Stumpf has had a rough month of June. He is 1-0 with an 11.05 ERA in four appearances this month, while allowing nine runs on nine hits over 7.1 innings pitched. He began the year in the starting rotation and went 1-7 with a 4.19 ERA as a starter. Stumpf was moved to the bullpen in May and it seemed like the southpaw had turned things around. Stumpf posted a 1-3 record and 2.92 ERA in six May outings (four starts). At one point in late May and early June, Stumpf had a stretch of six consecutive scoreless frames as a reliever. On the season, Stumpf is 2-7 with a 5.06 ERA in 14 games (eight starts). He has given up 29 runs (27 earned) on 64 hits while striking out 51 and walking 12 in 48 innings pitched.


Thursday night's loss to Myrtle Beach dropped the Blue Crew's record against the Pelicans to 2-9 on the season. Wilmington has been outmatched both at home and on the road this season against Myrtle Beach. The Rocks are 2-4 at Frawley Stadium against the Pelicans and they are now 0-5 at TicketReturn.Com Field. Wilmington's numbers against Myrtle Beach this year are not pretty. As a team, the Rocks are batting just .193 with 35 runs scored and a single home run in 11 games against the Pelicans. The pitching staff has posted a 5.70 ERA against the Pelicans, who are collectively batting .278 against Blue Rocks hurlers. Myrtle Beach has also slugged seven home runs against the Blue Crew, far and away the most allowed to any team by Wilmington. No other team in the league has hit more than four dingers off of the Rocks' pitching staff. Pelican pitchers have a 2.31 ERA in the head-to-head series, but they have walked 53 Rocks in 93.2 innings.


THEY SAID IT:


Manager Darryl Kennedy:


"[Luis] Santos didn't throw that bad. He just made a couple of bad pitches. The 0-and-2 hit that led to the first run, he just hung a breaking ball there and the guy put a good swing on it and got a double out of it. Then the grand slam on a pitch that wasn't a bad location, just probably not the right pitch to throw in that situation. [It was] a changeup and the guy golfed it out in this small ballpark. Definitely not a [good] way to start the second half but it's still early. I thought we swung the bats okay tonight [after] taking the three days off for the All-Star Break. Unfortunately, they swung better."


"[We're] definitely going to miss [Hunter Dozier] on the offensive side but defensively, it kind of went unnoticed, he did a really, really, good job over there at third base. I think his defense will be missed more than his offense, simply from a pitching standpoint and all of the plays he made right there. Offensively, we're going to have to do a lot of manufacturing, no doubt about it, to get guys in scoring position and be able to capitalize when they get to third base with less than two outs. We just have to do what we can. He was deserving of going up to Double-A, no doubt about it. It was the right move. We're just going to have to pick it up. Somebody is going to have to pick it up."


"I thought [Bubba Starling] swung the bat well the first two times. He got a nice infield hit his first AB and [then] put a really good swing on it for the triple and an RBI in his second at-bat. It was good to see. We need him to get hot, no doubt about it. We've got to have him in the lineup to get going. Hopefully everybody else will follow suit."


"He knows what he's got to do. If anybody is hard on himself, it's him. Sometimes he beats his head up against the wall a little too much. It's important for him to get going offensively and it's one of those things you really don't want to talk too much about with him because he is so hard on himself. He's figuring some things out on his own, which is what you like to see."


"If anybody has learned more this year, I think Kenny [Diekroeger] has. He's really taken a step back and started viewing the game a little differently, I think. It's showed. He's starting to put good swings on the ball on a nightly basis. I'm hoping it continues and he becomes a regular guy in that lineup."

 

[dawrestling]

Re: UD/Natl HS Baseball Reports


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: FRIDAY JUNE 20, 2014


CONTACT: MATT JANUS 302-888-5393 OR SETH BERNSTEIN 302-888-2580Pair Of Pelican Homers Lead Myrtle Beach Past Wilmington[/URL]
Blue Rocks Offense Goes 1-For-11 With Runners In Scoring Position



Myrtle Beach, SC ? A pair of Myrtle Beach home runs and another quiet offensive night for Wilmington cost the Blue Rocks as the Pelicans handed them a 4-2 defeat Friday night, the team's second straight loss to open up the season's second half. With the defeat, Wilmington fell to a season-low four games below the .500 mark at 33-37.



Nick Vickerson hit a two-run homer off of Blue Crew starter Sean Manaea in the second inning to kick off the night's scoring. Jorge Alfaro singled to lead off the frame and advanced to second on a passed ball by Cam Gallagher. Vickerson then ripped one out of the park to left, putting the Pelicans up, 2-0.
The Rocks would claw their way back into the game, however, with a run in the top of the sixth inning. Bubba Starling singled up the middle off of reliever Justin Sprenger to lead off the inning. After Cody Stubbs and Zane Evans struck out, Cam Gallagher singled to left, plating Starling to pull Wilmington within 2-1.


Myrtle Beach responded quickly in the bottom of the sixth, however, re-extending its lead to 3-1. Chris Garia drew a free pass off of Manaea to lead off the inning and then stole second base. He advanced to third on a bunt single by Hanser Alberto, putting runners at the corners with nobody out. Manager Darryl Kennedy then lifted Manaea for righty Yender Caramo, who allowed a sacrifice fly to Preston Beck, but settled in after that to limit the damage.


In the top of the eighth inning, Wilmington once again pulled to within one. Starling greeted reliever Abel De Los Santos by doubling to center to start the frame. Stubbs then grounded out, bringing up Zane Evans. Evans reached on a throwing error by third-baseman Luis Mendez, allowing Starling to score.


Alberto answered right back for the Pelicans in the bottom of the eighth by crushing a homer to left off of reliever Zeb Sneed, bringing the score to 4-2 Myrtle Beach.


Starter Sam Wolff (7-3, 2.60) picked up the victory for the Pelicans by throwing five shutout innings and yielding just four hits. Manaea (2-6, 4.89) suffered the defeat for the Blue Rocks and tossed five innings while giving up three runs on four hits. The southpaw also punched out six. Alex Claudio earned his third save of the year with a scoreless ninth.



Wilmington will try to avoid the sweep against Myrtle Beach on Saturday night at TicketReturn.Com Field. The Blue Rocks will send righty Glenn Sparkman (3-1, 1.33) to the mound, while the Pelicans will counter with southpaw Andrew Faulkner (4-1, 2.20). First pitch is slated for 7:05 p.m. and fans can listen to the broadcast on 89.7 WGLS-FM. The Blue Rocks return home on Wednesday, June 25, to open up a three-game homestand against the Lynchburg Hillcats. For tickets, call 302-888-BLUE or visit BlueRocks.com.



PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:


Bubba Starling has kicked off the second half in style. He went 2-for-4 with a triple and an RBI on Thursday and 3-for 5 with a double and two runs on Friday and. The outfielder endured a rough close to the opening half of his season and entered the All-Star break mired in an 8-for-57 slump. Starling has had moments of brilliance this season, though. His defense in center field has proved to be the best in the Carolina League. He also strung together a 15-game hitting streak between May 12 and May 26. The highlight of Starling's first half may have been the grand slam he hit off of Washington Nationals star Gio Gonzalez on June 6. Gonzalez was on a rehab assignment with the Potomac Nationals at the time. Overall this season, Starling is batting .198 with 14 doubles, three triples, three homers and 31 RBIs in 67 games.


Cam Gallagher stole his first base this season and the second of his career on Friday night. The theft came on a hit-and-run attempt with Jack Lopez at the plate. The pitch was in the dirt and Lopez could not make contact, but Gallagher beat the throw. It was Gallagher's first steal since August 6, 2012, when the catcher was with the Burlington Royals in the Appalachian League. Gallagher has enjoyed a strong start to the second half; he went 1-for-3 Friday night with a walk and 1-for-2 Thursday night with two bases on balls and a run.


Wilmington has had a lot of missed opportunities with runners on base in the first two games of the second half. The Blue Rocks offense has stranded a combined 17 runners on base the last two nights, including nine in scoring position. Blue Crew batters were 3-for-10 with runners in scoring position on Thursday night and 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position on Friday night. Overall this season, the Rocks are batting .224 (142-for-635) with men on second or third base.


Friday night's loss to Myrtle Beach dropped the Blue Crew's record against the Pelicans to 2-10 on the season. Wilmington has been outmatched both at home and on the road this season against Myrtle Beach. The Rocks are 2-4 at Frawley Stadium against the Pelicans and they are now 0-6 at TicketReturn.Com Field. Wilmington's numbers against Myrtle Beach this year are not pretty. As a team, the Rocks are batting just .197 with 37 runs scored and a single home run in 12 games against the Pelicans. The pitching staff has posted a 5.60 ERA against the Pelicans, who are collectively batting .271 against Blue Rocks hurlers. Myrtle Beach has also slugged nine home runs against the Blue Crew, far and away the most allowed to any team by Wilmington. No other team in the league has hit more than four dingers off of the Rocks' pitching staff. Pelican pitchers have a 2.10 ERA in the head-to-head series, but they have walked 55 Rocks in 102.2 innings.


THEY SAID IT:


Manager Darryl Kennedy:


"They were pitching a good ballgame. We were clawing in there. They made a couple of big plays that kept us off the board early. We get the one run to cut it down to 2-1 and have a chance and then that one run in the bottom of that sixth inning kind of took the wind out of our sails. The guys battled back and kept fighting. We cut it to 3-2 there and then we get a chance in the ninth inning. Kenny Diekroeger [came up] with another big hit there to lead off the ninth inning and gave us a shot. We had the tying run at the plate in Bubba [Starling], who is swinging the bat well. Everything was in our favor but we just couldn't get it done."


"It has nothing to do with the ballpark, really. It's a tough ballpark ? and they play well here, they know the dimensions of the field and take advantage of it. They're a very good team. No doubt about it. Even with [Joey] Gallo gone, they seem to find a way to replace him and get by. Probably not as powerful as they were in the first half, but they still have guys who scrap. They're a tough ballclub to beat. They run the bases hard. They create a lot of movement. They have very good pitching; they're leading the league in pitching."


"[Cam Gallagher] is starting to swing the bat much better. He's getting some hits and some timely hits, as well. He was deserving of [making] the All-Star Game and it seems like that last at-bat, that one at-bat [he got a hit] in the All-Star Game hopefully kick-started him in the right direction. He's played two pretty good ballgames behind the plate [to start the second half]."


"I thought [Sean Manaea] pitched real well. He had a little fire underneath him. The key was when his command was off, he was able to rebound and get back in the zone. He got deeper in the game. He did run out of gas there in the sixth inning but it was a good outing. 3-and-2 fastball, and the guy got ahold of it. That was his only mistake."


"[Yender Caramo] has quietly thrown the ball real well for us. He came in [the game in] a tough situation. Would you like him to get out of it? Yeah, but I thought he did a great job by just limiting the damage to one run. He gave up the sac fly and then looked great on the next two hitters to get out of the inning and then pitched a solid seventh inning. He did a good job."


"You don't want to get swept, no matter where you are in the season or where you are in the standings. I think we'll be fine. I like how the guys are playing hard. Bubba [Starling] going first to third on the ball down the left-field line, that's what it's all about. We'll get things going. Some good things are starting to come our way and we've just got to ride the storm and be ready to take advantage when it pops up."

 

[dawrestling]

Re: UD/Natl HS Baseball Reports

Results:
[/B]
Games 6/21
DE Post 1 - 4, Delvets Post 1 - 0:
[/B]Delaware Post 1 defeated DelVets Post 1 4-0 to win the 2nd Annual Veterans Cup held at Frawley Statdium in honor of all Veterans.

Zach Cooney threw a 2 hitter while striking out 7 to earn the win. Zach also went 2-4 at the plate. After Delaware Post 1 scored 4 early runs by McCraken, Fagan, Dunning & Coyle, Sean Deely settled down for DelVets striking out 7 and not allowing another run to score however DelVets could only get hits by Linkhurt in the 6th and C. Deely in the 7th as Cooney hit his spots.

[/B]Stahl and Fox split their DH
Game 1: Fox Post 2 - 5, Stahl Post 30 - 1
Game 2: Stahl Post 30 - 3, Fox Post 2 - 2
Games 6/19
DE Post 1 at Durney Post 27 and Delvets Post 1 at Post 10 Generals postponed due to wet grounds

Stahl Post 30 -7, R.C. DuPont Post 18 - 2
[/B]Lonnie Funderbuck had 3 rbi's for Stahl. Tyler Williams, David Summerfield and Logan Gilbert each scored two runs for Stahl. Peralta and Russell each had an RBI for R.C. Dupont.

Post 6 Patriots - 11, Milford Post 3 - 2
[/B]Post 6's Trent Hearn batted 3 for 3, scored 3 times and drove in a run while Pitcher Justin Hill fanned 12 and allowed only 2 runs on 3 hits as the Patriots (2-4) beat Milford Post 3 (1-6) 11-2 at Seaford Thursday. The Patriots scored in all 6 innings that they batted, stealing bases (10) and scoring on everything from traditional RBI's to wild pitches.

Milford tried to mount a comeback in the 7th against reliever Ryan Swingle, scoring one run and and winding up with runners on 1st and 2nd, but Cody Wilkerson, playing at 2nd, turned a 4-3 double play to end the game.

Earlier, Wilkerson came off the bench to double with 2 outs in the 5th, and later scored on a wild pitch. Cole Collins also doubled in the game - picking up an RBI. Milford's Curtis Reed took the loss, but singled in Justin Hignutt for the games first score.

Post 25 Middletown - 4, Fox Post 2 - 0

Tommy Spagnola threw a shutout to lift Post 25 Baseball to a 4-0 win over Fox Post two at MHS in seven innings.
Post 25 Baseball's Tommy Spagnola kept Fox Post two off the scoreboard for all seven innings he was on the rubber. He pitched a shutout, allowing no runs on two hits while striking out nine.
Nick Spadafino was the game's losing pitcher. He walked four, struck out six, and allowed four runs.
Post 25 Baseball stayed on top until the final out after taking the lead in the fourth, scoring three runs on an RBI double by Dominic DiSabitino and a sacrifice fly by Ryan Zwier.Games 6/18[/B]
R.C. DuPont Post 18 - 9, Post 3 Milford -7:
[/B]RC Dupont rallied to beat Milford 9-7 Wednesday evening with a 4-run 6th inning to erase a 3 run deficit. RC Dupont got the offense rolling early with a lead off single and a double by Vernon in the top of the first. Both scored on back to back sacrifice flies by Vogue and Roseman.

Milford answered in the bottom of the first with two of their own as Curtis Reed and Shawn Snowden each had RBI doubles. In the top of the second RC Dupont scored two runs after back to back singles by Burns and Hillsgrove followed by an RBI ground out, and another Sacrifice fly.

Milford answered in the bottom of the second loading the bases with no outs on 2 singles and a walk, scoring 3 runs on an RBI single by Jan Parson, a sacrifice fly, and a wild pitch. Milford's Justin Hignutt settled in on the mound and held RC scoreless until being lifted in the sixth due to injury. Meanwhile, Milford tacked on a run in the 3rd and 4th to take a 7-4 lead. RC's Owen Wilhelm came on in relief and shut Milford down for the rest of the game and earned the win.

[/B]RC Dupont's rally started in the sixth on back to back walks. Hignutt was relieved by Taylor Reynolds who yielded a single to Burns to load the bases, but a throwing error allowed a runner to score. Horstmeyer then delivered a 2 RBI double to tie the score, and later scored the go ahead run on an RBI single by Russell. Dupont tacked on an insurance run in the 7th.

DE Post 1 - 9, Delvets Post 1 - 5:

Stahl Post 30 - 29, Post 10 Generals - 0
[/B]. Stahl had a great night at the plate including 4 home runs for the evening: a 3 run homer from Lonnie Funderbuck in the 1st and a solo home run in the 5th which came on the heals of solo homers by David Summerfield and Logan Gilbert.

[/B]Games 6/17
Delvets - 6, R.C. DuPont Post 18 - 2
[/B]Mike Schell picked up the win pitching 5 strong innings only giving up 1 run. Evan Mosier picked up the save pitching the final 2 innings. Joey Voge picked up the loss going 4 innings and Owen Wilhelm pitched 2 scoreless innings of relief for RC.

Offensively Delvets was led by Shayne Linkhorst 2 hits and 2 runs, Sean Deely 2 hits including a double, a run scored and an RBI, Timmy Parks 2 hits including a double, 2 RBI's, run scored and a stolen base, and John Ratkevic 2 hits and an RBI. RC DuPont was led by Joey Voge who homered and Hillsgrove and Doran picked up the other 2 hits.

DE Post 1 - 5, Post 10 Generals - 4
[/B]Jacob Paraskiewicz was the winning pitcher as Post 1 won in walk off fashion when Jeremy Ryan scored from third on a line drive single by Patrick Fagan. Ryan scored three runs to pace Delaware Post 1. Cipolla went 2 for 4 with a double and a triple for Post 10.

[/B]Fox Post 2 - 7, Post 3 Milford - 1
Fox Post beat Post Three 7 to 1. Five pitcher combine to lead Fox Post to victory with 14K's. Jacob Williams and Sean Pool both pitched 2 inning and had 5K's each. Brian Spangler 3 hits and Lee Killen 3 rbi's for Fox Post and Post 3 lead off hitter Kimmel had two hits.

Stahl Post 10 beat Durney in a 10 run rule game. [/B]Alex Marrs threw a 1 hit shutout with 6 k's in a game called after 5 innings. Funderburk and Summerfield doubled, Logan Gilbert tripled in the game.

Middletown Post 25 - 9, Post 6 Patriots - 4[/B]
The Patriots gave up 4 runs (3 unearned) in the first and Ryan Zweir added a 2 run home run in the 4th to lead Middletown Post 25 to a 9-4 win at home Tuesday.

The Patriots Tony Guinta answered with a 2 run homer of his own in the 5th, but Middletown answered with 3 more runs in the bottom of the inning, on a pair of doubles (Garret Maniatas and Rob Pitroli) and Dan Taylor's 2 RBI single to make the score 9-3. Kole Hearn drove in Eric Warton to add a Patriot run in the 7th, but the scoring ended 9-4.

Pitroli paced Middletown with 3 RBIs on 2 for 3 batting. Guinta batted 4 for 4 for the Patriots with the homer, a double and 2 singles. Trent Hearn took the loss for the Patriots.

Games 6/16
[/B]Delvets Post 1 - 3, Fox Post 2 - 0
Matt Smith and Conner Chasanov both pitched great games. Smith pitched a complete game shutout for the win. Jon Harris, Max Carney and Chris Scorziello sparked the Delvets offense.

Post 25 Middletown - 9, R.C. DuPont Post 18 - 5
Middletown's Offense took the lead in the first inning with Connor Stevens lead off double and being driven in by Ryan Zwier's RBI single. RC Dupont responded in the bottom of the first inning with a lead off double by Gilbert Peralta who scored on Joey Voge's single.

Two more scored in the top of the first inning which was highlighted by an RBI triple by Mike Forwood. Middletown Post 25 plated 4 runs in the 4th inning to take a 6-3 lead with the big hit coming from Matt Hooks' two RBI single.

RC Dupont battled back in the 6th inning scoring one before ending the inning leaving the bases loaded. Post 25 scored 3 additional runs on 3 hits in the top of the 7th inning.

Brett Hillsgrove pitched 6 plus innings striking out 6 taking the loss for Post 18, Rob Pitroli threw 5 plus innings striking out 8 for the win. Garrett Maniatis and Dominic Disabatino pitched a combined inning and two thirds of shut out baseball to end the game.

Games 6/15
Stahl Post 30 - 10, Milford Post 3 - 0 (5)
[/B]Tyler Newton had 6k's in a game shortened due to 10 run rule. Lonnie Funderbuck had 4 rbi's with David Summerfield picking up 2 rbi's and Tyler Williams with an rbi triple

Stahl Post 30 - 4, Delvets Post 1 - 1
[/B]Brandon Walter had 12 k's and scattered 4 hits over six innings of pitching. Lonnie Funderbuck scored 2 runs.

Middletown Post 25 - 9, Post 10 Generals - 0[/B]
Middletown brought a strong defensive and offensive game to the field Sunday afternoon defeating the Post 10 Generals 9 - 0. Rybicki, Bell, Horn, and Disabitino recorded hits for Middletown with M. Taylor going 4-4 with a 3 run homer in the 4th. For the Generals, B. Marien was 2-3 with teammates Coleman, Cipolla, Rowe, and D. Rivera recording hits.

Anthony Modica recorded 7 strikeouts for Middletown and records the shut out victory after coming to the mound early in the 1st inning when Middletown's G. Maniatis left the game after being hit by a line drive. Post 10's Eric Rowe records the loss for the day.

[/I]

This post was edited on 7/3 1:23 AM by dawrestling

 

[dawrestling]

Re: UD/Natl HS Baseball Reports


ATTENTION: SPORTS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MONDAY JUNE 23, 2014


CONTACT: MATT JANUS 302-888-5393 OR SETH BERNSTEIN 302-888-2580Blue Rocks Flex Muscle In 9-3 Rout Of Keys
Wilmington Combines For Seven Extra-Base Hits


Frederick, MD ? Christian Binford threw 6.2 solid innings while Bubba Starling racked up two more hits including a homer as the Wilmington Blue Rocks broke out the big lumber in a 9-3 rout of the Frederick Keys on Monday night. The victory was Wilmington's third straight and improved the team to 3-2 in the second half and 36-37 overall


Starling, the reigning Carolina League Player of the Week, wasted no time in giving the Blue Crew an early 1-0 lead. The red-hot center fielder stepped to the plate with one out in the first inning and drilled a solo homer to center on 2-and-0 pitch, his fifth of the season. The early Blue Crew scoring did not stop there. Zane Evans drew a two-out walk and Cody Stubbs followed with an RBI triple to make it 2-0 Wilmington.


The Blue Rocks extended their lead to 4-0 with single tallies in both the second and the third. Daniel Rockett doubled with one out in the second and advanced to third on an infield single by Terrance Gore. Gore then stole second and catcher Zane Chavez threw the ball away, allowing Rockett to score. Jared Schlehuber worked a leadoff walk in the third inning, moved to second on a groundout by Stubbs and scored on an RBI single from Cam Gallagher.


Frederick scored its first run of the night in the fifth inning to pull within 4-1. Zane Chavez singled to lead off the inning and came around to score on an RBI double by Adrian Marin.


Wilmington pulled ahead to a 7-1 lead in the top of the seventh with three more runs. Starling hit a leadoff single and then stole second. He scored on an RBI double by Evans. Later in the frame, Gallagher drew a base on balls. Jack Lopez plated both Evans and Gallagher with an RBI double to right-center.


Binford ran out of gas in the seventh inning and gave up two Frederick runs to make the score 7-3. Trey Mancini doubled to lead off the inning. Chavez then grounded out, moving him to third. Marin lifted a sacrifice fly to right, plating Mancini just ahead of Daniel Rockett's strong throw from the outfield. After Jason Esposito took Binford deep, the righty was removed for Zeb Sneed, who pitched 2.1 scoreless innings of relief.


Gallagher punctuated Wilmington's big offensive night with a two-run homer in the ninth, his first of the season, to make it 9-3 Wilmington.


Binford (5-3, 2.35) picked up his fifth win of the season for the Blue Rocks by pitching 6.2 fantastic frames. He allowed three runs on eight hits, struck out six and did not walk a batter. Branden Kline (3-3, 3.59) suffered his third loss of the year for the Keys and yielded four runs on six hits over 4.1 innings of work.


Wilmington returns to action Tuesday night at Harry Grove Stadium in Frederick. The Blue Rocks will send righty Miguel Almonte (4-3, 4.48) to the mound while the Keys will counter with fellow right-hander Joe Van Meter (3-1, 4.54). First pitch is slated for 7:00 p.m. and fans can listen to the broadcast on 89.7 WGLS-FM. The Blue Rocks return home on Wednesday to open up a three-game homestand against the Lynchburg Hillcats. For tickets, call 302-888-BLUE or visit BlueRocks.com.



PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:


Bubba Starling continued his scorching-hot start to the second half with two more hits Monday night against the Keys. He finished the evening 2-for-4 with a pair of runs, a home run and a walk. It was the third time in his career that Starling had homered on back-to-back nights. He has accomplished the feat once in each of his three seasons as a pro. The talented center first homered in two consecutive games on August 2 and August 4, 2012, while he played for Rookie-Level Burlington. He did it again on April 28 and April 29 of last season for Low-A Lexington. Starling's dinger on Tuesday night came in the 10th inning and helped the Blue Crew to a 2-1 extra-inning win. In five games since the All-Star Break, Starling is batting .478 (11-for-23) with two home runs, a triple, two doubles, seven runs and five RBIs. All five of those contests have been multi-hit ones. Overall this season, Starling is batting .210 with 15 doubles, three triples, five homers, 41 runs and 35 RBIs in 70 games. His five dingers are the most by a Blue Rock this season.


Christian Binford turned in another quality start Monday in front of friends and family in Frederick. The Hagerstown, Maryland, resident pitched 6.2 innings and allowed three runs on eight hits while striking out six. Binford leads the Carolina League with 85 punchouts this season and he threw 68 of his 88 pitches Monday for strikes. Monday's outing was also Binford's seventh quality start of the season and his eighth without yielding a walk. The 6-foot-6 righty has issued only 11 free passes this season across 76.2 innings pitched and 13 starts. In his three-year professional career, Binford has allowed just 40 free passes across 251.2 innings and 43 starts.


With Monday night's victory in Frederick, the Blue Crew equaled its second-longest winning streak of the season. It was the fourth time in 2014 that Wilmington has won at least three in a row. The Blue Rocks will look to match their longest winning streak of the year on Tuesday, a four-gamer between May 18 and May 21. That stretch included a 5-4 win over Lynchburg in the series finale of a four-game series in Virginia and the first three contests of a four-game set against Carolina at Frawley Stadium. The Rocks won the first game of the Carolina series, 8-4, and then swept a doubleheader to wrap up the streak. Wilmington won the first game in the twin-bill, 9-4, and then walked off, 3-2, in extras on an RBI single by Kenny Diekroeger in the nightcap.


THEY SAID IT:


Manager Darryl Kennedy:


"I thought for most of the night [Christian Binford] located really well down in the zone. It was probably one of his better outings of being down in the zone with the first-pitch strikes. I think he was a little more relaxed out there and not as geared up with the local crowd tonight. He pitched a very good ballgame. He kind of lost his composure there after that play at the plate and I had to get him out of there. Overall, I thought he threw a very good ballgame."


"Bubba [Starling] is swinging the bat well. The good thing is Zane [Evans] is getting back in there and starting to swing the bat well also. I say it every night, we need those two guys to contribute in our offense and the last few nights they have."


"It's not just Zane. I see a different lineup completely going up there and not being so aggressive. They're aggressive when they need to but they're starting to zone in a little better and look for the pitches they want to hit. I think a lot of that is coming from settling into the league and [trying to do too much] in the first half. Now that we've started the second half, it seems like they've kind of matured their way into the league and they're starting to believe that they belong here."


"The oldest saying in baseball is 'hitting is contagious.' That's exactly what's going on right now. Everybody is starting to swing the bat and it's trickling down to each and every guy. I think the home runs are very indicative of our approach by being able to wait out and lay off those pitches outside of the zone and lay off those pitches off the plate and getting those pitches that we can drive out of the ballpark. That's what it's all about; laying off the tough pitches, laying off the pitchers' pitches and looking for the one you can handle. When you do that consistently, your power numbers are going to go up, your on-base percentage is going to go up, you're going to take the walk and the next guy is going to be able to drive him in. That's what's happened."


Christian Binford:


"I was able to slow everything down and just keep the ball down. I think the last game [in Frederick] I got too quick and tried to overpower guys. That's just not my game. I was able to keep the ball down and get real quick outs early in the game."
"Compared to last game [in Frederick], that's exactly what it was, just keeping the ball down. The last game, I had the ball up, they put good swings on it and they were able to drive it. Today, the ball was down and when they drove it, it went straight up most of the time. Then, later in the game, things started to flatten out a little bit. Close call there at home plate; it was the right call but it was close. Heck of a throw by Rockett. It's just little things like that in a game. The defense made amazing plays all night. It was just a good game."


"It's absolutely awesome [to see the team score so much]. This has been so much fun. I think a lot of guys, they've been waiting for it. They knew it was coming eventually. It was just a matter of time. Now, we're seeing what these guys can actually do. When you pair it with the defense for all of us pitchers, you have the confidence going into a start before you even throw the first pitch. It's fun watching these guys hit. It's a lot more fun in the clubhouse and in the dugout and guys are in better moods. I think now that we're on a little streak, you don't mess with a streak. Nobody wants to end it as a pitcher. I don't think the hitters are stopping any time soon."


"I think it was said by somebody at the beginning of the season that we're a second-half team. As much as we didn't want to believe it in the first half, for this year it may be true. We had a mediocre first half, right around .500. The pitching did well and we had a lot of great games in there for hitting as well, just not the whole season. Now, you're seeing great pitching from everybody, the bullpen included, and we're going to win those high-scoring games now. I think there are a lot more wins to come."

 

[dawrestling]

Re: UD/Natl HS Baseball Reports

ATTENTION: SPORTS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: TUESDAY JUNE 24, 2014


CONTACT: MATT JANUS 302-888-5393 OR SETH BERNSTEIN 302-888-2580Blue Rocks Leave Yard Four Times In 5-1 Victory Over Keys
Team Extends Winning Streak to Four, Completes First Sweep Of Season


Frederick, MD ? The Wilmington Blue Rocks hit a season-high four home runs and received solid pitching from starter Miguel Almonte and the bullpen Tuesday to secure a 5-1 victory over the Frederick Keys. The win helped the Blue Rocks complete their first sweep of the year and extended the team's winning streak to a season-high tying four games. Wilmington is now 37-37 overall and 4-2 in the second half.


Cody Stubbs provided two early tallies for the Blue Crew by hitting a pair of solo home runs to put the Rocks up 2-0. Stubbs' first long ball came with one out in the second and then he unloaded again with one gone in the fourth. Both were hit off of Frederick starter Joe Van Meter. The left-handed hitting first baseman now has six homers on the season to pace the Blue Rocks.


Wilmington's home run barrage continued in the fifth inning with a solo shot from Kenny Diekroeger, which gave the Rocks a 3-0 lead. Diekroeger had not gone deep since August 2, 2013, while he was playing for the Low-A Lexington Legends. The home run also extended his hitting streak to a season-best five games.


In the sixth inning, Michael Antonio hit his third home run of the season to extend the Blue Crew's lead to 5-0. Antonio's dinger came with Cam Gallagher standing at first base and nobody out in the frame. Gallagher had led off the inning with a single.


Almonte was fantastic for the Blue Rocks and threw five shutout innings in his first start of the second half. The flame-throwing righty punched out five and yielded just three hits and one walk.


Frederick scored its lone run in the bottom of the sixth inning off of reliever Aroni Nina on an RBI groundout by Trey Mancini, which plated Glynn Davis. The speedy outfielder had reached on an error by Stubbs, the first baseman, so the run was unearned.


Nina threw three solid innings in relief of Almonte and let up just the one unearned run on two hits and one walk. Kyle Bartsch tossed a perfect ninth to finish off the ballgame.


Almonte (5-3, 4.16) was the winning pitcher for the Blue Rocks while Van Meter (3-2, 4.91) took the loss for the Keys. Van Meter hurled six frames and gave up five runs on six hits. He walked two, struck out one, and allowed all four Blue Rock homers.


Wilmington returns to action Wednesday night at Frawley Stadium as they open up a brief three-game homestand against the Lynchburg Hillcats. The Blue Rocks will send right-hander Luis Santos (0-2, 6.23) to the mound while the Hillcats will counter with fellow righty Zach Jadofsky (3-2, 4.12). First pitch is slated for 7:05 p.m. and fans can listen to the broadcast on 89.7 WGLS-FM. For tickets, call 302-888-BLUE or visit BlueRocks.com.



PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:


The Rocks completed their first series sweep of the season Tuesday night and extended their winning streak to a season-high tying four games. Wilmington pitching held the Keys to just five runs (four earned) during this three-game set. The Rocks were especially stingy in the biggest spots. The Keys went 0-for-15 with runners in scoring position during these three games. Offensively, the team showed more power than at any point this season. They went deep a combined seven times in the series. Cody Stubbs and Bubba Starling each hit two homers during the series, while Michael Antonio, Kenny Diekroeger and Cam Gallagher hit one apiece.


Slugging first-baseman Cody Stubbs delivered Wilmington's first two-homer game this season. It was also the first time Stubbs had accomplished the feat in his professional career. The last time a member of the Blue Crew hit two dingers in one game was August 31, 2013, when Dennis Raben left the yard twice at Frawley Stadium against the Winston-Salem Dash. Raben had a pair of two-homer games in 2013. He also hit two out on July 8 at Frawley Stadium against the Frederick Keys.


The Blue Rocks hit a season-high four homers as a team Tuesday night. The previous season high was three, which they set June 8 at Pfitzner Stadium against the Potomac Nationals. The Rocks have also hit home runs in four consecutive games for the first time this season. Prior to this stretch, Wilmington had left the yard in back-to-back games just once in 2014. Michael Antonio hit his first home run as a Blue Rock on May 11 against the Lynchburg Hillcats while Jack Lopez launched a walk-off homer on May 12 against the Salem Red Sox. Both games were at Frawley Stadium, where Wilmington has hit a mere eight of its 28 total home runs in 2014.


Wilmington Blue Rocks pitcher Christian Binford was named to the U.S. roster for the 15th annual All-Star Futures Game, which will kick off the MLB All-Star festivities in Minnesota on Sunday, July 14. Binford is the lone representative from the Blue Rocks and the Kansas City Royals system, and will take his place among the game's most prominent prospects in the showcase event of the season for Minor League Baseball. Binford has put together a dominant season with Wilmington. The 21-year-old is 5-3 with a 2.35 ERA in 13 Advanced-A starts this year. He ranks top-five in the Carolina League in ERA, WHIP (1.02), batting average against (.231), strikeouts per nine innings pitched (9.98) and fewest baserunners per nine innings pitched (9.39). He was named a C.L. All-Star earlier in the month and has thrice been named the eight-team league's Pitcher of the Week.


THEY SAID IT


Manager Darryl Kennedy:


"We ran into some balls, we got them over the fence, but by no means are we anywhere close to the '27 Yankees and a home run hitting ballclub. We had a good stretch at it and guys swung the bats well again tonight."


"[Cody Stubbs] has got tremendous power going the other way. When he gets himself in trouble he tries to pull too much. It was good to see him stay within himself, drive the ball the other way and get them out of the park."


"We have got so many guys…that weren't in there the last two nights that come in there. [Kenny] Diekroeger gets a big home run and Michael [Antonio] stayed on a good curveball and was able to get it out of the park. It's nice to be able to juggle the lineup a little bit and still have production. That's a good sign for what's to come."


"I thought tonight was one of [Miguel Almonte's] better outings. He had good command of the fastball; he was able to locate it down in the zone. He really pitched tonight. I thought that was one of his better performances. We limited him with pitches and I don't know if that was the reason he went out there and kind of went after them or what. Very pitch efficient tonight and was able to get a win."


"I thought we did a very good job of pitching with runners in scoring position. Guys really [bore] down and made the pitches when they had to. I like to give our guys credit. I thought we pitched really well this series."


First-Baseman Cody Stubbs:


"It's been certainly exciting and hitting the long ball is fun. It's baseball. It's the second half and I guess we're starting to hit a groove, get [our] timing going and [show] a little bit of power.


"I'm starting to make the adjustment and just having a better approach and having a game plan when I go up there. Knowing my strengths and what's the right plan for me is really paying off and helping."


"[The opposite field is] where I like to hit the ball. It certainly felt great [to hit two there] and like I said I've got to stick with that plan."


"It's great that we've got some momentum going early. We've just got to keep it going. Great starts help and [we can't] get too far ahead of ourselves. We've got to keep pushing forward and taking it game by game.

 

[dawrestling]

Re: UD/Natl HS Baseball Reports

[Rocks Media] Blue Rocks Drop 11-7 Slugfest To Hillcats


ATTENTION: SPORTS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: WEDNESDAY JUNE 25, 2014


CONTACT: MATT JANUS 302-888-5393 OR SETH BERNSTEIN 302-888-2580Blue Rocks Drop 11-7 Slugfest To Hillcats
Three Homers Not Enough for Wilmington


Wilmington, DE ? Offense was the story Wednesday night at Frawley Stadium as the Wilmington Blue Rocks fell to the Lynchburg Hillcats, 11-7, in a rare Riverfront slugfest. The loss snapped Wilmington's four-game winning streak and dropped the Blue Crew back to 37-38 overall on the season.


Wilmington kicked off the scoring with three runs in the first inning. Jared Schlehuber got the rally started with a two-out single off of Hillcats starter Zach Jadofsky. Schlehuber then came around to score on an RBI double from Michael Antonio. Cody Stubbs followed that up with his third home run since the All-Star Break, a two-run blast down the left-field line that made the score 3-0, Wilmington.


The Hillcats roared back with seven tallies in the top of the second, though, to take a 7-3 lead. Lynchburg sent 11 batters to the plate in the inning and no hitter recorded more than two RBIs in the frame. The Hillcats had eight hits in the second, including four extra-base knocks. David Nick's RBI triple drove in the second and third runs for Lynchburg and drew the Hillcats even while Kyle Wren's RBI single that followed put the Hillcats ahead, 4-3. A Kevin Ahrens double sent home Jose Martinez, the final tally of the frame, from first.


When the inning was over, Blue Rocks starter Luis Santos had given up seven runs on nine total hits across two innings. That would be his final line, as Manager Darryl Kennedy elected to remove Santos for Johnny Walter. Walter was fantastic in relief, and tossed three shutout innings while striking out five.



In the bottom of the third inning, Schlehuber ripped a two-run homer to left to draw the Blue Rocks within 7-5. It was his first home run since returning to the Blue Rocks from Double-A Northwest Arkansas. Schlehuber's blast drove home Bubba Starling, who had singled with one out. Jadofsky finished the frame, but his night would end after three for Lynchburg. He gave up five runs on six hits while striking out three and walking one.


The Blue Crew tied the game, 7-7, with a pair of tallies in the fifth inning. With one out in the inning, Michael Antonio drilled his second home run in as many days off of reliever Navery Moore to pull Wilmington within 7-6. Stubbs followed with a single and Cam Gallagher with an RBI double to even up the score.


Right-hander Yender Caramo replaced Walter for Wilmington and gave up a run in the seventh and three in the eighth, which allowed Lynchburg to jump ahead again by four, 11-7. Martinez led off the seventh with a double and then Ahrens stroked an RBI single to score him and hand the Hillcats an 8-7 lead. In the eighth, Tyler Tewell, Nick and Wren hit three consecutive one-out singles to load the bases. Castro then reached on an error, which allowed Tewell to score and kept the bags packed for Martinez, who lifted a sacrifice fly to right to plate Nick. Wren then scored on a balk.
Moore (1-0, 5.73) picked up his first win for Lynchburg while Caramo (2-5, 2.98) suffered his fifth loss for Wilmington.


The Blue Rocks return to action Thursday night at Frawley Stadium for game two of three against the Hillcats. Wilmington will send southpaw Sean Manaea (2-6, 4.89) to the mound while Lynchburg will counter with righty Lucas Sims (5-5, 5.14). First pitch is slated for 7:05 p.m. and fans can listen to the broadcast on 89.7 WGLS-FM. For tickets, call 302-888-BLUE or visit BlueRocks.com.



PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:


Lynchburg's seven-run second inning tied Wilmington's season-high for runs allowed in a frame. Luis Santos allowed all seven runs and they came on eight second-inning hits, including four extra-base knocks. The Hillcats are the only opponent to accomplish this feat against the Blue Rocks in 2014. Lynchburg also scored seven runs in a frame against the Blue Crew on May 8 at Frawley Stadium. Those tallies were scored in the eighth inning of a 9-2 Hillcats victory. The Rocks trailed, 2-1, entering the inning before the Hillcats plated five off of Aroni Nina and two off of Zeb Sneed. Wilmington also yielded a season-high tying 11 runs to the Hillcats Wednesday night. The Potomac Nationals also scored 11 against the Blue Rocks on June 6 at Pfitzner Stadium. The Blue Crew led that contest, 10-6, entering the ninth inning but Potomac scored five times to walk off with an 11-10 victory.


Michael Antonio turned in one of the best individual offensive performances by a Blue Rock this season on Wednesday night. The designated hitter went 4-for-4 with a home run, three doubles and two RBIs. It was just the second four-hit game by a Blue Rock this season. Catcher Zane Evans went 4-for-5 on April 6 in Wilmington's 7-1 loss at Winston-Salem. Evans had two doubles and one RBI in that contest. Antonio was bidding to become the first member of the Blue Crew to record five hits in a game since Matt Fields accomplished the feat on August 10, 2012, against the Salem Red Sox. His three two-baggers also fell one shy of the team record for doubles in a game, set by Darren Fenster on May 5, 2004, against Potomac.


Jared Schlehuber went deep Wednesday night for the first time since rejoining the Blue Rocks from Double-A Northwest Arkansas. In five games with the Rocks this year, Schlehuber is batting .222 with a double, a homer and three RBIs. He has also drawn three free passes. With the Naturals, Schlehuber hit .177 with five doubles, two homers, 12 RBIs and 16 walks in 45 games. His most recent home run this season came on April 17 in a 10-6 Naturals win in Tulsa. With the Blue Rocks in 2013, Schlehuber batted .299 with 24 doubles, eight homers and 59 RBIs. His last Blue Rocks home run before Wednesday night was on August 6, 2013, in a 3-0 victory at Salem.


After hitting three more homers Wednesday night, the Blue Rocks have gone deep in a season-best five straight games. Cody Stubbs, Jared Schlehuber and Michael Antonio supplied the pop for Wilmington. The Blue Crew also hit a season-best four homers on Tuesday night in Frederick, giving them a combined seven over the last two games. Stubbs hit two of Wilmington's home runs on Tuesday night and has gone deep three times in the last two games. He has a team-high seven dingers this season. Prior to this stretch, Wilmington had left the yard in back-to-back games just once in 2014. Antonio hit his first home run as a Blue Rock on May 11 against the Lynchburg Hillcats while Jack Lopez launched a walk-off homer on May 12 against the Salem Red Sox. Both games were at Frawley Stadium, where Wilmington has hit 11 of its 31 total home runs in 2014.


THEY SAID IT:


Manager Darryl Kennedy:


"I went to Luis [Salazar] in about the third or fourth inning and said, 'What's going on? This isn't a typical Wilmington night,' but the ball was carrying tonight, everything they were hitting was finding the gaps. I was proud of the way we came back after giving up seven in the second inning. They kept swinging and we couldn't stop them."


"[Luis Santos] got a little too predictable. He didn't use all of his pitches very well. They were jumping on the fastball and the curveball wasn't biting as much tonight, it was just kind of rolling up there and they made him pay for it."


"[Michael Antonio went] 4-for-4, swung the bat well and the best thing I saw was the second double, hustling after the guy dove for it. He's not the fastest of runners but showed great hustle there to get to second base. At the time, an 8-7 ballgame, that was big getting to second base. He did a good job tonight."


"I think ever since the last game in Myrtle Beach, I thought we've swung the bats pretty well. We're starting to drive the ball a little bit. We got some homers in Frederick, which is typically a homerun ballpark but we came out tonight and did a good job again. Hopefully that's a good sign. Our pitching was off tonight but that's been a rare occasion this year so we'll just have to go and get them tomorrow."


First-Baseman Cody Stubbs:


"I'm just taking the right approach at the plate and having confidence and just trying to stick to my game plan when I go up there."
Things are starting to warm up. It's nice to see the power showing up. It certainly helps in games like [Tuesday]. It can take a team out of a game whenever you get ahead with home runs like that; it certainly is nice."


You can't change your approach, you've got to stick with the same mindset you've had all year. Go with what got you here. Home runs come; it just may take time. They're starting to show up."


Designated-Hitter Michael Antonio:


"I've just been trying to slow everything down and take it pitch by pitch. Not trying to do too much."


"Throughout the whole year I've been hitting balls hard but they haven't been finding the holes. This second half it looks like they've been finding the hole more and it's just like [Milt Thompson] said, 'Just keep the same approach. Don't change anything,' and that's what I've been doing, just staying with the same approach and just keep doing what I've been doing."


"We are a very confident team. Everybody, from one through nine, we can all hit and we have a great pitching staff and we have a lot of confidence in ourselves that we're going to keep having a good second half."


"That's another thing I've worked on with [Milt Thompson], not trying to pull off and just hitting the ball wherever it's pitched. That helps a lot with slowing everything down, just not trying to do too much and take what they give me."

 

[dawrestling]

Re: UD/Natl HS Baseball Reports


ATTENTION: SPORTS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: THURSDAY JUNE 26, 2014


CONTACT: MATT JANUS 302-888-5393 OR SETH BERNSTEIN 302-888-2580Sims, Wilson, Combine To No-Hit Blue Rocks In 5-1 Loss To Hillcats
No-No Is First Thrown Against Wilmington Since 2012


Wilmington, DE ? Lucas Sims and Alex Wilson combined to no-hit the Blue Rocks in a 5-1 Wilmington loss to the Lynchburg Hillcats Thursday night at Frawley Stadium. It was the first time the Blue Crew had been no-hit since Nick Tepesch and Jimmy Reyes combined to accomplish the feat for the Myrtle Beach Pelicans on May 19, 2012. The defeat dropped the Rocks to 37-39 overall on the season and 4-4 in the second half.


Sims was tremendous for the Hillcats and did not allow a base hit across his seven frames of work. He punched out six and walked four while yielding just a single tally. The right-handed hurler was removed from the game after throwing 101 pitches, 59 of them for strikes. Wilson followed him into the game and tossed two scoreless frames while striking out three and walking two. Wilson pitched a perfect ninth inning to complete the no-no and struck out Jack Lopez for the final out of the ballgame.


Lynchburg went ahead, 5-1, in the seventh inning after the Hillcats batted around to score four times in the frame. With one out, Jose Martinez and Kevin Ahrens ripped back-to-back singles off of Blue Rocks starter Sean Manaea. Wilmington manager Darryl Kennedy then removed Manaea from the game for Zeb Sneed. Sneed's first pitch to David Nick was a wild one, sending Martinez to third and Ahrens to second. Nick was then intentionally walked to load the bases for Emerson Landoni.



Landoni drew an RBI walk to force home Martinez and hand the Hillcats a 2-1 lead. Tyler Tewell followed with a sacrifice fly to make it 3-1. Nick and Landoni also advanced a bag, leaving runners at second and third. Daniel Carroll and Eric Garcia finished off the four-run Lynchburg rally with back-to-back RBI singles.


The four-run Lynchburg seventh spoiled a fantastic outing by Manaea. The southpaw turned in his finest outing of the season and yielded just three runs on four hits in 6.1 frames. He struck out five and walked only two. Manaea was very pitch-efficient and threw a mere 80 pitches, 55 of them for strikes.
Wilmington scored its lone run in the fifth inning, which at the time tied the score at one apiece. Lopez drew a one-out walk and advanced to second on a passed ball by Sims. Daniel Rockett then reached on an error by shortstop Daniel Castro. The miscue also allowed Lopez to move to third. Terrance Gore's RBI fielder's choice plated Lopez.


The Hillcats struck first with one run in the top of the fifth inning. Nick drew a one-out free pass and moved to second on a groundout by Landoni. He came in to score on an RBI single by Tewell, who was thrown out trying to take second.


Sims (6-5, 4.71) picked up his sixth win of the year for Lynchburg while Manaea (2-7, 4.83) suffered his seventh loss for Wilmington.


The Blue Rocks return to action Friday night at Frawley Stadium for the rubber match of a three-game set against against the Hillcats. Wilmington will send righty Glenn Sparkman (3-1, 1.79) to the mound while Lynchburg will counter with fellow righty Cody Scarpetta (1-1, 3.00). First pitch is slated for 7:05 p.m. and fans can listen to the broadcast on 89.7 WGLS-FM. For tickets, call 302-888-BLUE or visit BlueRocks.com.



PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:


Prior to Thursday, the most recent no-hitter thrown against the Blue Rocks was on May 19, 2012, at Frawley Stadium against the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. In that contest, right-hander Nick Tepesch and southpaw Jimmy Reyes combined to blank the Rocks in a 3-0 Pelicans victory. Tepesch threw 7.1 sterling frames and punched out nine. Like Sims did on Thursday night, Tepesch issued four free passes to the Blue Rocks. Reyes struck out two and finished up the game with 1.2 perfect frames. Tepesch made 12 starts for Myrtle Beach in 2012 and went 5-3 with a 2.89 ERA. The 25-year-old is currently in his second year in the Majors with the Texas Rangers. He is 2-3 with a 4.38 ERA in seven starts this season for the Big League club. In his Major League career, Tepesch has gone 6-9 with a 4.38 ERA in 26 appearances (24 starts). He has whiffed 100 and issued 42 free passes. Reyes has not yet played in the Major Leagues and is currently pitching for Double-A Frisco. He is 3-2 in 2014 with a 4.88 ERA in 25 relief appearances. During his Minor League career, Reyes has gone 19-11 with a 2.75 ERA in 161 games.


Sean Manaea turned in, by far, his best start of the season Thursday night against the Hillcats. The talented southpaw completed 6.1 frames and yielded three runs on four hits while striking out five and walking two. The 6-foot-5 hurler is 2-7 on the season with a 4.83 ERA in 14 starts. He has given up 64 hits and 29 walks while striking out 78 in 59.2 innings pitched. Manaea's 78 punchouts rank fourth in the Carolina League, just seven behind teammate Christian Binford and one behind both Parker Bridwell of Frederick and Cole Sulser of Carolina. Entering play on Thursday night, Manaea had completed five frames in just five of his first 13 starts. He had not yet recorded an out beyond the fifth inning. Through six innings Thursday night, Manaea had let up just one run on two hits. With one away in the seventh, though, Manaea allowed two consecutive hits and was removed for Zeb Sneed. The final two tallies scored as inherited runs after the southpaw left the ballgame. Manaea has been significantly better at home this year than on the road. He has posted a 2-3 record and a 3.75 ERA in eight starts at Frawley Stadium. Away from home, Manaea is 0-4 with a 6.46 ERA.


The Blue Rocks saw their streak of five consecutive games with a home run come to an end Thursday night against the Hillcats. That streak, which was the team's season-best, lasted from the Wilmington's June 21 game at Myrtle Beach through Wednesday night's series opener with Lynchburg. During that five-game stretch, the Blue Rocks hit a combined 12 home runs, which is more than the team hit during the entire months of April (4) and May (10). The Blue Crew hit three homers against Lynchburg on Wednesday and a season-high four in Tuesday's series finale against Frederick, which gave them a combined seven long balls during the last two games of the streak. Cody Stubbs left the yard twice on Tuesday, which gave Wilmington its first two-homer performance of the season. Stubbs has a team-high seven dingers this season. Prior to this stretch, Wilmington had left the yard in back-to-back games just once in 2014. Michael Antonio hit his first home run as a Blue Rock on May 11 against the Lynchburg Hillcats while Jack Lopez launched a walk-off homer on May 12 against the Salem Red Sox. Both games were at Frawley Stadium, where Wilmington has hit 11 of its 31 total home runs in 2014.


THEY SAID IT


Manager Darryl Kennedy:


"When a team throws a no-hitter you've got to give them the credit. [Lucas Simms] threw a great game. He buzzed us up close enough to get us uncomfortable and made pitches when he had to. I'm not going to knock anything they did. They threw a no-hitter, congratulations to them. I mean, what are you going to do."


"We were fortunate to have a tie ballgame and a no-hitter in the fifth inning. We caught a break on the error and had a runner at third, with [Terrance] Gore's speed he was able to beat it out and get an RBI. There's not much you can do when you don't get any hits."


"Sean [Manaea] I thought threw the ball very well, I really do. It was the first time this year he's gone into the seventh inning. I was very pleased with how he threw the ball. Those first five innings were very good. It's a tough loss for him."


"After the fourth inning I was like, 'Frawley's back.' Like I said, congratulations to them. [Lucas Simms] threw a great game for seven innings and [Alex Wilson] came in and stuck it."
Blue Rocks Baseball = AffordaFUNability!
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[dawrestling]

Re: UD/Natl HS Baseball Reports

ATTENTION: SPORTS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: SUNDAY JUNE 29, 2014
CONTACT: MATT JANUS 302-888-5393 OR SETH BERNSTEIN 302-888-2580Offense Quiet Again As Blue Rocks Lose 4-2 In Salem
Defeat Is Season-High Tying Fifth Straight For Wilmington
Salem, VA ? The struggles continued for the Wilmington offense on Sunday afternoon, as the Blue Rocks managed just a single unearned run in a 4-2 loss to the Salem Red Sox. It was the Blue Crew's fifth consecutive defeat and their fourth straight game scoring two-or-fewer runs. With the setback, Wilmington dropped to a season-worst five games below .500 overall (37-42) and three games below sea level since the All-Star break (4-7).
Both starting pitchers turned in quality outings. Salem's Pat Light scattered five hits over five frames. The right-hander allowed several hard-hit balls by the Wilmington offense, but most of them turned into outs as he yielded just a single unearned score.
Right from the start it was clear fortune was on Light's side. The first batter he faced hit a line drive off the top of the left-field fence, but Jack Lopez was thrown out trying for second base. Later, Light (2-4) got outs on four scolded liners to the outfield, and induced an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play in the fourth. Wilmington scored its first run off of Light when Jantzen Witte booted a two-out ground ball to third in the fifth. The two-out miscue allowed Daniel Rockett to come home. Wilmington tried to do further damage that frame, but Reed Gragnani robbed Jared Schlehuber with a diving stop on a grounder up the middle that the second baseman turned into an inning-ending fielder's choice.
Meanwhile, Wilmington starter Christian Binford was perfect through the first three frames, but allowed single tallies in the fourth and fifth innings on his way to the tough-luck loss. The 10th-ranked prospect in the Royals system, according to Baseball America, worked six strong innings, fanning seven and walking none, while allowing just five hits and the two runs. It was the fifth straight start for the right-hander without yielding a base on balls.
Salem added a pair of insurance scores against reliever Yender Caramo in the seventh and eighth innings. Aneury Tavarez singled to lead off the seventh and went from first to third when Caramo threw the ball into the right field corner trying to pick him off. Kevin Heller followed with an RBI single to put the Red Sox up by two. In the eighth, Michael Miller led off with a double and went to third on a groundout by Witte. Caramo delivered a wild pitch to plate Miller.
The Rocks had their best scoring chance in the top of the eighth inning. They loaded the bases with just one away on back-to-back singles by Michael Antonio and Cody Stubbs and a Rockett walk. Mark Donato tried to lift a sacrifice fly to center but it wasn't quite deep enough to score the run. Terrance Gore grounded out to second to end the inning. The Rocks did manage to score one run in the ninth on a Schlehuber sacrifice fly but never were able to bring the tying run to the plate.
The Blue Rocks return to action Monday night at Salem Memorial Stadium for the series finale against the Red Sox. Wilmington will send righty Miguel Almonte (5-3, 4.16) to the mound while Salem will counter with southpaw Corey Littrell (4-4, 4.27). First pitch is slated for 7:05 p.m. and fans can listen to the broadcast on 89.7 WGLS-FM. The Rocks will be back at Frawley Stadium on Tuesday night for the first game of a brief three-game homestand against the Potomac Nationals. For tickets, call 302-888-BLUE or visit BlueRocks.com.
PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:
Jack Lopez turned in perhaps one of his best all-around performances at the plate this season. The right-handed hitting second baseman went 2-for-2 with three walks and two stolen bases, reaching safely in all five of his plate appearances. Entering play, Lopez had been 0-for-12 at the plate over his last four games. His season-high in hits is three, which he has accomplished twice. On April 21 at Myrtle Beach, Lopez was 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles and two RBIs. He swiped one bag that night. Lopez also recorded three hits on May 8 at Frawley Stadium against Lynchburg. He went 3-for-4 with a double that night. Lopez has drawn 19 bases on balls in 2014 but, prior to Sunday, his season high in a game had been one. Sunday's trio of free passes tripled that season-best total. Lopez is batting .224 on the year with 12 doubles, one homer and 17 RBIs.
Wilmington's struggles with runners on base reared their head again in Sunday night's 4-2 loss to Salem. The Blue Crew left 11 men on the basepaths, five of them in scoring position. They had several chances with multiple runners on base and less than two outs. However, the Rocks went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position. On the season, the Blue Rocks have left 521 runners on base compared with 404 stranded by their opponents. The club now owns a .219 (155-for-707) average with runners in scoring position in 2014.
Salem put the leadoff hitter on base in each of the final five frames of the ballgame. All five reached with hits and three of those knocks were doubles. Those five leadoff baserunners were the difference in the contest, as they led to all four of Salem's four runs. Matty Johnson led off the fourth with a single and came around to score on an RBI hit later in the inning by Jantzen Witte. Aneury Tavarez doubled at the start of the fifth inning and scored on an RBI single by Leonel Escobar. In the seventh inning, it was Tavarez coming through again for the Red Sox, this time with a single. Kevin Heller plated him with a base hit. Michael Miller doubled to kick off the eighth and scored on a wild pitch by Yender Caramo. Both Caramo and Christian Binford, the Blue Rocks starter, gave up two of those tallies apiece.
Sunday's loss to Salem was Wilmington's fifth straight defeat, tying the team's season-high. The Blue Rocks were swept at home by the Lynchburg Hillcats to start this stretch and they have now dropped the first two contests against the Salem Red Sox. The club's first five-game losing streak came between April 5 and April 10. The first two contests were losses to the Winston-Salem Dash in the season's opening series. The final three defeats came in a three-game sweep by the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. Three of those were one-run losses and one was a two-run defeat.
THEY SAID IT
Manager Darryl Kennedy:
"We've got to start coming through in big spots. We went hitless with runners in scoring position. We had the opportunity -- down two runs with the bases loaded and one out in the eighth -- and couldn't get anything. We had our chances, but the bottom line is we've got to do a better job with runners in scoring position."


"We've only got three outfielders and we needed to give [Bubba Starling and Raul Mondesi] a day off in a long stretch of games [so the lineup adjusted accordingly]. We put Kenny [Diekroeger] up there in the two-hole because he's been swinging the bat well lately. [Jack Lopez] did a great job in the lead-off spot [Sunday]. We definitely need to get Jack going as well as everybody else. We've got to get this thing turned around, no doubt about it. Fortunately it's still early in the half, and we've got a lot of games left, but the sense of urgency needs to be now."

"Christian Binford threw the ball really well. Unfortunately he just made a couple of mistakes, missing up in the zone with two outs and a couple guys at second base, but overall he pitched well. Certainly well enough to win the game."

Infielder Jack Lopez:
"We're taking baby steps after those two games we had with Lynchburg. Yesterday we got the bats going. Today we had runners on base but weren't able to get them in. We'll be out there tomorrow battling our butts off again."
"It felt real good. I was able to get on base for the boys. I wasn't able to score but it was good for me to get going now, get good at bats and start putting them together. Hopefully we'll get going soon."
"We're really tough guys. We're men. This team, we back each other up 100 percent no matter what it is. We have great team bonding, team chemistry. That's a big part. Whether we win or lose, we've got to go out there and bust our butts. We have to tip our caps to the pitchers. If it weren't for them we wouldn't be where we are now. We've just got to keep going out there and battling."
Blue Rocks Baseball = AffordaFUNability!
www.bluerocks.com

 

[dawrestling]

Re: UD/Natl HS Baseball Reports

[/B][Rocks Media] Blue Rocks Open Homestand With Blowout Win Over Nationals



ATTENTION: SPORTSFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: TUESDAY JULY 1, 2014
CONTACT: MATT JANUS 302-888-5393 OR SETH BERNSTEIN 302-888-2580Blue Rocks Open Homestand With Blowout Win Over Nationals

Wilmington Scores Four Times In Fourth, Three Times In Fifth During 8-2 Victory


Wilmington, DE ? Wilmington's offense broke out of its extended slump in a big way Tuesday night, scoring four runs in the fourth and three in the fifth en route to an 8-2 Blue Rocks victory over the Potomac Nationals at Frawley Stadium. With the win, Wilmington improved to 38-43 overall and 5-8 in the second half. The victory also brought the Blue Crew's season-high six-game losing streak to a close.



Wilmington jumped on the board, 1-0, in the first inning courtesy of a fielding error by shortstop Stephen Perez. Raul Mondesi reached on a one-out single and then stole second base. He then moved to third on a wild pitch by Nationals starter Matthew Spann. With two outs in the frame, Michael Antonio bounced a ball to Perez that went through his legs into left field, allowing Mondesi to score the first run of the ballgame.


Bubba Starling kicked off the Blue Rocks' four-run fourth with a base hit to left. Michael Antonio then drilled a ball to left-center field for an RBI double to plate Starling and make it 2-0, Wilmington. Zane Evans followed with a single to put runners at the corners for Cam Gallagher. Gallagher lifted a sacrifice fly to right, scoring Antonio to extend the Blue Crew lead to 3-0. Spann continued to struggle and uncorked a wild pitch, allowing Evans to advance to second. Cody Stubbs tripled him home with a deep fly ball to left-center field. Spann's second wild pitch of the inning drove home Stubbs, giving Wilmington a 5-0 lead.


In the fifth inning, it was once again the heart of the Blue Rocks order that came through. Mondesi reached with one out in the frame on a throwing error by second-baseman Tony Renda. Starling was then hit by a pitch, which put a pair of runners aboard for the red-hot Antonio. Antonio ripped another RBI double, this one to deep center field, plating Mondesi from second and Starling from first. Antonio scored later in on an RBI double from Gallagher to make it 8-1 Wilmington.


Potomac scored individual tallies in the fifth and the eighth innings. Shawn Pleffner led off the top of the fifth with a triple and scored on a single by Randolph Oduber. In the eighth inning, Estarlin Martinez and Tony Renda hit back-to-back one-out singles. Martinez came plateward on a two-out RBI knock by Oscar Tejeda.


Luis Santos (1-1, 7.06) earned his first win at the Advanced-A level for Wilmington. He threw 5.2 fantastic frames and gave up just one run on a hit and three walks. Spann (5-3, 4.45) suffered his third defeat of the year for Potomac.


The Blue Rocks return to action Wednesday night at Frawley Stadium for game two of three against the Nationals. Wilmington will send southpaw Sean Manaea (2-7, 4.83) to the mound while Potomac will counter with right-hander Brian Rauh (1-1, 3.86). First pitch is slated for 7:05 p.m. and fans can listen to the broadcast on 89.7 WGLS-FM. For tickets, call 302-888-BLUE or visit BlueRocks.com.



PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:


Luis Santos was fantastic Tuesday night against the Nationals; he yielded just one run on three hits and one walk across 5.2 sterling frames. It was a great bounceback performance after his previous outing, which was his worst of the season. Santos allowed seven runs on nine hits in just two innings against the Lynchburg Hillcats on June 24. The 6-foot right-hander is 1-1 with an ERA of 7.06 in six starts for the Blue Rocks. He has struck out 18, given up 35 hits and walked nine in 29.1 innings pitched. He began the year with Low-A Lexington and was tremendous there. For the Legends, he was 4-1 with a 1.76 ERA in nine appearances (six starts). He let up 33 hits, struck out 34 and walked five there in 46 innings pitched. In his first start for the Blue Rocks on May 31, he took a no-hitter into the sixth inning but ultimately allowed two runs on three hits over six innings.


Blue Rocks infielder Michael Antonio has been on a tear at the plate recently. He went 2-for-4 at the Tuesday with two doubles, two runs and three RBIs. Over his last six games, Antonio is batting a combined .565 (13-for-23) with six runs, six doubles, two homers and eight RBIs. He has seen his batting average for the season rise 67 points, from .187 to .254, over that stretch. He has scored 21 runs, doubled 12 times, tripled once, homered four times and driven in 23 runs in 2014 for Wilmington. Antonio has been at his best with runners on base. He is batting .303 with runners on base this season and .203 with the bases empty. Like Luis Santos, Antonio began the year at Low-A Lexington prior to earning a promotion in May. With the Legends, he hit .313 with 21 runs, six doubles, four homers and 23 RBIs in 32 games.


Cam Gallagher was Wilmington's designated hitter on Tuesday night for the first time this season. The right-handed hitting catcher has been the Blue Rocks' primary backstop in 2014. Both he and Zane Evans have split the catching duties for the Blue Crew this year, with Gallagher getting more time behind the plate and Evans getting more starts as the designated hitter. Gallagher has started 55 games as the team's catcher and caught 449.2 innings, while Evans has started 28 games behind the dish and caught 221.2 frames. Evans has been Wilmington's designated hitter 33 times this year. He has hit .264 as the designated hitter and .206 as a catcher.


Tuesday night's victory over the Potomac Nationals snapped Wilmington's season-high six-game losing streak. The first three games came at Frawley Stadium against the Lynchburg Hillcats and the final three at Salem Memorial Ballpark against the Salem Red Sox. During the six-game skid, the Blue Rocks were no-hit in back-to-back games by the Hillcats and walked off on by the Red Sox. The no-hitters were Thursday and Friday, in the final two games against the Hillcats. The Red Sox walked off on the Blue Rocks in the series finale in Salem, courtesy of a two-run homer by Ryan Dent. The club's previous season-high had been a five-game losing between April 5 and April 10. The first two contests were losses to the Winston-Salem Dash in the season's opening series. The final three defeats came in a three-game sweep by the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. Three of those were one-run losses and one was a two-run defeat.


THEY SAID IT:


Manager Darryl Kennedy:


"Those six games, they felt really long. It's nice to come out and get a win. We swung the bats pretty well and [Luis] Santos [pitched well] after having a tough start in the last one."


"[Michael] Antonio, the last three games, has really been swinging the bat. He swung the bat well in Salem and he continues to get hits. It's nice to see the guys piecing together some hits. The biggest thing [he's been doing] is just getting his pitch to hit and being able to hit it. We tend to chase too many pitches out of the zone, that's been our Achilles heel this year but Michael has done a really good job of not doing that and it shows."


"[Luis Santos] did a really good job. He was able to locate and stay ahead. He used all of his pitches well tonight and, for the most part he stayed down in the zone; that's key for him. [To come back like that after his last start], it speaks volumes. It gives him the confidence that he might have started doubting after the last outing. It's a big confidence booster for him to come back and pitch a good ballgame. From the first pitch on he was able to locate his fastball. "


First-Baseman Michael Antonio:


"I talk to Manny Ramirez a lot. [We] have a very good relationship; he's one of my mentors. He sends me videos of drills I can before the game and it's helped a lot. He said I should start having some success and that's what's happened. We went to the same high school and played for the same coach. In the offseason we workout together and it helps a lot to work with a veteran like that. I would say I'm blessed. To have a guy like that take the time to work with me, and Miguel Tejada as well, it's really good and it's something where you have to feel really blessed because they're working with me and I'm not even in the big leagues yet so I'm thankful for that."


"There's still two months left of baseball. We can't put our heads down, we've just got to keep battling everyday and just keep fighting. Just keep doing what [Darryl Kennedy] told us, just play hard and good things will happen."


"It's really good [to win by six] because the hardest thing to do is, when everything is going wrong, it's hard to find that good spot. Little by little we're finding it and we're going to keep fighting because we're a very talented team. We're just going to keep working hard everyday and playing hard."


Left-Fielder Cody Stubbs:


"It's baseball, things like [the losing streak] happen. We've been hitting the ball hard for a while and today the balls started landing for us. Things are getting back on the right track. [To get out of it] Just stay calm, just staying with the same approach. Really nothing different, things just fell in the right place for us."


"It's a tough group of guys in that locker room. You've just got to come out here with the same mindset every day, the same approach and just keep going because it's not going to stop. The games are just going to keep on coming. You always want to jump on top of a team and put them away when you have the chance and that's what we did tonight."


"I hadn't played there in a little while but I am feeling better. I enjoy it out there; it's fun. It's definitely a nice change of pace. There's nothing else better than getting reps off the bat during BP. If you watch Daniel Rockett, Bubba Starling, and Terrance Gore out there, how many reps they take during batting practice, and that's what makes them so great."

 

[dawrestling]

Re: UD/Natl HS Baseball Reports


ATTENTION: SPORTS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: WEDNESDAY JULY 2, 2014


CONTACT: MATT JANUS 302-888-5393 OR SETH BERNSTEIN 302-888-2580Blue Rocks Victorious In Rain-Shortened Game Against Nationals
Gallagher Homers, Walter Throws 4.1 Shutout Innings In Relief


Wilmington, DE ? Wilmington's longest weather delay of the year couldn't keep the Blue Rocks from a 4-0 rain-shortened victory over the Potomac Nationals Wednesday night at Frawley Stadium. The game was delayed for two hours and 11 minutes after a half inning because of rain and lightning. However, the skies cleared in time for a 9:30 p.m. start time and when the game got underway, the Blue Crew jumped ahead quickly and never looked back. Rain stopped play again after seven innings and the game was called after a 37-minute delay. With the win, Wilmington improved to 39-43 overall and 6-8 in the second half.



Prior to the initial weather delay, the two clubs played a half inning. Sean Manaea tossed a scoreless top of the first for the Blue Rocks but did not continue to pitch when play resumed. Instead, it was Johnny Walter who entered the game and tossed 4.1 outstanding frames in relief. He retired the first 12 batters he faced and punched out six.


After the game was re-started, Wilmington pushed across an early run in the second inning off of Ian Dickson, who replaced Brian Rauh on the mound. Rauh warmed up but never threw a pitch. Cody Stubbs yanked a one-out triple into the right-field corner and then scored on an RBI single to left from Cam Gallagher.



Wilmington extended its lead to 3-0 with a pair of runs in the fifth inning. Gallagher ripped a long homer to left to lead off the frame. Ramon Torres, who was playing in his first game for the Rocks, followed with a triple. He scored on an RBI groundout from Jared Schlehuber.


Raul Mondesi continued the Blue Rocks' offensive barrage with a leadoff single off of Richie Mirowski. He advanced to second on a groundout by Michael Antonio and scored on an RBI single from Stubbs.


Walter (4-1, 3.82) picked up the win for the Blue Rocks while Dickson (1-6, 6.11) suffered the defeat for Potomac.


The Blue Rocks return to action Thursday night at Frawley Stadium for the third and final game against the Potomac Nationals. Wilmington will send Glenn Sparkman () to the mound. First pitch is slated for 7:05 p.m. and fans can listen to the broadcast on 89.7 WGLS-FM. For tickets, call 302-888-BLUE or visit BlueRocks.com.



PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:


Johnny Walter turned in, by far, his best relief outing of the year. It was also his longest. He tossed 4.1 scoreless frames after the two hour and 11 minute weather delay forced Sean Manaea out of the game after an inning. Walter struck out six, including five of the first six he faced and did not issue a free pass. He yielded just one base hit, which was to the second-to-last hitter he faced. Walter had worked multiple innings in nine of his previous 15 relief outings and three innings twice. As a whole, the Blue Rocks bullpen has been one of the team's strengths in 2014. Collectively, the 'pen has posted a 17-12 record and a 3.06 ERA in 279.2 innings pitched. They have struck out 259 and walked 89.


Wednesday's weather-shortened 4-0 victory over Potomac featured more delay time than actual game time. After a half inning of play, rain and lightning forced the contest to be halted at 7:18 p.m. Play resumed at 9:29 p.m. after a two hour and 11 minute delay. The length of the interruption in play burned both starting pitchers. Sean Manaea threw 24 pitches in one shutout inning for the Blue Rocks. Brian Rauh never did throw a pitch in the game. Play was stopped again after the seventh inning with the Blue Rocks leading 4-0 and a 37-minute delay ensued. The game was called after that.


The Blue Rocks picked up their sixth shutout win of the season in Wednesday's seven-inning 4-0 win over the Nationals. Wilmington is now 7-3 in shutouts this year and those seven victories are second in the league to the Salem Red Sox's eight blankings. The team's most recent shutout victory had been on June 13 at Frawley Stadium against the Carolina Mudcats. It was a combined effort between Christian Binford and Kyle Bartsch in the opening game of a doubleheader. Binford tossed six innings and struck out five while Bartsch completed the game with a scoreless seventh. Wilmington has shut out Winston-Salem twice, Carolina three times, Frederick once and now Potomac once. The Blue Crew has been shut out once by Winston-Salem, once by Carolina and once by Lynchburg.


Cam Gallagher has flexed his muscle a little bit in Wednesday night's win over the Nationals. Gallagher went 2-for-2 with a homer, a run, two RBIs and a walk. The home run was his second long ball of the year and a no-doubt-about it shot out of the ballpark to left. Gallagher has heated up in a big way lately. In Wilmington's last 10 games, he is batting .320 (8-for-25) with two homers, four runs and 10 RBIs. On the campaign, Gallagher owns a .225 batting average to go along with 16 runs, 12 doubles, no triples, two homers and 23 RBIs. He has struck out 23 times and walked 23 times while playing in 57 games for the Blue Crew.



THEY SAID IT:


"That's probably the biggest disappointment for any starting pitcher, [Sean Manaea] waits five days to get to pitch and then one inning into it rain comes and he's shut down. He got a little wild there but for the most part the ball was coming out of his hand pretty good. Like his last outing, I thought he was going to throw the ball well."


"There's no lobbying when it comes to something like [pitching after a delay]. We have a 30-minute rule [and] once those 30 minutes are up he's done. He's starting to find his groove. The fastball command is starting to get there a little bit. He's just repeating his delivery, that's the big thing. You've got a big guy out there, he's a big man on the mound and he's got a lot of moving parts. It's just going to take him a little bit to smooth those out. As the season's gone on he's gotten better and better and I think there is still more in there for him. He's making pretty solid progress."


"An outstanding performance by [Johnny] Walter. He was the most rested guy in the 'pen, he hadn't pitched in four or five days so we were hoping to get him to the fifth. If he could just get us four innings, that's what our goal was and then after he finished the fifth inning we looked up and I think he had 40 pitches at the time so after that it was just a matter of trying to squeeze an out here and there to try and save the bullpen because anytime you have to bring someone in in the second inning you're going to tax your bullpen and he picked us up. It was the best I've seen him throw this year. He was very impressive."


"[Cam Gallagher] swung the bat well, no doubt about it. An RBI single there in the second inning and then probably the furthest ball he's hit this year. He put some good swings on it. I know he's done a lot in the cage with Milt [Thompson] working on his swing and trying to get back to what he has done before and it's starting to payoff."
Starting Pitcher Sean Manaea:



"It's kind of frustrating just because, carrying over from last start I thought it was my best outing, I felt like I was actually pitching and I was going out and throwing strikes. I felt like I was going to carry that into this game. I know I gave up a walk but I felt good in that first inning and just having the rain come and not being able to pitch kind of frustrating because I want to get on a roll and start stringing together some quality starts in a row. Hopefully my next outing comes and I'll just keep on rolling and just keep pitching well."


"[The six-game losing streak] was kind of a low for us but I know that the pitchers are coming through, especially Jonny Walter and [Yender] Caramo coming through, they shut the door and pitched extremely well tonight, I'm happy for them. The hitters were coming through getting hits in key situations. It was a nice team win."


Catcher Cam Gallagher:



"It is pretty difficult [coming back after a delay like that]. Looking at the radar a lot of guys are saying there's no way we're going to play but you've got to mentally keep yourself in the game and be prepared mentally and physically to go out there and play."


"[Sean] Manaea's been stepping up his game a lot lately. He's been pitching really well. [Johnny] Walter came out of the 'pen and was lights out, throwing a lot of strikes. He was throwing all of his pitches for strikes and being able to use them effectively. It was good for the pitching staff and the hitters to come through with a win."

 

[dawrestling]

Re: UD/Natl HS Baseball Reports

Games 6/28
Game 1 - Post 10 Generals - 2, Post 6 Patriots 0
Andrew Reich did it all for the Generals, pitching an 8 strikeout, 2 hit shutout and batting 2 for 2 with a single and a home run as Post 10 won the first of 2 in Seaford.

Kole Hearn had both of Post 6's hits including a double, and Taylor Baynum struck out 7, but took the complete game loss.

Game 2 - Post 10 Generals - 4, Post 6 Patriots 3 (9)
The Post 6 Patriot bats came alive in the 2nd game as Wyatt Richardson with a double and Cole Collins both batted 3 for 5, leading the team to 10 hits but the Post 10 pitchers scattered the 10 hits, turned a timely double play, and held the Pats to 3 runs.

With the score tied 2-2 in the 6th, Cole Collins was thrown out at the plate, and the Generals put up 2 more runs in the 9th on a series of walks and fielder's choice plays. The Pats answered with 1 in the bottom of the 9th, but with 2 on, Collins grounded to short for the final out.

Eric Wharton pitched the 9th for the Pats and took the loss. Troy Thomas pitched 5 innings with 8 K's and allowed 2 runs, and Conner Knight came in for the final 4 innings and got the win.

Durney Post 27 - 8, Milford Post 3 - 2

Durney beat Milford 8-2 on Saturday as Post 3 fell apart defensively committing 4 errors, and yielding 5 runs on passed balls, throwing errors back to the pitcher and offline pick off throws. Durney reached base on 7 hits, 4 walks and a hit batsman in addition to Milford's fielding woes.

Milford had its chances in the fourth after loading the bases on three walks, but did not score. Both of Milford's runs (unearned) came in the 5th inning on back to back errors in the bottom of the 5th, but couldn't capitalize further as it left the bases loaded again in the 5th.

Matt Trincia got the win today pitching 5 2/3 strong innings. Moises Reyes came on in relief and retired the last seven batters. Jake Bartlett and Moises Reyes had 2 hits apiece.

Games 6/26
Stahl Post 30 - 10, Post 10 Generals - 1
Tyler Novak and Logan Gilbert each had 2 rbi's with Gilbert and Lonnie Funderbuck each scoring 2 runs for Stahl Post. Morton scored the lone run for Post 10

Durney Post 27 - 2, DE Post 1 - 1
Durney's Sean Tremel and Tyler Lasako combined pitching a two hit win. Sean pitched 5 inning allowing two hits and one run. Tyler came in the fifth inning and closed out the game not allowing a hit.

Durney's winning run came in the top of the 7th inning with 2 outs when Jason Elliott scored as Kyle Phillips attempting to steal second, Post 1's pitcher balked. Durney's Moises Reyes had the only extra base hit.

Fox Post 2 - 11, Post 6 Patriots - 10
The Patriots pounded out 10 runs on 17 hits, but left the bases loaded 3 times while Post 2 kept pace using errors, walks and good base running to eventually pass the Patriots on a couple of runs scored on wild pitches.

Wyatt Richardson homered for Post 6 batted 2 for 4 with 3 RBIs. Nick Spadafino homered for Fox Post 2, batting 2 for 3 with 4 RBIs and 2 runs scored. T.J. Jefferson recorded 2 doubles , 3 RBI's and 2 runs scored in the game. For Post 6, Eric Wharton batted 5 for 5 with 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored and brothers Caine and Cole Collins both batted 2 for 3 with 1 run scored

Seth Brosius got the win in relief for Fox Post 2, Brian Spangler recorded a save. Bruce Mosley took the loss for the Patriots.

Post 25 Middletown - 10, Milford Post 3 - 1
Post 25 put together 11 hits, Ryan Zwier went 2 for 2 with 3 RBI, Dominic DiSabatino went 2 for 3, Rob Pitroli went 2 for 4 with 2 RBI. Post 3 only run came on a HR by C. Reed.

Delvet Post 1 - 7, R.C. DuPont Post 18 - 3
RC DuPont took an early lead in the bottom of the first with 3 hits to start the inning, a double by Gilbert Peralta a single by Austin Horstmeyer and a RBI single by Mike Forwood. Horstmeyer scored later in the inning on a fielders choice.

In the top of the 3rd inning Delvets played 4 runs with 4 singles and batting 8 hitters in the inning. RC DuPont responded in the bottom of the third inning with a solo home run by Mike Forwood. Delvets scored 2 more runs in the 6th inning off 1 hit and a couple of defensive miscues by RC.

In the 7th inning Max Carney had a triple with 1 out and scored on the two out double by Tim Parks. Sean Deely settled in after the first few innings going the distance scattering 10 hits and striking out 5. Joe Voge took the loss for RC going 5 plus innings giving up 3 earned runs and striking out 6, Jimmy Lamiet came in relief and gave up 1 earned run over 2 innings.

Games 6/25
[/B]Fox Post 2 - 5, Stahl Post 30 - 2
[/B]Fox Post beat Stahl Post 5 to 2. Stahl Post took early lead scoring 1 run in top 1st and in the bottom of the inning Fox Post came right back with 2 runs. Nick Spadafino winning pitcher with 6 K's and 1 earned run. Seth Brosius and Kyle Mace had two hits each for Fox Post. Tyler William triple and Tyler Newton 2 hits for Stahl Post

Post 25 Middletown - 8, Durney Post 27 - 2
[/B]Kyle Tomlin went 2-3 and Ryan Zwier went1-3 with a triple with 2 RBI's. Shane Feehery was the winning pitcher.

[/B]R.C. DuPont Post 18 - 6, Post 6 Patriots - 3[/B]
D.J. Burns batted 3 for 3 with 3 RBI's and Brett Hallsgrove pitched a 3 hitter to lead the R.C DuPont team over the Post 6 Patriots in Seaford Wednesday.

R.C. scored 3 unearned runs in the 3rd inning to take the lead, and even after the Patriots answered with 2, the score was 3-2. R.C. Scored again in 5th, as Burns collected his 3rd RBI. The Pats answered with Bruce Mosely's 2nd run scored, but Hallsgrove kept the Pats off the scoreboard the rest of the game. Russell Davis collected an RBI on a double in the 6th inning to end the scoring.

The game was also marked by 4 errors for R.C. and 1 for the Patriots, but both teams also turned 2 double plays. Kole Hearn took the loss for Post 6.

Games 6/24
Stahl Post 30 - 9, Delvets Post 1 - 3[/B]
Campbell pitched a complete game to pick up the win for Stahl Post. Lonnie Funderbuck hit a 2 run homer and scored 2 runs for Stahl, Williams had 2 hits including a double, Summerfield had 2 doubles, Logan Gilbert had 3 hits and Walter had 2 hits including a double for Stahl.

Delvets had a Solo Homer by Max Carney and he ended the day with 2 hits total, Chris Scorziello had a double and pitched the final 3 2/3 innings in relief only giving up 1 unearned run for Delvets.

Post 10 Generals - 12, Durney Post 27 - 2[/B]
Durney held the Generals to 2 runs thru 5 innings with Lasako striking out 7 batters before a 6th inning home run by CJ Morton fired up the Generals. Post 10 SS Tommy Freeland was 5 for 5 with 3 triples and 2 singles with teammate Andrew Reich also recording a triple for the evening.

Phillips led off the bottom of the 6th with a double to attempt to start a rally for Durney but it wasn't enough and Post 10 was able to hold Durney to only 2 runs scored. Michael Cipola pitched a complete game for the Generals allowing 6 hits and striking out 10 batters.

Games 6/23
Delvets Post 1 - 11, Post 10 Generals - 6:
[/B]After falling behind 4-2 early in the game, Delvets had a powerful 5th inning taking the lead and continuing to increase the gap defeating the Generals 11-6 tonight.

Delvets Max Carney, Timmy Parks, Matt Smith, and Shane Linkhurst recorded doubles with Shane Linkhurst going 3 for 3 with 3 RBIs and drawing a walk to have a perfect on base evening. For the Generals, lead off Kevin Coleman also had a perfect on base evening going 2-2 with 2 walks. Tommy Freeland recorded a double with Andrew Reich, Brett Marien, Hunter Rivera and Anthony Zicarelli recording hits for the Generals.

 

[dawrestling]

Re: UD/Natl HS Baseball Reports




ATTENTION: SPORTS[/URL]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: FRIDAY JULY 4, 2014
CONTACT: MATT JANUS 302-888-5393 OR SETH BERNSTEIN 302-888-2580Sparkman Sparkles As Rocks Record Second Straight Shutout
Righty Dominant In Career-High Seven-Inning Outing
Winston-Salem, NC ? Glenn Sparkman took a no-hitter into the seventh inning as the Wilmington Blue Rocks recorded their second consecutive shutout with a 5-0 blanking of the Winston-Salem Dash on Friday at BB&T Ballpark. Sparkman lost his bid for a no-no with one out in the seventh, but it was the only hit he allowed in a career-long seven-inning outing. The Rocks have now tossed 17.1 consecutive scoreless innings dating back to Tuesday and have authored nine shutouts as a team on the season.
Sparkman set the tone early by fanning the first two batters he faced. He finished his night in similar fashion by punching out the final two hitters he opposed as well. In between, the right-hander worked five one-two-three innings. The only base runner he allowed over the first six innings came on Ramon Torres' one-out error in the third. Sparkman paid it little attention, however, retiring the next two batters he faced. Joey DeMichele was the lone Winston-Salem batter to register a hit off the righty, lining a single into center with one down in the seventh. Sparkman finished his night with nine strikeouts and no walks.
Wilmington's offense did not need much, but got a single tally in the second and then two more runs in both the fourth and fifth frames. Torres got Wilmington on the board with an RBI grounder to first in the second. His hustle led to another run two innings later when he beat out a potential double play that allowed Michael Antonio to score. Earlier in the frame, Antonio's single to center plated Mark Threlkheld. Bubba Starling capped off the offense in the next inning when he lifted a two-run bomb over the right-field fence.
All of the Rocks' runs came against Dash starter Tony Bucciferro (6-7). The right-hander got chased with two down in the fifth, after allowing 11 hits. Kyle Bartsch worked the final two frames for Wilmington without yielding a run.
The Blue Rocks return to action Saturday night at Frawley Stadium when they continue this three-game series. Wilmington will send southpaw Jonathan Dziedzic (5-5, 3.00) to the mound, while Winston-Salem will counter with righty Terrance Marin (2-0, 2.37). First pitch is slated for 7 p.m. and fans can listen to the broadcast on 89.7 WGLS-FM.
PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:
Glenn Sparkman took a no-hitter deeper into a game than any Blue Rocks pitcher this season. Luis Santos was the only other Wilmington hurler to make it through five frames without yielding a knock in 2014. The right-hander yielded his first hit with one out in the sixth inning of his first career Advanced-A start on May 31 at Frederick. Sparkman also turned in only the third start by a Blue Rocks pitcher not named Christian Binford that lasted at least seven innings. Binford did it five times on his own. Wilmington is now 7-1 in Sparkman's eight starts. Since shifting to the rotation Sparkman has posted a 2-1 mark and a 1.13 ERA. His only loss came when he yielded one run in six innings as the Hillcats no-hit the Blue Rocks on June 27.
Michael Antonio continued his recent torrid stretch at the plate on Friday. The designated hitter went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored in the Rocks' 5-0 triumph. Antonio now has multiple hits in six of his last eight games. Over that stretch he his 16-for-30 with eight extra-base hits, nine RBIs and eight runs scored. During that stretch Antonio has raised his batting average 76 points, from .187 to .263.
THEY SAID IT, Manager Darryl Kennedy:
"I knew he had very good location with his fastball right away. Last time we were here, I thought we really got hurt on our breaking ball, and Glenn went out there tonight and really had a good game plan tonight. He and [Cam Gallagher] worked really well together tonight. Sparkman was able to use his fastball in counts going up in the zone when he had to. He also got a lot of groundball outs. He threw a really, really good ball game."
"The seventh inning was his last inning no matter what. It's crazy because he's our one guy that's on an 85-pitch pitch limit. If he's a normal guy on a 100-pitch limit he's got a chance to go nine innings there. But the seventh inning was his last no matter what."
"We manufactured some runs tonight and also got a big hit on Bubba [Starling's] homer. You normally don't bunt in the second inning, but I just felt like we needed to get a run on the board. It worked out for us and kind of relaxed everybody and the offense kind of picked up after that. We've got to do what we've got to do. There are times when we have to play small ball. We swung the bats well tonight, but we're not the type of offense that's going to consistently put up 12 hits on the board. From here-on-out we've got to make the most of every opportunity."
"Well, every time I've said that I thought we were turning the corner, we didn't turn the corner. So you know what? I'm not going to say anything about the corner. We'll just have to wait and see."
Starting Pitcher Glenn Sparkman:
"I just kept doing what I was doing. As the game went on I was getting a pretty good feel for my pitches. There was a feeling in the air. Everything felt good when I was warming up, there was a big crowd, and it just felt like it was going to be a big night. I went out there focused on throwing strikes and I was able to get it done."
"That was the furthest I have taken a no-hitter into a game, dating back even as far as Little League. I didn't really think about it though, because when you start getting that in your mind you lose focus on what you're supposed to do and lose track of the task a hand. So I kept going out there every inning with a fresh slate, just focused on pounding the strike zone."
"We're not a very superstitious group. We didn't do anything different tonight when [the no-hitter] was going on. None of that kind of stuff"
"I think that rough week where we got no-hit back-to-back really got into guys' minds. We've been working really hard and have been really sharp since then."

 

[dawrestling]

Re: UD/Natl HS Baseball Reports





ATTENTION: SPORTS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: SUNDAY JULY 6, 2014


CONTACT: MATT JANUS 302-888-5393 OR SETH BERNSTEIN 302-888-2580Almonte Struggles As Blue Rocks Can't Complete Sweep Of Dash
Righty Allows Six Runs Over 4.1 Innings Pitched


Winston-Salem, NC ? Wilmington was unable to complete a three-game sweep of Winston-Salem on Sunday as the Dash handed the Blue Rocks a 7-1 defeat. The loss dropped the Rocks to 41-44 overall on the season and 8-9 in the second half. It also snapped the team's four-game winning streak.


The Dash took an early 1-0 lead in the first inning Sunday and never looked back. Jacob May tripled to lead off the home half of the frame and then scored on an RBI single by Joey DeMichele.


In the fourth inning, Winston-Salem extended its lead to 2-0 when Jack Lopez committed a throwing error, allowing Nick Basto to reach and Keon Barnum to score. Barnum led off the inning with a double and then scored when Lopez threw away a grounder from Basto.



The Blue Rocks scored their lone run of the game in the top of the fifth inning. Jared Schlehuber doubled to left-center field to kick off the rally. He moved to third on a single from Cody Stubbs and came plateward on a groundout from Terrance Gore.


Winston-Salem broke the game open with a five-spot in the bottom of the fifth inning to go ahead 7-1. The rally began with a one-out double from May. After Keenyn Walker drew a free pass, DeMichele doubled to plate May and move Walker to third. Jason Coats then singled home Walker. Later in the frame, Barnum launched a three-run homer to left to put the game out of reach.


Miguel Almonte (5-4, 4.50) suffered the loss for Wilmington after yielding six runs (five earned) on seven hits over 4.1 innings pitched. Angel Sanchez (1-0, 1.29) earned his first win for Winston-Salem by tossing seven fantastic frames. He yielded only a run on four hits while striking out six.


The Blue Rocks return to action Monday night when they kick off a four-game series in Woodbridge, Virginia, against the Potomac Nationals. Wilmington will send right-hander Luis Santos (1-1, 7.06) to the mound, while Potomac will counter with fellow righty Ian Dickson (1-6, 6.11). First pitch is slated for 7:05 p.m. and fans can listen to the broadcast on 89.7 WGLS-FM.
The Rocks return to Frawley Stadium on July 11 for the first game of a four-game homestand against the Salem Red Sox. For tickets, call 302-888-BLUE or visit BlueRocks.com.
PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:


Sunday afternoon's game was the Blue Rocks' final contest in Winston-Salem this season. The Blue Crew finished 4-5 at BB&T Ballpark in 2014. The two clubs also had a game canceled due to weather on June 11. Wilmington opened the season with a pair of wins at BB&T Ballpark but dropped five of its next seven there. It is the first road venue that the Blue Rocks have wrapped up play at this season.


Since April 21, Miguel Almonte has gone at least five innings in every start but two. Both short outings have come at Winston-Salem against the Dash. Almonte struggled in Sunday afternoon's start against the Winston-Salem Dash. The right-handed hurler tossed 4.1 frames and yielded five runs (six earned) on seven hits. He also issued two free passes. On June 10, Almonte left after the fourth inning with elbow discomfort. Overall this season against the Dash, Almonte is 1-2 with a 3.86 ERA in three starts. He has punched out 10, walked 5 and allowed 14 hits in 14 innings pitched.


Mark Threlkeld and Ramon Torres have continued to impress during their brief tenures in Wilmington. On Sunday, Threlkeld went 1-for-3 with a walk while Torres went 1-for-4. Since joining the Blue Crew from Double-A Northwest Arkansas, Threlkeld is 5-for-11 with two runs and a walk. Torres is 4-for-14 with two runs, a triple, three RBIs and a walk since his promotion from Low-A Lexington. While playing for the Naturals, Threlkeld hit .253 with seven homers, 10 doubles, a triple and 26 RBIs. With the Legends, Torres batted .304 with five homers, 15 doubles, two triples and 25 RBIs in 73 games.


When Cody Stubbs started in right field Sunday, he became the first Blue Rock this season to have appeared at three different positions in the field. Stubbs has played first base, in left field and in right field. He has also been the team's designated hitter this year, as well. Prior to this season, the slugger had not played any position in the field but first base as a professional. Stubbs is batting .197 when he plays first base, .375 when he plays left field and is 1-for-2 now as a right fielder. As the designated hitter, Stubbs has hit .174. Overall, Stubbs is batting .227 this season with six doubles, four triples, 27 RBIs and a team-leading eight homers.


THEY SAID IT:


Manager Darryl Kennedy:


"[Miguel Almonte] didn't have his good stuff. A lot of different arm angles and release points. He was battling his mechanics all day. He didn't have it today. It was a bad day for him. I thought he gutted through the first four innings and then the fifth inning it kind of caught up to him."


"It started in the first inning with the first hitter of the game when Bubba [Starling] goes for a ball he really shouldn't have gone for. You let the guy get a single and let's play from there. He ends up getting a triple and they score a run. With the throwing error, Jack [Lopez] fielded it and I don't think he had a grip on it and tried to throw it anyway. It wasn't one of our best games but…it's baseball and things like that are going to happen. The silver lining in all of this is we won 2-of-3 and took a series. That's what we've got to do. From here on out we need to win series. If, at the cost of winning a series, is playing one bad game, I'm going to take it just to win a series."


"The funny thing is, what a lot of people don't understand, is Winston-Salem is third in the league in pitching. It's not like we should be rolling over and crushing that team. They've got a very good pitching staff. Their team ERA is right behind ours. Normally, you're going to have close guys with those guys. Even though this is a hitter-friendly ballpark they do a very good job of pitching."


"[Mark Threlkeld] takes very good ABs day in and day out. He comes to play. He plays hard, runs the bases hard and he's going to give you a good at-bat"


"I had Ramon [Torres] a couple of years ago in the AZL. I love what he brings on a daily basis. He brings a lot of energy, can steal a base, bunt and he can drive the ball as well. He plays a very good infield, no matter where you put him. He plays a very good shortstop, second base, third base and he gives us a lot of flexibility and depth to our infield."

 

[dawrestling]

Re: UD/Natl HS Baseball Reports


ATTENTION: SPORTS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: TUESDAY JULY 8, 2014

CONTACT: MATT JANUS 302-888-5393 OR SETH BERNSTEIN 302-888-2580

Santos Combines With Late Offense To Lift Rocks Over Potomac
Wilmington Notches Fifth Win In Its Last Six Games

Woodbridge, VA ?Luis Santos turned in his second straight strong outing and the Wilmington offense overcame a slow start as the Blue Rocks beat the Potomac Nationals, 5-1, on Monday at Pfitzner Stadium. Santos (2-1) allowed just one run on three hits in six innings to earn a second consecutive victory over the P-Nats. At the plate, the Rocks scored all of their runs over the final five frames as they moved their record back to .500 in the season's second half (9-9) and improved to 42-44 overall in 2014. It was the Blue Crew's fifth win in their last six games.

Santos retired the first five batters he faced before running into a little two-strike, two-out trouble in the second. He plunked Mike McQuillan with an 0-2 pitch in the shoulder and then yielded an 0-2 double off the bat of Justin Miller. Miller's grounder snuck just inside the third-base line and plated McQuillan to put Potomac on top, 1-0. Santos would then retire 13 of the last 16 batters he faced, never allowing a runner to advance further than second base. He fanned five and walked only one, needing just 79 pitches to make it through six frames and earn the win.

His support came from an offense that out-hit the P-Nats, 10-5. Wilmington ran itself out of opportunities in the first and second innings and then saw double plays thwart potential rallies in the fourth and fifth frames. But with two outs and the bases empty in the fifth, Jared Schlehuber erased all of the Rocks' early frustration by blasting a titanic solo home run over the left-centerfield fence. Wilmington opened the sixth inning with a single by Ramon Torres, an RBI triple by Raul Mondesi and a run-scoring double off the bat of Bubba Starling to take a 3-1 edge. A Mondesi double and an ensuing RBI single by Starling pushed the edge to three runs in the eighth, while Cam Gallagher capped the scoring with a sacrifice fly to right in the ninth.

Potomac starter Ian Dickson (1-7) took the loss by allowing three runs on eight hits in six frames. He almost got off the hook when Potomac brought the tying-run to the plate with two outs in the eighth, but Rocks closer Mark Peterson entered the game and promptly shut the door by inducing a rally-killing pop up. The right-hander worked a one-two-three ninth to record his 17th save of the season.

The Blue Rocks return to action Tuesday night when they continue their four-game series against the P-Nats. Wilmington will send southpaw Sean Manaea (2-7, 4.75) to the mound, while Potomac will counter with righty Brian Rauh (1-1, 5.08). First pitch is slated for 7:05 p.m. and fans can listen to the broadcast on 89.7 WGLS-FM.

The Rocks return to Frawley Stadium on July 11 for the first game of a four-game homestand against the Salem Red Sox. For tickets, call 302-888-BLUE or visit BlueRocks.com.

PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:

Luis Santos has now strung two of the best starts of his Advanced-A career together over his last two outings. Coincidentally, both have come against the first-half champion Potomac Nationals. Santos allowed just one run on three hits in 5.2 innings on July 1 to earn his first win since joining the Blue Rocks in late-May. He followed that up with his excellent start on Monday. Thanks to his last 11.2 frames, Santos has lowered his ERA from 8.37 to 6.11. Santos began the campaign with Low-A Lexington and put up stellar numbers for the Legends prior to his promotion to the Blue Rocks. With Lexington, he was 4-1 with a 1.76 ERA in nine appearances (six starts). He struck out 34 and walked just five while yielding only 33 hits in 46 innings pitched. Santos was signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Pittsburgh Pirates on April 18, 2011. He spent 2011 with the Dominican Pirates and had a 2-1 record and 2.70 ERA. In 2012, Santos split time between the Dominican Pirates 1 and the Dominican Pirates 2. The six-foot hurler was traded from the Pirates organization to the Kansas City Royals organization on November 28, 2012. He was sent to the Royals along with lefty Luis Rico in exchange for right-hander Vin Mazzaro and first-baseman Clint Robinson.

Raul Mondesi busted his way out of a 5-for-51 slump on Monday by going 2-for-4 with a pair of extra-base hits. The switch hitter tripled from the left side of the batter's box in sixth inning and then roped a double batting from the right side just two frames later. Mondesi also drove in a run and scored twice in Monday's victory. It was a good day all around for the 18-year-old, who was named the 22nd-ranked prospect in all of baseball by Baseball America, which released its midseason top 50 prospects list on Monday afternoon. Mondesi is batting just .220 on the season, but is the youngest player in the Carolina League, and is widely viewed by many scouts as the best defensive infielder in all of Advanced-A.

Glenn Sparkman took a no-hitter into the seventh inning on the Fourth of July, and before the game on Monday he was named Carolina League Pitcher of the Week for the effort. Sparkman lost his bid for a no-no with one out in the seventh, but it was the only hit he allowed in a career-long seven-inning outing of a 5-0 Wilmington win. Sparkman set the tone early by fanning the first two batters he faced. He finished his night in similar fashion by punching out the final two hitters he opposed as well. In between, the right-hander worked five one-two-three innings. The only base runner he allowed over the first six innings came on Ramon Torres' one-out error in the third. Sparkman paid it little attention, however, retiring the next two batters he faced. Joey DeMichele was the lone Winston-Salem batter to register a hit off the righty, lining a single into center with one down in the seventh. Sparkman finished his night with nine strikeouts and no walks. Sparkman took a no-hitter deeper into a game than any Blue Rocks pitcher this season. Luis Santos was the only other Wilmington hurler to make it through five frames without yielding a knock in 2014. Sparkman also turned in only the third start by a Blue Rocks pitcher not named Christian Binford that lasted at least seven innings. Binford did it five times on his own. Wilmington is now 7-1 in Sparkman's eight starts. Since shifting to the rotation Sparkman has posted a 2-1 mark and a 1.13 ERA. His only loss came when he yielded one run in six innings as the Hillcats no-hit the Blue Rocks on June 27.
THEY SAID IT:

MANAGER DARRYL KENNEDY: "He was able to get away with some pitches up early in the game, but did a good job getting the ball down when he had to at that point in the game. Then he really seemed to settle in and pitched a very good ballgame. With him, he's got that herky-jerky delivery and he throws enough pitches up and in that he gets the hitters a little defensive. That pays off for him. He gets them off balance and when he comes back and locates he's tough to deal with. He pitched a heck of a game and put us in position to win."

"At least when were making mistakes on the base paths it was mistakes being aggressive, and we haven't always been aggressive enough on the bases, especially with balls in the dirt."

"It looked like we were swinging the bats pretty well, we just weren't getting anything out of it, but then Jared comes up and gets that home run, which catapulted us to some success. That was a big spot for us there."

"It was good to see [Raul] Mondesi get some hits for us [Monday} and see that smile back on his face. We hadn't seen that smile in a while. I know he's been struggling, but we tend to forget he's only 18-years-old. He's been going through some growing pains, but hopefully this is a sign that he's starting to come out of it. We definitely need his presence in our lineup. Then Bubba swung it well again. He's really been hitting the ball well for a couple weeks now, it just goes a little unnoticed at times. We really need both of those guys to get going. Hopefully with the additions of Ramon Torres and Mark Threlkeld it takes some of the pressure off those guys and allows them to relax a little bit.

"Mondesi is a guy who you've always watched in the past play stellar defense, but his bat has been right there with him. I think he has really shown this year what he is, simply because his bat hasn't always been there, but his defense never stopped. For an 18-year-old kid to not let his offense carry over into his defense is very impressive and pretty rare. That's why he is who he is."

"We are definitely a little more balanced now. We were very right-hand dominant most of the first half. With two switch hitters now [Mondesi and Torres] it helps us out. And then it also gives us a lot of flexibility with really three shortstops available in the infield between Jack Lopez, Mondesi and Torres. That's only going to improve our defense which has been a strength of ours all year long."

"[Mark] Peterson has really gone unnoticed in terms of his importance to our team this year. I remember earlier in the season he worked four innings to get a save. It seems like whatever we need him to do for us, he just gets it done. I have a lot of confidence in that man."

Blue Rocks Baseball = AffordaFUNability!
www.bluerocks.com

 

[dawrestling]

Re: UD/Natl HS Baseball Reports

From: [/B]"Matt Janus via RocksMedia"
To: [/B]"Rocksmedia"
Sent: [/B]Thursday, July 10, 2014 9:46:43 PM
Subject: [/B][Rocks Media] Rocks Fall To P-Nats In Thursday's Opener, Nightcap Suspended Due To Rain



ATTENTION: SPORTS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: THURSDAY JULY 10, 2014


CONTACT: MATT JANUS 302-888-5393 OR SETH BERNSTEIN 302-888-2580Rocks Fall To P-Nats In Thursday's Opener, Nightcap Suspended Due To Rain
Suspended Contest Deadlocked At One, Will Resume On July 16


Woodbridge, VA ? Wilmington dropped the opener of Thursday's doubleheader against Potomac, 4-3, while the nightcap between the Blue Rocks and Nationals was tied, 1-1, after five-and-a-half innings when rain forced the suspension of play. The P-Nats walked off on the Blue Rocks in game one courtesy of an RBI single from Tony Renda. With the loss, Wilmington fell to 42-45 overall and 9-10 in the second half. The suspended game will be resumed on Wednesday, July 16, prior to the originally-scheduled meeting between the two clubs.



Game one was deadlocked at three entering the home half of the seventh inning, but Tony Renda's walk-off single handed the P-Nats a 4-3 victory. Pedro Severino led off the frame with a single up the middle. He advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Eury Perez and to third on a passed ball by Zane Evans. Reliever Zeb Sneed intentionally walked Stephen Perez to put runners at the corners for Renda, who ripped a single to left to end the game.


The Blue Crew evened the score of the opener, 3-3, with a pair of tallies in the top of the third. Daniel Rockett, Jack Lopez and Raul Mondesi hit consecutive singles to start the inning, loading the bases with nobody out. After Bubba Starling lined to second for the first out of the frame, Mark Threlkeld reached on a fielding error by third-baseman Cody Dent. That allowed Rockett and Lopez to head plateward and even the score.


Both clubs scored single tallies in the second. In the top half of the frame, Evans connected with the first pitch he saw from Dakota Bacus for his second home run of the year. In the bottom half, Renda lifted a sacrifice fly to center, allowing Eury Perez to score. He had reached on a one-out single off of Sean Manaea.


Potomac struck first with two runs in the bottom of the first inning. Eury Perez singled and stole both second and third. Stephen Perez then walked to put runners at the corners for Renda, who hit a sacrifice fly to center. After Shawn Pleffner walked, advancing Stephen Perez to second, and Randolph Oduber flew out, Khayyan Norfork drew a base on balls to load the bases. Estarlin Martinez sent home Stephen Perez with an RBI single to left, making it 2-0 Nationals.


In the nightcap, both teams remained hitless until the fifth inning, when Ramon Torres and Cam Gallagher hit back-to-back two-out singles. However, the Blue Rocks did not score in the frame.


In the bottom half of the fifth, Potomac managed to break through and score a single tally against reliever Johnny Walter. Norfork singled to center with one out and then advanced on a walk by Mike McQuillan. Martinez drove home Norfork with an RBI single to make it 1-1, Nationals.


The Blue Rocks answered in the top of the sixth with a tally of their own to draw even at 1-1. Terrance Gore reached on a bunt single and then stole second. He advanced to third on a groundout by Jack Lopez and scored on a sacrifice fly by Raul Mondesi.


After five-and-a-half innings, rain forced the suspension of play. Statistics will not count until the game is completed on June 16.



Sneed (3-2, 2.38) took the game-one loss for Wilmington while Gilberto Mendez (5-3, 2.50) picked up his fifth win for Potomac in the opener.


The Rocks return to action Friday night at Frawley Stadium as they kick off a four-game set against the Salem Red Sox. Wilmington will send righty Glenn Sparkman (4-2, 1.56) to the mound while Salem will counter with lefty Corey Littrell (5-4, 3.99). First pitch is slated for 7:05 p.m. and fans can listen to the broadcast on 89.7 WGLS-FM. For tickets, call 302-888-BLUE or visit BlueRocks.com.



PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:


Brandon Finnegan made his professional debut for the Blue Rocks in Thursday's nightcap. The hard-throwing southpaw was fantastic and threw two perfect innings while striking out one. However, because the game was suspended, his statistics will not count until the game is competed on June 16. The Kansas City Royals selected Finnegan No. 17 overall in the First Round of the 2014 Draft. He played collegiately for TCU and dazzled across three excellent seasons there. With TCU, Finnegan posted a career 13-16 record and 2.77 ERA. He struck out 276 and walked 94 there across 247.1 innings. However, his final season is the one that really stood out. Finnegan went 9-3 with a 2.04 ERA, 234 strikeouts and 29 walks in 105.2 innings pitched this spring. He was a standout performer while leading TCU to just its second College World Series berth in school history. Finnegan was named First-Team All-Big 12 for his efforts. The honors did not stop there. Louisville Slugger, Baseball America and Perfect Game all named him a third-team All-American. Finnegan was also drafted out of high school in the 45th Round of the 2011 Draft by the Texas Rangers.



Blake Wood made his first appearance of the season in a Blue Rocks uniform in Thursday's nightcap. Wood hurled a pair of perfect frames and struck out three of the six batters he faced. Like Finnegan, his numbers will not count until the game has been completed on June 16. The hard-throwing reliever began the 2014 campaign in the Major Leagues as a member of the Cleveland Indians' bullpen. He made the club out of Spring Training and went 0-1 with a 7.11 ERA in 7 appearances. The righty fanned seven and walked seven in 6.1 innings before being sent to Triple-A Columbus. After posting no record and a 1.12 ERA in nine appearances with the Clippers, Wood was designated for assignment by the Indians on May 27. On June 2, he was claimed by the Kansas City Royals and assigned to Triple-A Omaha, where he walked 10 and yielded five runs on five hits over 4.2 innings pitched. Wood, who is on Kansas City's 40-man roster, had his option transferred to Wilmington on July 9. The Atlanta, Georgia, native has spent parts of four seasons in the Major Leagues. He owns a career 6-7 record and 4.39 ERA in 115 relief appearances in the Big Leagues. The 2011 campaign was a standout one for Wood. He went 5-3 with a 3.75 ERA in 55 games as a middle reliever for the Royals. Wood last appeared with the Blue Rocks in 2008. That season, he was 3-2 with a 2.67 ERA in 10 starts for the Blue Crew prior to a promotion to Double-A Northwest Arkansas.


Potomac's walk-off win in Thursday's opener was the sixth by a Blue Rocks opponent this season. It was also the second of the year by the Potomac Nationals. On June 6, the last time the P-Nats walked off on the Blue Crew, Wilmington held a 10-6 lead entering the bottom of the ninth. The Nationals proceeded to score five times off of Daniel Stumpf and Johnny Walter to win in dramatic fashion. The Myrtle Beach Pelicans, Winston-Salem Dash and Salem Red Sox (twice) have also walked off on the Rocks. Wilmington also has four walk-off victories this year. The Rocks have won in such fashion against the Pelicans, Red Sox, Carolina Mudcats and Frederick Keys. Thursday's doubleheader was the seventh of the campaign for the Blue Crew. The Rocks are 1-2-3 in twin-bills, thus far, with the result of Thursday's doubleheader still hanging in the balance.


Sean Manaea allowed two first-inning runs and a second-frame tally before settling in to throw five solid innings in Thursday's opener for the Blue Crew. Only two of the runs were earned and the 6-foot-5 southpaw also punched out seven while walking four. Last time out, on July 2 against the Nationals, Manaea had to depart the game after just one frame because of a two-hour rain delay. Excluding that outing, he has gone five-plus innings in three consecutive starts. Manaea has now completed five or more frames in seven of his 16 starts this season. Overall, he is 2-7 on the year with a 4.66 ERA, the lowest his ERA has been since April 14, when it registered at 3.24. Manaea has also allowed 69 hits, fanned 86 and walked 34 in 65.2 innings. His 86 strikeouts are third among active Carolina League pitchers.


THEY SAID IT:


Manager Darryl Kennedy:



"You combine [the weather] with constantly being on the road and home for a short bit and back on the road, it's really been a crazy month. You can't mess with Mother Nature. You deal with rainouts as much as you can. We came out in the first game and I thought we competed pretty well, swung the bats pretty well. [For Sean] Manaea, those first two innings really did him in. He did a very good job of righting the ship and throwing three solid innings to go five innings."
"It was very important. If we had to get [Sean Manaea] after that first inning, we're talking the second game being a lot different. We knew we only had [Brandon] Finnegan going only two innings. Blake Wood was only going to go two innings. Then we had [Johnny] Walter, which, if we didn't get [five innings from Manaea], then…it kind of takes away the flexibility we had in the second game. [Johnny] Walter had plenty of pitches to go with but, right before the rainout, I felt good about [Kyle] Bartsch coming in and facing [Khayyan] Norfork. But the rain came and the skies opened up and we've got to come back here and, basically, play five games in three days."


"[Brandon Finnegan threw well], especially in an unusual circumstance, where he comes to the ballpark [Wednesday] thinking he's going to pitch, then we get rained out, then he comes [Thursday] and has to wait for the second game. He handled it very well and threw the ball very well…He's going to pitch two innings again in his next outing and I think we're going to bump him up tot here innings. He's not going to be out there like a normal starter because of the number of innings he threw in college."


"[Blake Wood] threw the ball great. He threw the ball like I remember watching him pitch when he was here in 2008, the last time we were both here together. [He's a] power arm, [and is] just down here to get some work in and I don't expect him to be here too long."


"You look at that [fifth inning] and Gore has really struggled lately with being able to put a bunt in play. He lays down a perfect bunt and then he steals second. Then Lopez gives himself up, does a great job with two strikes to get him to third. Mondesi comes in and gets a sacrifice fly. It kind of goes unnoticed but [it's] huge. That whole inning there is why we still have a chance to win this ballgame."
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[/B][Rocks Media] Three-Run Second Not Enough As Wilmington Falls To Salem In Extras



ATTENTION: SPORTS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2014


CONTACT: MATT JANUS 302-888-5393 OR SETH BERNSTEIN 302-888-2580


Three-Run Second Not Enough As Wilmington Falls To Salem In Extras
Red Sox Walk Off On Blue Rocks For Third Time This Season


Salem, VA ? A three-run second inning wasn't enough for the Blue Rocks as the Salem Red Sox stormed back to beat Wilmington, 4-3, in walk-off fashion on Friday night at Salem Memorial Ballpark. The loss spoiled a solid return to the Blue Crew for starting pitcher Brooks Pounders, who worked five strong innings. The Blue Rocks fell to 28-29 in the second half and to 61-64 overall. They trail the first-place Potomac Nationals by six games and maintain a one-game lead over the Lynchburg Hillcats for the C.L. North Wild Card spot.


Jantzen Witte provided the heroics for Salem with a bases-loaded walk-off single to left in the bottom of the 10th inning. After pitching a scoreless ninth, Andrew Edwards returned to the mound for the Blue Crew in the 10th. Matty Johnson and Carlos Asuaje greeted him with back-to-back singles. Edwards then walked Reed Gragnani intentionally to load the bases with nobody out for Witte, who promptly singled to end the game.


The Blue Rocks appeared to have a much better outlook earlier in the evening after a three-run second inning put them ahead, 3-1. Frank Schwindel kicked off the rally with a single to center and advanced to second when Jared Schlehuber was hit by a pitch. Cody Stubbs then singled to load the bases for Cam Gallagher, who doubled home Schwindel and Schlehuber. Stubbs scored on an RBI groundout from Michael Antonio.


Salem opened the scoring in the home half of the first inning courtesy of an RBI single by Reed Gragnani. Johnson led off the frame with a single, moved to second on a wild pitch and advanced to third on a flyout to right by Asuaje.


After the Blue Rocks took the lead in the second inning, the Red Sox battled back to even the score at three with single tallies in the fifth and the seventh. Gragnani plated Asuaje in the fifth with his second RBI single of the night. After a leadoff double, Dreily Guerrero came around to score on a throwing error by relief pitcher Luis Santos.



Despite taking a no-decision, Brooks Pounders was excellent on Friday for the Blue Rocks. He gave up two runs (one earned) on five hits and one walk in five innings pitched. Pounders also struck out six, which was two shy of a career-high.

Jonathan Aro (2-0, 3.00) picked up the win for Salem while Edwards (0-3, 5.56) took the loss for Wilmington.
The Rocks return to action on Saturday night at Salem Memorial Ballpark for the second of four games against the Salem Red Sox. Wilmington will send southpaw Jonathan Dziedzic (5-7, 2.61) to the mound. Salem will counter with fellow lefty Cody Kukuk (4-6, 5.13). First pitch is slated for 6:05 p.m. and fans can listen to the broadcast on 89.7 WGLS-FM.
PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:


Brooks Pounders returned to the Blue Rocks on Friday for the first time since 2012 with an outstanding start against the Salem Red Sox. The 6-foot-5 right-hander tossed five sterling frames and gave up two runs (one earned) on five hits and one walk. He also fanned six while putting together his longest outing of the year. Pounders, who spent all of 2013 with Double-A Northwest Arkansas, is on the road to recovery after surgery late last year. His 2014 campaign began at Rookie-Level Idaho Falls on July 16 with a shutout inning against Billings. In all, Pounders made six appearances (five starts) for the Chukars after his return to the mound. He was 0-1 there with a 4.80 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 15 innings pitched. At Northwest Arkansas last year, Pounders was 5-7 with a 4.50 ERA in 27 games (19 starts) prior to his mid-August injury. On June 27, 2013, he threw a complete-game no-hitter, the first in Naturals history. Back in 2012, during his first stint in Wilmington, Pounders went 6-4 with a 4.32 ERA in 16 games (15 starts).


Frank Schwindel continued to impress with his bat in Friday night's 4-3 loss in Salem. The right-handed hitting slugger moved to the cleanup spot for the first time and was 1-for-4 with a run. Schwindel has now started his Blue Rocks career with hits in four consecutive contests. He finished Thursday night's contest in Myrtle Beach 1-for-3 with a home run and a walk. He went 2-for-3 with a home run and a walk on Wednesday and was 2-for-4 on Tuesday in his Blue Crew debut. Schwindel is now a combined 6-for-14 with two homers and two walks in his first four games with Wilmington. Prior to Schwindel, only four Blue Rocks had recorded two hits in their first start with the club this season: Hunter Dozier on April 3, Cody Stubbs on April 4, Tyler Chism on April 6 and Mark Threlkeld on July 4. Schwindel began the campaign with Low-A Lexington, where he had the best offensive season of anyone on the team. In 102 games with the Legends, he batted .286 with 29 doubles, three triples, 20 homers and 20 RBIs. Schwindel is in his second season as a pro. He played in 64 games for Rookie-Level Idaho Falls a year and batted .300 with 14 doubles, a triple, six homers and 25 RBIs.


The second inning has been kind to Wilmington during its current road trip to Myrtle Beach and Salem. After scoring three times in the frame on Friday, the Rocks have amassed a combined eight second-inning tallies in the first four games of the trip. A Cam Gallagher two-RBI double and a Michael Antonio RBI groundout provided the second-inning runs on Friday. Frank Schwindel hit second-frame solo home runs on Wednesday and on Thursday. In Tuesday night's contest, Zane Evans, Cam Gallagher and Jared Schlehuber all hit solo home runs in the second. Wilmington has now scored a combined 32 runs in the second inning this season, the fewest of any regulation frame. The ninth inning is second-to-last with 33 total tallies. The Rocks' best inning has been the fifth, when they have plated a combined 70 runs.


Friday night's loss marked the third time this season that the Blue Crew has been walked off on at Salem Memorial Ballpark. Each of the three walk-off losses has been distinct. Andrew Edwards loaded the bases on Friday with nobody out before Jantzen Witte plated Matty Johnson with an RBI single to win it for Salem. On June 30, Ryan Dent hit a walk-off two-run homer for the Red Sox off of Daniel Stumpf. Back on May 5, Johnson sent Dreily Guerrero plateward on an RBI double to right. Wilmington is now 6-8 this season in games decided during the final at-bat. Friday's contest also dropped the Rocks to 3-5 in extra-inning games during the 2014 campaign.


THEY SAID IT:


Manager Darryl Kennedy:


"We just didn't make the plays. We've been very good defensively all year and it just let us down at the wrong time. We had a popup that we couldn't catch. That really hurt us. The other two are throwing errors. That happens in a game. Especially Gallagher with the stolen base. It kind of short-hopped. A good baserunner jumps up and takes third. The other one was a hurried one on a bunt. The one that really hurts was the popup. You've got to have those outs. Again, you can't dwell on that and we didn't do anything offensively after that second inning. We gave them a chance to stay in the game."


"First inning, I thought [Brooks Pounders] just gave up a couple of hits but we limited it to one run. In the second inning, he got two quick outs and then worked himself into a little bit of a jam. After that, I thought he pitched well and did a good job. Overall, it was a pretty good outing for him."


"[Brett Eibner] is just missing balls that normally he would hit. His timing is still a little off, but hopefully he can get it going soon."


"Winning games [is how one team will set itself apart]. We've got to win. Like I said [Thursday]. We're in the driver's seat. It's up to us. All we've got to do is play and win. It's nice that the other teams are helping out but you can't limp into this or backdoor into it by everybody else losing. You've got to start winning games and that's what we've got to do."


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[Rocks Media] Rocks Muster Just Three Hits As P-Nats Sweep Wednesday Night Twin-Bill



ATTENTION: SPORTS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2014


CONTACT: MATT JANUS 302-888-5393 OR SETH BERNSTEIN 302-888-2580


Rocks Muster Just Three Hits As P-Nats Sweep Wednesday Night Twin-Bill
Wilmington Falls 1.5 Games Behind Lynchburg In Wild Card Chase.


Wilmington, DE - The Blue Rocks were shut out in both ends of Wednesday night's doubleheader against Potomac, with the Nationals taking each contest by a score of 3-0. Wilmington hitters managed just three hits combined between the two contests. With the pair of defeats, the Rocks fell to 29-34 in the second half and 62-69 overall. They also dropped to 1.5 games behind Lynchburg and a half-game behind Frederick for the C.L. North Wild Card spot. Potomac clinched the C.L. North title with their victory in the opener.


John Wooten's two-run homer in the third inning was the big blow for Potomac in the nightcap. Tony Renda singled with one out and came around to score on Wooten's two-out blast.



Potomac extended its lead to 3-0 in the seventh inning on an RBI triple by Isaac Ballou. Craig Manuel had walked to lead off the frame.


Johnny Walter turned in a solid start for the Blue Rocks in the nightcap. He tossed 4.2 innings and yielded two runs on three hits and four walks. He also struck out six.
In the opener, Potomac's two-run fourth inning was the difference in the game.


Estarlin Martinez crushed a two-run double to right-center off of Brooks Pounders to put the P-Nats ahead, 2-0. John Wooten reached on a fielder's choice grounder and Khayyan Norfork then walked to set up Martinez's big hit. Martinez was then thrown out at third base, attempting to stretch the double into a triple.


Stephen Perez's RBI double in the fifth inning extended the Nationals' lead to 3-0. Pedro Severino singled to lead off the inning and then a batter later, Perez's double scored him all the way from first.


Pounders gutted his way through 6.2 innings for the Blue Rocks, one out shy of a complete game, and gave up three runs on seven hits. The 6-foot-5 righty walked two, hit a batter and struck out seven. He threw 96 pitches on the evening, 64 of them for strikes.


Matthew Spann (9-5, 3.92) picked up the win for Potomac with six shutout innings in the opener. He threw just 59 pitches, 39 of them for strikes. Pounders (0-1, 3.09) took the tough-luck loss for Wilmington in game one. Gilberto Mendez earned his 14th save of the year.


Kylin Turnbull (3-3, 4.41) was victorious in the nightcap for the P-Nats and threw six shutout innings of his own. He hurled 60 pitches, 47 of them for strikes. Walter (5-3, 3.77) suffered the defeat for the Blue Rocks in game two. Jake Walsh picked up his second save for the Nationals.


The Rocks return to action on Thursday night at Frawley Stadium for the third of five games against the Potomac Nationals. Wilmington will send southpaw Jonathan Dziedzic (5-7, 2.65) to the mound while Potomac will counter with fellow lefty Hector Silvestre (1-2, 5.40). First pitch is slated for 6:35 p.m. and fans can listen to the broadcast on 89.7 WGLS-FM.
PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:
Johnny Walter made his third spot start of the season - and his third career professional start - in Wednesday's nightcap against Potomac. Walter threw 4.2 solid innings in the longest outing as a pro. The righty yielded three runs on three hits while suffering a tough-luck defeat. Walter walked four and struck out six, which ties the career-high he set in a relief appearance on July 2 against Potomac. Walter is 0-2 with a 4.76 in his three starts this year and has posted a 5-1 and a 3.55 ERA as a reliever this year. Though he had not made a start in the professional ranks until this month, Walter was very familiar with the role. During his three seasons at Penn State University, 35 of Walter's 48 career appearances were starts. Following his sophomore campaign, when he went 6-4 with a 3.19 ERA in 15 starts, Walter was named third-team All-Big Ten. Overall this season, Walter is 5-3 with a 3.77 ERA in 28 appearances (three starts). He has fanned 44, walked 22 and given up 64 hits in 62 innings pitched.


Brooks Pounders made his second start since returning to the Blue Rocks in Wednesday's opener. The 6-foot-5 righty gutted through 6.2 excellent frames, yielding three runs on seven hits. Pounders walked two, struck out seven and threw 96 pitches, 64 of them for strikes. In his first start with Wilmington this year, on August 22, he tossed five sterling frames and gave up two runs (one earned) on five hits and one walk. Pounders, who spent all of 2013 with Double-A Northwest Arkansas, is on the road to recovery after surgery late last year. His 2014 campaign began at Rookie-Level Idaho Falls on July 16 with a shutout inning against Billings. In all, Pounders made six appearances (five starts) for the Chukars after his return to the mound. He was 0-1 there with a 4.80 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 15 innings pitched. At Northwest Arkansas last year, Pounders was 5-7 with a 4.50 ERA in 27 games (19 starts) prior to his mid-August injury. On June 27, 2013, he threw a complete-game no-hitter, the first in Naturals history. Back in 2012, during his first stint in Wilmington, Pounders went 6-4 with a 4.32 ERA in 16 games (15 starts).


Because Brooks Pounders and Johnny Walter pitched deep into each game on Wednesday, the Blue Rocks' pen was not needed much. However, Zeb Sneed and Daniel Stumpf combined to give the Blue Rocks 2.2 solid innings of relief. Sneed recorded the final out of game one after Pounders had reached his pitch limit. He faced one batter, Isaac Ballou, and quickly induced a flyout. Stumpf pitched 2.1 innings in the nightcap after Walter departed the contest. He gave up one run on two hits and one walk while fanning four. The Blue Crew 'pen has been one of the team's strengths throughout the season. They are a combined 31-24 with a collective 2.95 ERA. Blue Rocks' relievers have punched out 403 and issued 129 bases on balls in 2014.


A lack off offense and one big inning by their opponent has plagued the Blue Rocks in each contest during their current four-game skid. On Monday in Salem, the Red Sox broke a 2-2 deadlock with a four-run seventh inning. In Tuesday's 3-1 loss to Potomac, a three-run fifth inning springboarded the P-Nats to victory. Estarlin Martinez provided a two-RBI double for Potomac in the fourth inning in Wednesday's nightcap. That was all the Nationals needed in a 3-0 win. In the nightcap, also a 3-0 loss to Potomac, John Wooten's two-run homer in the third provided the big blow. During Wilmington's four-game losing streak, Wilmington has scored a combined three runs on 16 hits. They have left a total of 20 men on base and have gone a combined 2-for-22 with runners in scoring position.
Three current Blue Rocks and three former Blue Rocks will suit up for the Peoria Javelinas this year in the Arizona Fall League. In all, twenty of MLB.com's top-100 prospects are scheduled to compete in the prestigious post-season league. Bubba Starling, Raul Mondesi and Miguel Almonte are the current Blue Rocks scheduled to compete. In 125 games for the Blue Crew this year, Starling is batting .220 with nine homers and 54 RBIs. Mondesi is hitting .217 with 14 doubles, 11 triples and eight homers in 103 games for Wilmington in 2014. Almonte has posted a 6-7 record and a 4.61 ERA in 22 games (21 starts) for the Blue Crew this season. Hunter Dozier, Sam Selman and Ali Williams will join the trio of current Blue Rocks in Arizona. Dozier and Williams began the campaign in Wilmington and have since been promoted to Double-A Northwest Arkansas. In 66 games for the Blue Crew this season, Dozier hit .295 with 18 doubles and four home runs. Williams turned in no record but had a sparkling 1.88 ERA in 12 relief appearances for the Rocks this season. Selman spent the entire 2013 campaign in Wilmington and went 11-9 with a 3.38 ERA in 27 starts. Vance Wilson, who currently manages the Double-A Northwest Arkansas Naturals, will skipper the Javelinas. Wilson spent the 2012 and 2013 seasons at the helm in Wilmington.
THEY SAID IT:



Acting Manager Justin Gemoll:


"[Our hitters] battled all night. You've got to tip your hat to their guys. They kept us off balance, they threw strikes and they kept the ball down. We hit a few balls hard right at guys, unfortunately. They did a good job of pounding the strike zone and we just didn't get anything to fall."


"Both [Brooks Pounders and Johnny Walter] in my opinion, pitched very well. They competed their tails off out there and they gave us a very good chance of winning those ballgames. They kept us in it and did a great job tonight."


"These guys have battled all year and that's what we're going to keep doing. We're going to keep battling, keep fighting, keep scratching and keep trying to win these ballgames. This is a fun time of year, especially when you've got something to play for. These guys, watching them all year, they're pretty resilient. They all want to win so they'll be out here ready to go tomorrow."


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ATTENTION: SPORTS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014


CONTACT: MATT JANUS 302-888-5393 OR SETH BERNSTEIN 302-888-2580


Offensive Onslaught In 8-0 Win Over Potomac Helps Blue Rocks Keep Pace In Wild Card Chase
Rocks Remain 1.5 Games Behind Lynchburg, Half-Game Behind Frederick


Wilmington, DE - The Blue Rocks broke out of an extended offensive slump on Thursday night during an 8-0 victory over the Potomac Nationals at Frawley Stadium. Prior to Brett Eibner's RBI double in the sixth inning, Wilmington had gone 23.2 consecutive frames without a run. The Rocks scored all eight of their tallies between the sixth and the eighth innings. With the victory, Wilmington improved to 30-34 in the second half and to 63-69 overall. They were also able to keep up with Lynchburg and Frederick in the Wild Card chase. With five games to play, the Rocks sit 1.5 games behind the Hillcats and a half-game behind the Keys.


Eibner's RBI double in the sixth inning broke a scoreless tie and gave the Rocks a lead they would not relinquish. Raul Mondesi tripled into right-center field to lead off the frame and Eibner then pulled a double into the left-field corner to make it 1-0 Wilmington. The relay throw from left-fielder Randolph Oduber was off the mark, allowing Eibner to take an extra base and move to third on the error. A batter later, Frank Schwindel lined an RBI single to right, scoring Eibner to give the Rocks a 2-0 advantage.


Wilmington continued its offensive onslaught in the seventh inning, extending its lead to 5-0 with three more runs. Daniel Rockett kicked off the rally with a leadoff double into the right-field corner. He advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt from Ramon Torres and scored on a single to center by Jack Lopez. Lopez then stole second and moved to third on a bunt single from Mondesi. Eibner walked to load the bases for Zane Evans, who delivered the night's biggest blow, a two-run double to left-center field. Lopez and Mondesi came plateward, while Eibner was gunned down at the plate on a close play to end the threat.


The Rocks put up a crooked number in the eighth inning for the third consecutive frame, increasing their lead to 8-0. Cam Gallagher led off the inning with a single and moved to third on a double to the gap in left by Fred Ford. Rockett singled home Gallagher, pushing the Blue Crew lead to 6-0. On the play, Ford also moved up to third. After Torres walked to re-load the bases, Jack Lopez rolled RBI fielder's choice grounder to third. Third-baseman Khayyan Norfork stepped on the bag to retire Rockett and then fired home to try and get Ford at the plate. The throw was wide, allowing Ford to score and Torres to go from first to third. Torres scored Wilmington's final tally of the evening on a strikeout-wild pitch with Mondesi at the plate.


Jonathan Dziedzic turned in his best start in over a month and kept the Blue Rocks in the game until they finally took the lead in the sixth. Dziedzic hurled six scoreless innings and gave up just five hits. He struck out eight and did not walk a batter.
Dziedzic (6-7, 2.52) was the winning pitcher for Wilmington and picked up his first victory since May 24. Travis Henke (4-2, 6.02) took the loss for Potomac after giving up five runs on seven hits in just two innings of work.


The Rocks return to action on Friday night at Frawley Stadium for the finale of their five-game series against the Nationals. Wilmington will send southpaw Sean Manaea (6-8, 3.30) to the mound while Potomac will counter with right-hander Ian Dickson (5-8, 4.54). First pitch is slated for 7:05 p.m. and fans can listen to the broadcast on 89.7 WGLS-FM.



PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:


Jonathan Dziedzic found his way back into the win column on Thursday for the first time since May 24 with six shutout innings against the Nationals. The southpaw struck out eight, yielded just five hits and did not walk a batter. Although Dziedzic had not won since May, he has been one of Wilmington's most consistent starting pitchers this year. The 2014 Carolina League All-Star has pitched well enough to win in nearly every one of his starts this year. He posted a 1.64 ERA in April, a 3.90 ERA in May, 3.15 ERA in June, a 1.04 ERA in July and a 2.67 ERA in August. Since the All-Star Break, the 6-foot hurler is 1-3 with a 2.25 ERA in 12 starts. On the campaign, Dziedzic is 6-7 with a 2.52 ERA in 24 starts. He has yielded 122 hits and 37 walks while striking out 113 in 125 innings pitched. Dziedzic's 2.52 earned run average is second in the Carolina League, behind only teammate Glenn Sparkman's 1.40 ERA.



Brett Eibner's RBI double in the sixth inning snapped a 23.2-inning scoreless streak for the Blue Rocks, their second longest of the season. The Rocks had not scored since the fifth inning on Tuesday, when Jack Lopez's RBI fielder's choice grounder plated Frank Schwindel during a 3-1 loss to the P-Nats. Wilmington's longest scoreless streak of the campaign spanned 25 frames, from August 3-7. The first game was a 5-4 loss to Frederick, while the final three contests came during a series sweep at the hands of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans that included back-to-back shutout losses. Lopez delivered an RBI groundout in the third inning on August 7 to snap that streak.


Wilmington's eight-run win over Potomac on Thursday was its largest margin of victory this season. The Blue Rocks' previous season-high had been seven runs, something they accomplished four times. The most recent occurrence was August 8, when the Rocks beat Frederick, 8-1. The Blue Crew's eight runs on Thursday were not the team's highest scoring output of the season. Three times this year they have scored 10 runs in a game. Wilmington plated 10 tallies on April 4 at Winston-Salem, June 6 at Potomac and June 8 at Potomac.


Brett Eibner turned in his first multi-hit performance since returning to the Blue Rocks on August 20. Eibner went 3-for-4 with a run, a double and an RBI. He also stole a base. Eibner really struggled in his first eight games with the club. He went just 2-for-26 in those contests, good for a .077 batting average. Eibner's big night raised his average 90 points to .167. Eibner, however, has an on-base percentage of .342. That's because of eight walks in his first nine games back. On August 23, he drew four walks, tying a franchise record and setting a new individual Blue Rocks season-high. He was the first Blue Rock to walk four times in a game since Jeff Corsaletti drew four free passes on July 4, 2006. Eibner began the year with Triple-A Omaha, was placed on the Storm Chasers' Disabled List on June 27 with a right-abdominal strain. He rejoined the Blue Rocks this month for the first time since 2012 to work his way back from the injury. In his first stint with Wilmington, Eibner batted .196 with 15 homers in 120 games.


The Carolina League announced on Thursday that Wilmington Blue Rocks pitcher Glenn Sparkman is the eight-team league's Pitcher of the Year. Sparkman's dominant season has seen him go 8-2 with a league-best 1.40 ERA in 28 appearances (17 starts). Also honored by the Carolina League was former Blue Rocks closer Mark Peterson, who was named to the league's year-end All-Star Team. Sparkman's numbers have been tremendous in virtually every category this year. The right-handed hurler has yielded just 88 hits, 23 runs (18 earned) and 22 walks while striking out 113 in 116 innings pitched. He leads the league with a .209 batting average against and is second in the circuit with a 0.95 WHIP. His best month of the campaign was July. In five starts, he went 3-0 with a 0.87 ERA. He gave up a mere 22 hits and three walks while striking out 28 in 31 innings pitched. Sparkman's dazzling July earned him the Carolina League's Player of the Month award. Peterson's honor comes thanks to his 1.33 ERA in 33 games as Wilmington's closer. The right-hander converted 22 of his 24 save tries. Despite a promotion to Double-A Northwest Arkansas on July 25, Peterson's 22 saves still lead the circuit


THEY SAID IT:


Bench Coach Justin Gemoll:


"Any time we can get a win at this time of year is big. Especially for this team, they've been battling hard all season long. Tonight, we were fortunate enough to get some runs and get some momentum. [Jonathan Dziedzic] did a great job of pitching and holding them down and [Andrew] Edwards came in and did a fantastic job as well, keeping the lead. It was great for this team tonight."


"[Jonathan Dziedzic] did a good job of being aggressive tonight, going right after the hitters. He changed his speeds when he had to. He did a great job of just competing like he has all season."


"[Raul Mondesi] is a high-energy guy. He hit that triple in the gap and got us going. It was just contagious after that. These guys, they battle hard, they have good at bats. They took advantage of some pitches that were out over the plate and put good swings on them."


"Over the past couple of days, we've been hitting some balls hard, just right at people. It's nice to have something to show for it when you do square it up and tonight we found some holes and we just kept it rolling."


"[Brett Eibner] is an older guy. He's been in this league before. Having him around helps the guy. He had some good at-bats tonight, got some key hits for us and ran the bases really hard. He went to second, they overthrew it and he ended up going to third [for example]."


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Re: UD/Natl HS Baseball Reports


ATTENTION: SPORTS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014


CONTACT: MATT JANUS 302-888-5393 OR SETH BERNSTEIN 302-888-2580


Offensive Onslaught In 8-0 Win Over Potomac Helps Blue Rocks Keep Pace In Wild Card Chase
Rocks Remain 1.5 Games Behind Lynchburg, Half-Game Behind Frederick


Wilmington, DE - The Blue Rocks broke out of an extended offensive slump on Thursday night during an 8-0 victory over the Potomac Nationals at Frawley Stadium. Prior to Brett Eibner's RBI double in the sixth inning, Wilmington had gone 23.2 consecutive frames without a run. The Rocks scored all eight of their tallies between the sixth and the eighth innings. With the victory, Wilmington improved to 30-34 in the second half and to 63-69 overall. They were also able to keep up with Lynchburg and Frederick in the Wild Card chase. With five games to play, the Rocks sit 1.5 games behind the Hillcats and a half-game behind the Keys.


Eibner's RBI double in the sixth inning broke a scoreless tie and gave the Rocks a lead they would not relinquish. Raul Mondesi tripled into right-center field to lead off the frame and Eibner then pulled a double into the left-field corner to make it 1-0 Wilmington. The relay throw from left-fielder Randolph Oduber was off the mark, allowing Eibner to take an extra base and move to third on the error. A batter later, Frank Schwindel lined an RBI single to right, scoring Eibner to give the Rocks a 2-0 advantage.


Wilmington continued its offensive onslaught in the seventh inning, extending its lead to 5-0 with three more runs. Daniel Rockett kicked off the rally with a leadoff double into the right-field corner. He advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt from Ramon Torres and scored on a single to center by Jack Lopez. Lopez then stole second and moved to third on a bunt single from Mondesi. Eibner walked to load the bases for Zane Evans, who delivered the night's biggest blow, a two-run double to left-center field. Lopez and Mondesi came plateward, while Eibner was gunned down at the plate on a close play to end the threat.


The Rocks put up a crooked number in the eighth inning for the third consecutive frame, increasing their lead to 8-0. Cam Gallagher led off the inning with a single and moved to third on a double to the gap in left by Fred Ford. Rockett singled home Gallagher, pushing the Blue Crew lead to 6-0. On the play, Ford also moved up to third. After Torres walked to re-load the bases, Jack Lopez rolled RBI fielder's choice grounder to third. Third-baseman Khayyan Norfork stepped on the bag to retire Rockett and then fired home to try and get Ford at the plate. The throw was wide, allowing Ford to score and Torres to go from first to third. Torres scored Wilmington's final tally of the evening on a strikeout-wild pitch with Mondesi at the plate.


Jonathan Dziedzic turned in his best start in over a month and kept the Blue Rocks in the game until they finally took the lead in the sixth. Dziedzic hurled six scoreless innings and gave up just five hits. He struck out eight and did not walk a batter.
Dziedzic (6-7, 2.52) was the winning pitcher for Wilmington and picked up his first victory since May 24. Travis Henke (4-2, 6.02) took the loss for Potomac after giving up five runs on seven hits in just two innings of work.


The Rocks return to action on Friday night at Frawley Stadium for the finale of their five-game series against the Nationals. Wilmington will send southpaw Sean Manaea (6-8, 3.30) to the mound while Potomac will counter with right-hander Ian Dickson (5-8, 4.54). First pitch is slated for 7:05 p.m. and fans can listen to the broadcast on 89.7 WGLS-FM.



PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:


Jonathan Dziedzic found his way back into the win column on Thursday for the first time since May 24 with six shutout innings against the Nationals. The southpaw struck out eight, yielded just five hits and did not walk a batter. Although Dziedzic had not won since May, he has been one of Wilmington's most consistent starting pitchers this year. The 2014 Carolina League All-Star has pitched well enough to win in nearly every one of his starts this year. He posted a 1.64 ERA in April, a 3.90 ERA in May, 3.15 ERA in June, a 1.04 ERA in July and a 2.67 ERA in August. Since the All-Star Break, the 6-foot hurler is 1-3 with a 2.25 ERA in 12 starts. On the campaign, Dziedzic is 6-7 with a 2.52 ERA in 24 starts. He has yielded 122 hits and 37 walks while striking out 113 in 125 innings pitched. Dziedzic's 2.52 earned run average is second in the Carolina League, behind only teammate Glenn Sparkman's 1.40 ERA.



Brett Eibner's RBI double in the sixth inning snapped a 23.2-inning scoreless streak for the Blue Rocks, their second longest of the season. The Rocks had not scored since the fifth inning on Tuesday, when Jack Lopez's RBI fielder's choice grounder plated Frank Schwindel during a 3-1 loss to the P-Nats. Wilmington's longest scoreless streak of the campaign spanned 25 frames, from August 3-7. The first game was a 5-4 loss to Frederick, while the final three contests came during a series sweep at the hands of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans that included back-to-back shutout losses. Lopez delivered an RBI groundout in the third inning on August 7 to snap that streak.


Wilmington's eight-run win over Potomac on Thursday was its largest margin of victory this season. The Blue Rocks' previous season-high had been seven runs, something they accomplished four times. The most recent occurrence was August 8, when the Rocks beat Frederick, 8-1. The Blue Crew's eight runs on Thursday were not the team's highest scoring output of the season. Three times this year they have scored 10 runs in a game. Wilmington plated 10 tallies on April 4 at Winston-Salem, June 6 at Potomac and June 8 at Potomac.


Brett Eibner turned in his first multi-hit performance since returning to the Blue Rocks on August 20. Eibner went 3-for-4 with a run, a double and an RBI. He also stole a base. Eibner really struggled in his first eight games with the club. He went just 2-for-26 in those contests, good for a .077 batting average. Eibner's big night raised his average 90 points to .167. Eibner, however, has an on-base percentage of .342. That's because of eight walks in his first nine games back. On August 23, he drew four walks, tying a franchise record and setting a new individual Blue Rocks season-high. He was the first Blue Rock to walk four times in a game since Jeff Corsaletti drew four free passes on July 4, 2006. Eibner began the year with Triple-A Omaha, was placed on the Storm Chasers' Disabled List on June 27 with a right-abdominal strain. He rejoined the Blue Rocks this month for the first time since 2012 to work his way back from the injury. In his first stint with Wilmington, Eibner batted .196 with 15 homers in 120 games.


The Carolina League announced on Thursday that Wilmington Blue Rocks pitcher Glenn Sparkman is the eight-team league's Pitcher of the Year. Sparkman's dominant season has seen him go 8-2 with a league-best 1.40 ERA in 28 appearances (17 starts). Also honored by the Carolina League was former Blue Rocks closer Mark Peterson, who was named to the league's year-end All-Star Team. Sparkman's numbers have been tremendous in virtually every category this year. The right-handed hurler has yielded just 88 hits, 23 runs (18 earned) and 22 walks while striking out 113 in 116 innings pitched. He leads the league with a .209 batting average against and is second in the circuit with a 0.95 WHIP. His best month of the campaign was July. In five starts, he went 3-0 with a 0.87 ERA. He gave up a mere 22 hits and three walks while striking out 28 in 31 innings pitched. Sparkman's dazzling July earned him the Carolina League's Player of the Month award. Peterson's honor comes thanks to his 1.33 ERA in 33 games as Wilmington's closer. The right-hander converted 22 of his 24 save tries. Despite a promotion to Double-A Northwest Arkansas on July 25, Peterson's 22 saves still lead the circuit


THEY SAID IT:


Bench Coach Justin Gemoll:


"Any time we can get a win at this time of year is big. Especially for this team, they've been battling hard all season long. Tonight, we were fortunate enough to get some runs and get some momentum. [Jonathan Dziedzic] did a great job of pitching and holding them down and [Andrew] Edwards came in and did a fantastic job as well, keeping the lead. It was great for this team tonight."


"[Jonathan Dziedzic] did a good job of being aggressive tonight, going right after the hitters. He changed his speeds when he had to. He did a great job of just competing like he has all season."


"[Raul Mondesi] is a high-energy guy. He hit that triple in the gap and got us going. It was just contagious after that. These guys, they battle hard, they have good at bats. They took advantage of some pitches that were out over the plate and put good swings on them."


"Over the past couple of days, we've been hitting some balls hard, just right at people. It's nice to have something to show for it when you do square it up and tonight we found some holes and we just kept it rolling."


"[Brett Eibner] is an older guy. He's been in this league before. Having him around helps the guy. He had some good at-bats tonight, got some key hits for us and ran the bases really hard. He went to second, they overthrew it and he ended up going to third [for example]."


Blue Rocks Baseball = AffordaFUNability!
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Re: UD/Natl HS Baseball Reports

[Rocks Media] Manaea Hurls Masterpiece In 2-0 Win Over Nationals



ATTENTION: SPORTS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, 2014


CONTACT: MATT JANUS 302-888-5393 OR SETH BERNSTEIN 302-888-2580


Manaea Hurls Masterpiece In 2-0 Win Over Nationals
Victory Keeps Rocks 1.5 Games Behind Lynchburg, Half-Game Behind Frederick


Wilmington, DE - Sean Manaea threw seven shutout innings and struck out a career-high 12, leading the Wilmington Blue Rocks to a 2-0 victory over the Potomac Nationals. With the win, Wilmington improved to 31-34 in the second half and to 64-69 overall. They were also able to keep up with Lynchburg and Frederick in the Wild Card chase. With four games to play, the Rocks sit 1.5 games behind the Hillcats and a half-game behind the Keys.



Manaea carved through the Potomac lineup from the opening pitch of the ballgame and punched out four of the first five hitters he faced. He also ended his evening by striking out two of his final three batters. Manaea yielded just three hits in his seven frames of work and, for only the second time this season, he did not issue a single free pass. Seventy of Manaea's 98 pitches were thrown for strikes.


Raul Mondesi's RBI groundout to second helped the Blue Rocks crack the scoreboard and take a 1-0 lead. Jack Lopez tripled into the left-field corner to lead off the frame and came plateward on Mondesi's groundout despite the fact that Potomac had brought the infield in. Lopez broke on contact and then froze to get a read on the ball. He momentarily leaned back toward third base, fooling Tony Renda into thinking he would retreat. The speedy infielder never did, though, and Renda fired to first to retire Mondesi as Lopez sprinted home safely with the first run of the ballgame.


Jared Schlehuber homered down the line in left to lead off the ninth inning, providing the Blue Crew with a crucial insurance run.



Manaea (7-8, 3.11) was victorious for Wilmington while Ian Dickson (5-9, 4.37) suffered the defeat for Potomac. Kyle Bartsch earned his seventh save of the year with two shutout frames to close out the ballgame.
The Rocks return to action on Saturday for a doubleheader as they welcome the Salem Red Sox to town for four games. Wilmington will send right-hander Glenn Sparkman (8-2, 1.40) to the mound in the opener and fellow righty Luis Santos to the hill in the nightcap. First pitch is slated for 5:05 p.m. and fans can listen to the broadcast on 89.7 WGLS-FM.
PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:


Sean Manaea's final start of the regular season may have been his best. The southpaw threw seven spectacular shutout innings against Potomac, yielding just three hits and no walks. It was only the second time this year that Manaea did not issue a free pass. The talented lefty struck out 12 and threw 70 of his 98 pitches for strikes. Manaea's 12 punchouts are both a career-high and a Blue Rocks individual season-high. Since the All-Star Break, he is 5-3 with a 1.96 ERA in 13 starts. He has struck out 79, walked 29 and given up 45 hits in 73.1 innings pitched. Manaea has had his fair share of dominant starts after the break. On August 13, he threw a seven-inning complete-game shutout in the opener of a doubleheader against the Frederick Keys. Two starts prior to that one, on August 2, Manaea worked 7.1 shutout innings against the Keys. It is still the longest outing by a Blue Crew pitcher in 2014. On the campaign, the 6-foot-5 hurler is 7-8 with a 3.11 ERA in 25 starts. He has fanned 146, walked 54 and given up 102 hits in 121.2 innings pitched. His 146 strikeouts lead the Carolina League while his 3.11 ERA ranks fourth in the circuit.


After shutting out the P-Nats on Thursday and Friday, the Blue Rocks now have a league-best 16 shutout victories. Wilmington is now 16-7 in shutouts this year. The Salem Red Sox are second in the circuit with 10 blankings. The Rocks have now also thrown back-to-back shutouts on four occasions this season. They also accomplished the feat April 11-12 against Winston-Salem, May 27-28 at Carolina and August 13 in both ends of a doubleheader against Frederick. Sean Manaea, who threw seven shutout frames and struck out 12, has been involved in four of the Blue Crew's 16 shutout wins. Wilmington has now shut out Potomac four times, Frederick four times, Winston-Salem four times, Carolina three times and Salem once.



After going hitless in six of his first games with the Blue Rocks this year, Brett Eibner has now recorded multi-hit performances in each of his last two contests. Eibner went 2-for-3 with a stolen base on Friday. That followed up a 3-for-4 performance on Thursday in which he doubled, scored run and drove in a run. During those first eight games with the club, Eibner went just 2-for-26, good for a .077 batting average. He now has five hits in his last seven at-bats. Eibner's back-to-back big nights raised his average 135 points to .212. Eibner's on-base percentage is even higher at .366. That's because of eight walks in his first 10 games back. On August 23, he drew four walks, tying a franchise record and setting a new individual Blue Rocks season-high. He was the first Blue Rock to walk four times in a game since Jeff Corsaletti drew four free passes on July 4, 2006. Eibner began the year with Triple-A Omaha, was placed on the Storm Chasers' Disabled List on June 27 with a right-abdominal strain. He rejoined the Blue Rocks this month for the first time since 2012 to work his way back from the injury. In his first stint with Wilmington, Eibner batted .196 with 15 homers in 120 games.
Blue Rocks starting pitcher Brooks Pounders was announced as the winner of Minor League Baseball's annual Moniker Madness contest on Friday. In Moniker Madness, fans are asked to vote on which player has the best name in the game. Previous winners have included Sicnarf Loopstok in 2013, Rock Shoulders in 2012 and Seth Schwindenhammer in 2011. Pounders, who in two starts for the Blue Rocks is 0-1 with a 3.09 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 11.2 innings pitched, is on the road to recovery after undergoing surgery late last year. His 2014 campaign began in July at Rookie-Level Idaho Falls, where he went 0-1 with a 4.80 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 15 innings pitched. Former Blue Rock Rowdy Hardy was the champion in 2010. Two other Blue Rocks also finished in the top-15 in voting. Zeb Sneed placed 11th while Bubba Starling was voted as the 13th-best name in the Minors.
The Professional Baseball Strength & Conditioning Coaches Society announced on Friday that Wilmington's Joey Greany has been named the Carolina League's Strength & Conditioning Coach of the Year. Greany is in his first season with the Blue Rocks and in his seventh year with the Kansas City Royals organization. Greany has worked as high as Triple-A Omaha during his seven seasons with Kansas City. Greany is now a three-time Strength & Conditioning Coach of the Year. He first won the award in the Texas League while working with the Double-A Northwest Arkansas Naturals during the 2011 campaign. Greany was also named the South Atlantic League's Strength & Conditioning Coach of the Year in 2013 while with the Low-A Lexington Legends. During the baseball offseason, Greany uses his expertise in other ways. Last year, he performed consulting work for the NYPD. Greany is also a Fitness Contributor to Dr. Oz's ShareCare.com and StackMedia.com. The longtime coach played collegiately at Alfred State College in Alfred, New York, and at Martin Methodist College in Pulaski, Tennessee. He is a member of the Alfred State College Athletic Hall of Fame. Greany holds a Bachelor's degree in physical education from Martin Methodist and a master's degree in exercise science from California University of Pennsylvania.
THEY SAID IT:
Bench Coach Justin Gemoll:
"Jack [Lopez] had a huge hit with that triple down the line right there to put some pressure on them. [Raul] Mondesi had a great at-bat, just fouling off pitches. He puts the ball in play and Jack [Lopez] did a very good job of heads up base running and stealing that run there that put us ahead."
"Late in the game like that, in a one run game any time you get insurance is a huge bonus. It was a full count, the guy left a pitch up out over the plate and he [Jared Schlehuber] put a great swing on it and he got it down there over the fence in left for a homerun that was huge for us."
"For me, [Sean Manaea] was dominating. I think he had twelve strikeouts and two hits, but the thing that really stood out, no walks. He was attacking hitters with his fastball, he was getting ahead of them and putting them away with his slider. [Cam] Gallagher did a great job calling the game but Manaea, hats off to him. He's been working hard all year and tonight you got a glimpse of how good this kid can be. For me, yes (it was his best start of the year). He was in total control, he had his pitches down, he was getting ahead, he was throwing strikes and he was finishing them, which is really good."
"With the daily grind of professional baseball, you can't afford to get too high or too low. These guys, they show up everyday, walk through those doors and they're ready to work. They work their tails off and then when the game comes, that's the time to go out there, have fun and compete and let all of your hard work show up on the field. That's what these guys have been doing. The last couple of games they've been playing hard. They know what's at stake here late in the season. They all want to win, they're all competitors so it's fun for us as coaches. We care as much as they do and when we see them on the field doing well and having success it makes us happy too."
"[Jack Lopez] hit the hard ground ball down the line and when it hit the fence in left field it kicked past the guy. When he's running to second, that play is right in front of him, he sees the ball kick and he just kept going. It was a great read by him paying attention."
Second Baseman Jack Lopez:
"I think [Raul Mondesi's] speed had an impact on it. At the beginning of the at-bat [Justin Gemoll] told me to go on contact and then he came back and told me to read the high hop. [Mondesi] hit it hard but it was a high hop right at him. I took a step home and when he looked at me I took a step back and when I saw him throw to first I took off to home and I was able to score."
"Fast balls, he was attacking the zone with fastballs [before the triple]. With runners in scoring position he was missing his pitches, but other than that he was aggressive with the fastball and I was able to get a hit."


"[Aggressive baserunning is] a big part of our team. We've got some guys who can steal bases. Even Bubba [Starling], our three-hole hitter can run. It's a big part of our team, especially with [Terrance] Gore being gone. You've got to go out there and put pressure on the defense."
"We're very aware [of the playoff race]. We're always asking our trainers what's the score of the other teams. All we can do is go out there and win, put our best effort out there and let it take care of itself."


Starting Pitcher Sean Manaea:


"I feel like everything was working today except for my changeup. I threw a couple that were good and I felt like I was getting under it a bit, it was fading to the left a little bit and those were the ones I wasn't throwing for strikes. The ones I stayed behind and I was throwing for strikes, those were the good ones. [Cam Gallagher] was calling a great game behind the plate, I trusted everything he was doing. I just made a couple of mistake pitches leaving the ball up. The ball that [Estarlin] Martinez hit, the last hit, I left it down the middle and he crushed it for a single but other than those mistakes I felt like everything was working and I thought it was a good outing."


"Defense definitely helps. It feels nice because I feel like I accomplished what I set [as a goal] for the second half, to go deeper into games and not have as many walks. I feel like these last couple of outing I've done exactly that. I know the first half of the season was really rough, but I went through it and I learned a lot from that."


"After every game, we check the scores of Frederick and Lynchburg but I feel like I don't really see that during the game or before the game. I'm still relaxed. These last few games have been the definition of that. We haven't been worried about anything beside ourselves. We just try to go out and win. [A few weeks ago] we felt like we put too much pressure on ourselves, like we had to win these games. For some reason, these past two games we've just been relaxed and having fun."


"It's been a roller coaster, especially the first half. I'm happy I went through all the struggles, I learned so much from this whole season. More than I have from previous years in college and high school. I've learned so many things, especially from [Steve] Luebber like learning hitters. Hopefully I'll take that into next year and keep rolling with it, keep progressing along as a pitcher. It was probably the best outing I had all season."


Blue Rocks Baseball = AffordaFUNability!
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[dawrestling]

Re: UD/Natl HS Baseball Reports

From: [/B]"Matt Janus via RocksMedia"
To: [/B]Rocksmedia@lists.skiltech.com
Sent: [/B]Wednesday, October 29, 2014 10:02:54 AM
Subject: [/B][Rocks Media] Twelve Former Blue Rocks To Take Stage In Game Seven

ATTENTION: SPORTS/CROSSROADS/COMMUNITY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014

CONTACT: MATT JANUS AT 302-888-5393 Twelve Former Blue Rocks To Take Stage In Game Seven
Wilmington's Parent Club Battles For Championship On Wednesday Thanks To Efforts of Former Rocks In Game Six

Wilmington, DE- Twelve former Wilmington Blue Rocks stand on the precipice of earning baseball's biggest prize on Wednesday, as the Kansas City Royals host the San Francisco Giants in Game Seven of the World Series. First pitch is slated for 8:07 p.m. The do-or-die winner-take-all stage was born thanks to the Royals' 10-0 romp in Game Six on Tuesday in Kansas City.

Yordano Ventura, who was a Carolina League All Star while pitching for the Blue Rocks in 2012, was the biggest factor in extending the series. The right-hander tossed seven scoreless innings, weaving his way around four walks and six knocks by holding San Francisco hitless in 10 at-bats with runners in scoring position. Ventura pitched with a heavy heart, having just lost his dear friend and fellow Dominican Republic native Oscar Taveras to a fatal car accident over the weekend. Ventura paid tribute to the St. Louis Cardinals phenom with hand-written tributes on his cap, glove and spikes.

Mike Moustakas, who led the Rocks in homers in 2009, was one of three Wilmington alums to register two hits each for Kansas City. Moustakas' RBI-double in the second sparked the Royals' decisive seven-run frame. He would add a solo homer in the seventh to cap the evening's scoring. Eric Hosmer also had two hits. The 2010 Carolina League batting champion drove in a pair of runs and scored another. Hosmer's 2010 Blue Crew teammate, Salvador Perez, went 2-for-4 and scored a run. Jarrod Dyson (2008 and 2010) entered the game late as a defensive replacement, and was retired in his only plate appearance.

The other players who once called Frawley Stadium home that are on Kansas City's active roster, but did not appear in Game Six, are Greg Holland (2008), Kelvin Herrera (2011), Danny Duffy (2009 and 2010), Christian Colon (2010), Brandon Finnegan (2014) and Terrance Gore (2014).

Either way, at least one former Rock will celebrate on Wednesday, as a Giants win will earn Jeremy Affeldt a world championship. Affeldt struggled with Wilmington in 2000, losing 15 games for the Rocks and posting a 4.09 ERA. The southpaw has appeared in three games in this World Series, however, allowing nary a run on two hits in three frames.

Wilmington has been a Royals affiliate for all but two seasons of its modern existence. The Rocks and Kansas City agreed to a two-year extension to their Player Development Contract in August, assuring the Blue Crew will remain a Royals affiliate through at least the 2016 campaign.

The Blue Rocks, who drew 278,316 fans to Frawley Stadium in 2014 and averaged more than 4,300 patrons per game, have released their schedule for the 2015 season. The campaign will begin on the road at Myrtle Beach on Thursday, April 9. After a seven-game road trip concludes, the Rocks will return to Wilmington for their Home Opener against the Frederick Keys on Thursday, April 16. It will be the first of 70 games at Frawley Stadium in 2015. The team will release game times and ticket information for the 2015 campaign later in the offseason. Season seat packages and game plans are available now. Fans should call 302-888-BLUE or visit BlueRocks.com for more information.
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From: [/B]"Matt Janus via RocksMedia"
To: [/B]Rocksmedia@lists.skiltech.com
Sent: [/B]Friday, January 9, 2015 2:00:07 PM
Subject: [/B][Rocks Media] Former Major Leaguer Brian Buchanan Named Blue Rocks Manager For 2015 Season

ATTENTION: SPORTS/CROSSROADS/COMMUNITY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: FRIDAY, JANUARY 9, 2015

CONTACT: MATT JANUS 302-888-5393 Former Major Leaguer Brian Buchanan Named Blue Rocks Manager For 2015 Season
Will Anchor A Coaching Staff That Features Three Men With Major League Playing Experience

Wilmington, DE- The Wilmington Blue Rocks are proud to announce that Brian Buchanan has been named the 13th manager in the modern history of the organization. The 41-year-old spent the last three seasons managing the Kansas City Royals' Low-A affiliate and brings 16 years worth of playing experience with him to the Riverfront, including seven campaigns at the Major League level.

Buchanan helped lead the Lexington Legends to a 125-153 record in the South Atlantic League over the last two seasons. In 2012 (when the Royals were still affiliated with Kane County of the Midwest League) Buchanan piloted the Cougars to a 68-72 mark. Overall he has spent five years as a skipper in the Royals organization, with the first two coming in the Pioneer League at Idaho Falls.

He began his playing career at the University of Virginia where he earned All-American status in 1994. Later that year he was selected in the opening round of the draft by the New York Yankees. Buchanan made his Big League debut in 2000 with the Minnesota Twins. In two-plus seasons with the Twins he hit .258 with 16 homers and 55 RBIs. He was traded to the San Diego Padres in July, 2002 and slugged six homers while batting .293 in 48 games down the stretch.

After another year-and-a-half in San Diego, Buchanan returned to New York to sign with the Mets as a free agent in August, 2004. He would wrap up his career in the Majors with a .258 batting average, 72 extra-base hits and 103 RBIs as an outfielder and first baseman.

Buchanan kept playing for three more seasons after his time in the Bigs was through, spending 2007 in Japan and 2008 and 2009 in the Royals organization with Triple-A Omaha. He resides in Jupiter, FL with his wife, Jill, and sons Walker, Drew, Logan and Connor. Buchanan's father-in-law is Boston Celtics legend John Havlicek.

His coaching staff includes a familiar name. The longest tenured coach in Blue Rocks history is back for another season as Steve Lubber returns for his ninth campaign as pitching coach in Wilmington and his 48th overall year in professional baseball. He pitched professionally for 17 seasons, including 66 appearances in the Majors.

Abraham Nunez rounds out the staff as hitting coach. Nunez spent last year on Buchanan's staff in Lexington and is entering his fourth year as a coach. As a player he spent parts of 12 seasons in the Big Leagues, including a two-year stint just up I-95 from Frawley Stadium with the Phillies. His best year came in 2005 when he batted .285 in 139 regular season games and helped lead the Cardinals to the National League Championship Series.

James Stone is back for his fourth season as the Blue Rocks Athletic Trainer. Stone has been with the Royals since 2010 and was the New York-Penn League Trainer of the Year in 2006 (while with the Jamestown Jammers - Florida Marlins).

The Blue Rocks, who drew 284,701 fans to Frawley Stadium in 2014 and averaged more than 4,400 patrons per game, have season seats and group packages for the 2015 season on sale now. The home opener is Thursday, April 16 at 6:35 p.m. and individual tickets for that or any other game this season will go on sale on Presidents Day. Fans should call 302-888-BLUE or visit BlueRocks.com for more information.

Blue Rocks Baseball = AffordaFUNability!

 

[dawrestling]

From: [/B]"William P Franques"
Sent: [/B]Friday, January 23, 2015 3:30:52 PM
Subject: [/B]LSU Baseball Media Day 2015 - Quotes from coach Paul Mainieri and players




For Immediate Release - January 23, 2015

LSU coach Paul Mainieri and his players met with reporters Friday during the Tigers' annual Media Day activities in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field. LSU, ranked No. 4 in the Collegiate Baseball preseason poll, began practice Friday and will open the 2015 season at 7 p.m. on Friday, February 13 versus Kansas in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field.

Following are Mainieri quotes and LSU player quotes from Friday's press conference:


Coach Paul Mainieri

Opening Statement…
"It is great to back and be with all of you again. I don't really have any major statements to make today. There are no new earth-shattering announcements about our team. Everyone is healthy, and everyone was eligible from fall practice. We have a roster of 33 guys. I know the limit is 35, but we had two players transfer during the fall semester and after the fall semester. Those players will have to count toward our 35 man limit. So will go into the spring with a 33 man roster.

"I feel great about our team. I thought we had an excellent fall practice. We knew we had position-player wise. The one question we still have is who is going to man third base for us. Although, we are narrowing in on that. I think we will be just fine there, but not as good as Christian Ibarra defensively. Christian Ibarra has become the standard setter. He is greatest third baseman I've ever coached. It would be like replacing Brooks Robinson with the Orioles. Everyone tries, but no one was ever quite like him. I don't think we will ever have someone like Christian Ibarra. I think we are very capable of doing a good job there. I have a few options, and I think it is going to be a good solid lineup.

"We have a lot of experience, but I am equally excited about the young freshmen. These kids have the chance to be really fine players. We just don't need them to play as much right away as we would with our pitching staff in years gone by. I think we will be solid with our position players. It is just the matter of these young pitchers. The question always seems to be if I'm nervous about counting on these freshmen pitchers. All you have to do is think back to last year. The media asked how I could count so strongly on an unproven freshman pitcher in Jared Poche'. My answer to everyone at that time was this kid really brings some intangibles. He was the man at Lutcher High School. He went 11-0. He pitched in the state championship and shut out St. Thomas More. The next year they did win the state championship. He shut them out with 11 strikeouts. He had an aura about himself with confidence, moxie, and savvy. I knew he would do a good job. He goes out and wins nine games for us. That is a pretty good example to set for these other freshmen pitchers coming along. Hopefully, Jared will continue to be the leader of our staff in that way.

"Losing Aaron Nola was a big blow. This is the way it is in college baseball. I laugh sometimes when I hear coaches talk about how young they are. You can't sign kids to 10-year contracts in college. You are going to be young every year in some aspect of your team. You just have the courage to play those freshmen. You have to hope your coaches will do a good job with them bringing them along. Once they get out and get their feet wet, they lose that feeling of being freshmen quickly. Once they are out there pitching against Ole Miss, Arkansas or whoever it may be, nobody is going to be saying there is the freshman pitcher. Whoever is standing on the mound is the most important pitcher on our staff at that moment. It doesn't matter what year they are. There are no excuses. I think we have a good group of freshmen pitchers, but I also think we have some veteran pitchers that will fill some very specific holes for us.

"As we go into the spring season, the biggest question is who form your weekend rotation. I can't tell you that 100 percent for sure right now as we go into the SEC schedule. What we plan to do is use the first three to four weeks of the non-conference schedule before we open up against Ole Miss in March and get the freshmen as many innings we possibly can. We may start them, and it is quite possible one of them may move into the last couple innings role of the game like a closer or key set-up guy. I believe the person who gets the last out of the game is just as important as the guy who starts on Friday night or Saturday night. You can't win in this league without someone getting the last outs of the game. I don't care what sport you are talking about. If you can't hold the team at the end of the game, you can't win big in the SEC. Those one-run games and close games will define you season. That will be the main focus for us, figuring out who will be the closer for us.

"Obviously, we love Jared Poche'. Poche' is certainly capable of being a weekend starter for us. We will just have to see how these other freshmen play out and what their specific assets will be. They might all be good pitchers, but one guy may show a particular strikeout pitch that will make him a better closer than someone else. We will figure out how to put the pieces of the puzzle together. I am fired up and ready to get started. Of course, it got cold today which is typical for the opening day of baseball. We have had three beautiful days where we did individual work. It was time to turn chilly to get us ready for opening day in February."

On the effects of the new baseball…
"The bats have not changed, but the ball has. What they have done is we now have a baseball that has a flat seam. The concept was, and this is what we are hoping as coaches, that the higher-seamed ball when you hit it and hit it well and it had air under it, the high seams gave a drag effect much like an airplane that would lower its landing gear to slow its plane down while it's trying to land. That was slowing the baseballs down. The idea was if the seams got flattened with consequently less drag, the ball would carry further. No one really knew for sure what was really going to happen, although some testing indicated that you might get 20 to 30 feet more carry.

"I am happy to report, quite frankly, that it has proven to be true. During the course of fall practice, we hit 16 home runs. That's not an exorbitant number, but by comparison, we hit 10 the previous fall with pretty much the same hitters. I will tell you more specifically we had a situational simulation of a game with a pitcher against a hitter because we are only allowed to have limited players at practice at one time prior to the start of full-team workouts. You have to use your imagination to get your pitchers ready. We hit three home runs off of our pitchers the other day. We also have this device that tracks the exit speed of the ball after a ball is hit. The three home runs that were hit all had an exit speed of 94 mph. That may not mean anything to you, but last year, we hit several balls in excess of 100 mph exit speed that did not fly out of the ballpark that landed on the warning track. Our indication is there is going to be more life given to the offense and the ball will carry more if you hit it well. That last 20 feet may mean the difference between that ball landing on the warning track or going into the stands. I think anyone who loves college baseball will probably be happy to see that.

"It's hard for me to predict. I think we hit about 40 home runs last year, if I am not mistaken. If I did predict, I would guess that we are going to probably hit about 60 to 70 home runs this year. It's not going to return to the 'Gorilla Ball' days, no question about that. But, I do think that there will be more home runs and consequently maybe some late inning rallies and that type of thing…The reality and reaction that I have gotten from the pitchers is that they actually enjoy throwing the ball more as well. I know when Kevin Gausman was here, he had terrible problems with blisters from that raised seam. The problems with blisters are much more reduced. The ball actually feels smaller in the pitchers' hands, so they feel like they can throw it with more velocity. They feel more confident throwing it. Although it may hurt them a little bit in the spinning of the ball for a breaking ball because it can't create the same friction, they're feeling like they are getting a little more movement with their fastball. It kind of balances out in some ways, but I think everyone would be happy to see a few more home runs in the game.

On the veterans returning…
"I don't want to sound like a hypocrite here, like I'm playing both sides of the fence, because I'm telling you we are going to go with freshmen pitchers, and I don't think experience is going to be that important for them. Yet, for the position players, I think the experience is a great factor for them. If we had inexperience all over the field and on the pitcher's mound, I'd be nervous. Because we are so young on the mound, the thing that gives me a great deal of confidence is that we do have a lot of experienced players. You mentioned Andrew Stevenson, Mark Laird and Alex Bregman, specifically; these are three guys that have been three-year starters in the program. You could throw a lot more guys into that mix when you are talking about veterans. They may not have played or started for three full years, but Kramer Robertson has a year under his belt. Chris Chinea has been a part-time starter for a couple of years. Conner Hale who was a junior college transfer last year is now in his second year at LSU but his fourth year in college. Jake Fraley has a year under his belt. Even Danny Zardon, although he played very sporadically last year, has a year under his belt.

"Let's not forget Kade Scivicque as well, who was our starting catcher by the end of the year last year. I think all of that experience gives those guys a great deal of confidence. After they left us last spring, they all went out and had pretty good summers. You would probably be hard-pressed to find a starting lineup out there in college baseball that could probably give these facts to you: We had five players make the Cape Cod League All-Star game last summer. A sixth player was the starting shortstop on Team USA. If Danny Zardon and Jake Fraley are starting players for us this year, you have two other guys that played in Cape Cod and had pretty good summers. I like the experience of our team. I think what comes with that is they've been through it, and it gives them a great deal of confidence that they know what it takes. I think by having a good defensive team out there, it gives those freshmen pitchers a lot of confidence. If they are not afraid to throw the ball over the plate, there is a pretty good chance that somebody behind them is going to catch it. I think the leadership of that group is going to be very significant this year."

On freshmen players and getting them acclimated to the SEC…
"I've always believed in coaching philosophically. You get a heck of a lot more by building them up. I'm going to do everything, Alan Dunn is going to do everything, Andy Cannizaro, Will Davis, we are always going to do everything we can do to build our players' confidence to the highest level. I don't think you gain anything from tearing them down. When they step onto that field, they have to believe they can do anything if they put their mind to it. Part of that process is to challenge them and not make it easy for them. I'm not looking for a bunch of softies out there. The SEC is not for the faint of heart, I can promise you that. You better be a tough son of a gun. You better be able to handle adversity. You better be able to bounce back when you get your nose bloodied because this is a tough, tough league, and it's unforgiving. I tell the players all of the time when things aren't going well, don't feel sorry for yourself because I promise you 50 percent of the people out there don't care about your problems. The other 50 percent are glad that you have them. You have no time to go out there and feel sorry for yourself in this league. You have to build the confidence in them.

"At the same time, you have to make them believe they can do it and they belong. I'm so excited about these freshmen pitchers because they all seem to have something extra about them, maybe it's because they are so intelligent. Alex Lange is a 4.0 student. Jake Latz is an excellent student. Jake Godfrey is an excellent student and Doug Norman. These kids are intelligent. I think what comes with intelligence is composure and poise, a lot of self-confidence. They've been the 'dudes,' just like (Jared) Poché was in high school. Latz and Godfrey pitched their teams to the state championship. Lange was the Gatorade Pitcher of the Year. Norman broke all of the records at his high school that Alex Wood, who is now pitching for the Atlanta Braves and went to the University of Georgia, had once had at his high school. These are kids that believe that they are good. I am going to tell you this very emphatically. We have the right pitching coach working with those guys. Alan Dunn has a way, and I'm telling you, when I saw these kids throw these last couple of times here in January, the improvement they've already made from when they arrived here in September is leaps and bounds. If they keep improving at the rate that I've seen so far, they are going to be special."

On Alex Bregman's contributions to the team…
"When you get to coach at a place like LSU, occasionally you get these really special kids that come through your life, and he is one of them. Every day I thank the Lord that I had the opportunity to have Alex Bregman in our program. He very easily could have signed professionally out of high school. No one would have even blamed him. He probably could have gotten a $1 million signing bonus. If not for that injury coming out of high school, he would have gone in the first round, and we would have never seen him. But, he decided to come to school, and I am sure he is glad that he did. He's had an amazing experience here because he's had an amazing career. He has been a kid that he may be gone in a year, but you'll never forget him because it's not just his ability as a player, it's the way he carries himself all of the time. He's the first guy at the field, the last guy to leave. He works harder than anybody. He cares more about the team than anybody else does. Yet, he's the guy that is going to be the highly-touted draft choice and all that stuff. He has his head on straight. He knows where he is going, and he wants to make his experience here at LSU the very best.

"He's been like that since the time he got here, so I can't even say that he's matured that much since he's been here or that he's any different than he was two years ago. He was an inordinate freshman, but he had had experiences playing for Team USA even before he came here. He's played for Team USA the two years that he's been here. He's worldly. I don't have any doubt that he is going to have a remarkable year this year. Everybody points to Bregman's sophomore year and says, 'Well, it wasn't as good as his freshman year.' During his freshman year, he didn't come through every time, but he had a guy named Katz and a guy named Rhymes hitting behind him. You just don't remember when he didn't come through because those guys picked him up every time he didn't. Last year we had new players there. It took time. This is the thing: he had the worst slump of his life. I don't remember what he went, 4-for-50, or something like that. It just ate him up. He never took the bat out to shortstop with him. During that stretch where he struggled with the bat, he played better shortstop than I've ever seen him play. Now how many kids do that? Most kids go out there, and they trip over their lip they are pouting so much. And, they are not ready to play. He went out there and helped us win games with his defense. He sprinted on the field, and he sprinted off of the field every inning. When he was in the dugout he was cheering on his teammates.

"What I'm saying to you is this, there's a saying in sports that adversity doesn't build character, it reveals character. What it reveals to me about Alex Bregman is that he's no frontrunner. He's going to give you everything he's got all of the time. Whether he's doing well or not, he's not going to change. My respect for that young man grew during the time that he struggled. That's why I think he is going to be such a success this year and why he is going to be a success as he goes on beyond here. I told him, going through this, going through what he went through last year, is actually going to help him down the road. You are going to have times in professional baseball where you are not going to get a hit or two hits every game. The fact that you've had some of this adversity that you've had to deal with will help you down the road. He's a wonderful, wonderful young man."

Sophomore LHP Jared Poche'

On if being the Friday night starter means he is now the voice for the pitching staff…
"There are guys that were here last year: Brady (Domangue) and (Kyle) Bouman. Bouman threw a lot last year. There are a lot of guys that have been there and done that. They're older; they're more the vocal guys. I'm not really a vocal guy. I just kind of go out there and just try to do the right thing every time."

On what kind of example he should set for the younger pitchers…
"(You) just kind of go out there and play baseball -- the same game you've been playing you're entire life. (You) go out there and have fun and just stay focused. That's all I can really tell them."

On the ability of the freshmen pitchers…
"I think all four or five of them are very capable. (Alex) Lange, (Jake) Latz, (Doug) Norman, (Austin) Bain, (Jake) Godfrey…Those guys have shown a lot of things in the fall to get guys out in their own way. If those guys can make the transition from high school to college, I think we can be special."


Junior SS Alex Bregman

On what he can do better…
"I'm just worried about winning baseball. I'm only worried about what I can do to help the team win. It's about improving in every facet of the game. I think that's everyone's goals. Whatever we can do to help the team win is what we'll do. I think (hitting coach) Andy (Cannizaro) has done a great job of coming in and helping our offense. AD (pitching coach Alan Dunn) is getting those pitchers ready. Coach Mainieri is going to coach up some wins this year. We are very excited and working on every facet of the game."

On how he's changed since his freshman year…
"I don't think I've changed very much. I think I'm the same kid that I was when I got here. When I came here all I wanted to do was win games. I wanted to play baseball for LSU and be the ultimate team player. That's all I want to do. If we don't end up being the last team to win the game at the end of the year then I won't be happy. That's all I'm worried about this year."

On the freshmen class…
"All these freshmen have come in here and worked hard from the beginning. I can't say enough good things about them. They were the No. 1 recruiting class in the country and they're confidant. They know they are the best. That doesn't mean they slack off. They work really hard. Now it's time to go out there and compete."

Junior OF Andrew Stevenson

On the veteran position players…
"It's a little different being the older guys on the team. We are going to help get the young guys get comfortable. We'll have to get them used to what they will face out there this season. There are some good guys out there. They know what they have to do to win."

On the outfield…
"We have some fast guys out there. It's always fun to compete with each other at practice in the outfield. It's going to be a fun year out there."

On the new balls…
"The balls definitely carry a lot more. There should be some more home runs this year. Some of the guys on the team will have more home runs. On defense we'll have to cover some more ground."

---30---
Bill Franques
LSU Athletics
Athletic Administration Building
Baton Rouge, LA 70803
Cell: 225.241.4359
Office: 225.578.2527
wfranqu@lsu.edu

 

[dawrestling]

SUBJECT: Wildcats Tabbed Favorites in 2015 CACC Baseball Preseason Poll
DATE: February 9, 2015
djl
NEW HAVEN, Conn. - - For the third season in a row the Wilmington University baseball team has been pegged atop the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Baseball Preseason Poll, earning the honor once again to start the 2015 season in a vote among the league's 11 head coaches.
Despite falling on Saturday of the CACC Tournament Championship, the Wildcats earned nine first place votes and picked up 119 points to claim the top spot. Felician, the team that knocked off Wilmington in the Championship last year, earned two first place votes and 110 points overall to earn second, distancing the top two teams from the field by 16 votes.
Both the Wildcats and the Golden Falcons were voted to participate in the 2014 NCAA Division II East Regional Tournament as the Wildcats earned the third seed and the Golden Falcons took the CACC's automatic qualification and earned the sixth seed. Both squads went 1-2 in the NCAA Division II East Regional Tournament.
Dominican earned 94 points for third place while Post picked up 76 points to expected to finish fourth overall. Nyack earned 72 votes for fifth overall while Chestnut Hill is expected to round out the CACC Tournament with 69 points. The CACC Tournament takes the top six teams with the top two seeds earning a bye in the first round. The first round is a single-elimination contest and the four remaining teams play a double-elimination tournament at Wilson Field the following weekend.
Philadelphia (59 points), Concordia (54), Bloomfield (36), Caldwell (23), and USciences (13), round out the rest of the 2015 CACC Baseball Preseason Poll.
The Wildcats return 15 seniors for the 2015 campaign from a team that went 35-11-1 overall and captured the CACC Regular Season crown by going 17-3 in CACC play. The season starts on February 20 when the team heads to Colonial Heights, Va., to square off against Alderson-Broaddus.
The CACC Tournament will be hosted by Wilmington University at Wilson Field and begins Thursday, May 7.
AGATE:
2015 CACC Baseball Preseason Poll
1. Wilmington - 119 points (9 first place votes)
2. Felician - 110 (2)
3. Dominican - 94
4. Post - 76
5. Nyack - 72
6. Chestnut Hill - 69
7. Philadelphia - 59
8. Concordia - 54
9. Bloomfield - 36
10. Caldwell - 23
11. USciences - 13

Wilmington University Mission

Wilmington University is committed to excellence in teaching, relevancy of the curriculum, and individual attention to students. As an institution with admissions policies that provide access for all, it offers opportunity for higher education to students of varying ages, interests, and aspirations.

The university provides a range of exemplary career-oriented undergraduate and graduate degree programs for a growing and diverse student population. It delivers these programs at locations and times convenient to students and at an affordable price. A highly qualified full-time faculty works closely with part-time faculty drawn from the workplace to ensure that the university's programs prepare students to begin or continue their career, improve their competitiveness in the job market, and engage in lifelong learning.

 

[dawrestling]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: William P Franques[/B]
Date: Thu, Feb 26, 2015 at 9:10 PM
Subject: LSU 9, SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA 8 (box score attached; story below)
To:




LSU Baseball Report
For Immediate Release - February 26, 2015

LSU Rallies for 9-8 Win Over Southeastern Louisiana

BATON ROUGE, La. - LSU (7-1) earned a hard-fought victory Thursday night against Southeastern Louisiana (5-4) as a two-run RBI triple by Jake Fraley in the bottom of the eighth inning provided the winning runs in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field.

LSU returns to action at 7 p.m. Friday against Princeton in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field. The game will be available online through the SECNetwork+, Watch ESPN and the WatchESPN app. Live audio will be streamed in the Geaux Zone, and the game may be heard on LSU radio affiliates throughout the state.

Freshman right-hander Doug Norman got the start for LSU on Thursday night, working 4.1 innings and allowing six hits and five runs with six strikeouts. Reliever Collin Strall earned the first win of his LSU career after pitching the eighth inning and allowing no runs on one hit.

Southeastern Louisiana reliever Pat Cashman (0-2) was charged with the loss after giving up two runs, one earned, on three hits in three innings.

"Jake Fraley was certainly the hero tonight," said LSU coach Paul Mainieri. "He had a great night at the plate with three hits, and the two-run triple in the eighth that was the difference in the game. He is a tremendous ball player and an even better young man, and I couldn't be happier for him."

In the top of the first, Southeastern's Kevin Carr scored Jacob Seward from third with an RBI single, putting the Lions on the board 1-0.

LSU was able to load the bases in the second inning, and Kramer Robertson helped tie the game with a bases-loaded walk.

The Tigers then exploded for a six-run third inning on five hits. Chris Chinea started the scoring spree with an RBI single to score Mark Laird from second. Alex Bregman also scored on the play after a fielding error by the left fielder Ryan Byers to put LSU up 3-1.

Kade Scivicque then had a sacrifice fly to right-0center for the Tigers' fourth run of the game. After a Danny Zardon walk, Robertson blasted a singled up the middle for an RBI to extend LSU's lead to five. Jared Foster doubled to left for a two out, two-run RBI as LSU moved ahead 7-1.

Norman found himself in trouble early in the fifth inning with the bases loaded and nobody out. After Southeastern's Carson Crites singled for an RBI, Parker Bugg entered the game in relief of Norman, but he was unable to immediately stop the threat. Byers had an RBI walk, and Daniel Midyett was able to score on a wild pitch from Bugg. Pinch hitter Webb Bobo singled to left field for a two-run RBI as Southeastern cut LSU's lead to 7-6.

The Tigers got off to a good start in the bottom half of the inning after a Fraley double to deep right put runners on second and third. Southeastern's Gage Pickett walked Robertson to load the bases with only one out, but LSU was unable to take advantage as Pickett retired the next two batters to end the inning.

Southeastern loaded the bases in the seventh, and the Lions were able to take the lead 8-7 after Zac Person walked Julian Service with the bases loaded, and a wild pitch scored Kennon Menard.

"It was an unusual night for our pitching staff with the number of walks and wild pitches that we're not accustomed to seeing," Mainieri said. "It's tough to throw strikes in extremely cold weather, and that probably had something to do with it. I thought Jesse Stallings threw the ball very well in the ninth to end the game."

LSU found itself in a jam in the eighth when Southeastern loaded the bases after a walk and a wild pitch. Foster was able to save a run with a phenomenal diving catch in right field, and Strall was able to get Nico Cuccia to ground out to keep LSU within one run.

In the bottom half of the inning, a fielding error by Menard at shortstop put two men on base, and LSU was able to take advantage as Fraley helped the Tigers regain the lead, 9-8, with a two-run RBI triple.

Stallings, the LSU closer, took the mound in the ninth to finish the game, earning his fourth save of the season with no hits, one walk and one strikeout.

 

[dawrestling]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: William P Franques[/B]
Date: Fri, Feb 27, 2015 at 8:26 PM
Subject: LSU 3, PRINCETON 2 (box score attached; story below)
To:




LSU Baseball Report
For Immediate Release- February 27, 2015

LSU Edges Princeton, 3-2, for Fifth Straight Win; Teams to Play Doubleheader Saturday Starting at 4 p.m. CT

BATON ROUGE, La.-- LSU (8-1) earned its fifth-straight victory Friday night by defeating the Princeton Tigers (0-1) in the first game of the weekend series by a score of 3-2 in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field.

LSU returns to action Saturday with a doubleheader against Princeton beginning at 4 p.m. CT. The second game will start approximately 45 minutes following the conclusion of the first game in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field.

Both games on Saturday will be available online through SEC Network+, Watch ESPN and the WatchESPN app. Live audio will be streamed in the Geaux Zone, and the game may be heard on LSU radio affiliates throughout the state. In Baton Rouge, Saturday's first game will air on 100.7 FM, and the second game will air on 98.1 FM.

"Baseball is such an unpredictable game," said LSU coach Paul Mainieri. "Last night (in a 9-8 win over Southeastern Louisiana), our pitchers struggled and our hitters really carried us to a win. Tonight, we didn't hit very much at all, but our pitching was excellent. We found a way to win the game, though it wasn't a great night for us at the plate.

Sophomore left-hander Jared Poche' (3-0) earned the win for the Tigers Friday, working 6.2 innings and allowing six hits and two earned runs with five strikeouts.

"Jared was really fired up, and he was pumping strikes into the zone," Mainieri said. "I thought he took charge out on the mound and displayed a great deal of leadership in a very effective outing."

Princeton's Chad Powers (0-1) was charged with the loss, going five innings and giving up three runs on two hits.

In the bottom of the third inning, left fielder Jake Fraley drove in right fielder Jared Foster on a base hit to put LSU ahead 1-0. Fraley stole third and was able to score on a throwing error from the catcher to extend LSU's lead to 2-0.

Princeton's Danny Hoy doubled to left field in the top of the fourth and was able to advance to third after a wild pitch from Poche'. Zack Belski singled to center to Hoy and cut the lead to 2-1.

In the bottom half of the inning, first baseman Conner Hale singled to left field to score shortstop Alex Bregman from second base for LSU's third run of the game.

Poche' gave up a solo shot to shortstop Billy Arendt to begin the sixth inning, placing Princeton within one run.

Princeton attempted a rally in the seventh as a double from Cody Phillips advanced a runner to third with only one out. Poche' struck out Danny Baer, and Alden Cartwright came in relief and forced Arendt to fly out to strand the runners.

Freshman right-hander Jesse Stallings closed out the game for LSU by striking out the side and earning his fifth save of the season.

---30---
Bill Franques
LSU Athletics
Athletic Administration Building
Baton Rouge, LA 70803
Cell: 225.241.4359[/URL]
Office: 225.578.2527[/URL]
wfranqu@lsu.edu

 

[dawrestling]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Kowal, Gary
Date: Fri, Feb 27, 2015 at 8:18 PM
Subject: MONMOUTH BASEBALL FALLS IN OPENER AT FLORIDA ATLANTIC, 9-5
To: "Kowal, Gary"


*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE *

*FEBRUARY 27, 2015 *



*MONMOUTH BASEBALL FALLS IN OPENER AT FLORIDA ATLANTIC, 9-5*

*Wilgus adds three hits, drives in two*



*BOCA RATON, Fla.-* Despite holding the lead at the conclusion of six
innings, the Monmouth baseball team dropped the series opening contest at
Florida Atlantic on Friday night, 9-5 at FAU Baseball Park. The Owls scored
runs in their final three at-bats to take the first game of the weekend
set. Steve Wilgus (Woolwich, N.J./Gloucester Catholic) had three hits and
two RBI's for MU, and Chris McKenna (Pine Beach, N.J./Toms River South)
allowed just three hits in his five innings of work. Monmouth falls to 0-4
in 2015, while FAU improves to 7-2.

McKenna worked into the sixth inning after getting the nod for Monmouth,
allowing three runs, two earned, on three hits, fanning three. Kyle Miller
allowed all five MU runs after starting for Florida Atlantic, working 3.2
frames and giving up the five runs, four earned, on six hits, while
striking out four. Five FAU relievers combined to throw 5.1 scoreless
innings, giving up five hits and one walk while recording eight strikeouts.

The Hawks were paced offensively by Wilgus, who went three-for-five with
two RBI's and a run scored out of the leadoff spot. Catcher Kyle Perry
(Toms River, N.J./Toms River South) hit a pair of doubles, and Adam
Yunginger (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township) went two-for-three with an RBI,
his first career run driven in. Stephen Kerr went three-for-five with two
runs scored as the FAU leadoff hitter, and Roman Collins drove home three
Owls on the night. Christian Dicks had two hits and two RBI's for the home
team.

MU struck early when Wilgus reached on an infield single to the right side

----- Message truncated -----

 

[dawrestling]

LSU Baseball Report
For Immediate Release - February 28, 2015

LSU RECORDS DOUBLEHEADER SWEEP OVER PRINCETON

BATON ROUGE, La. - Second-ranked LSU (10-1) exploded for 15 runs on 21 hits against Princeton (0-3) to complete a doubleheader sweep with a 15-4 win Saturday night at Alex Box, Skip Bertman Field. The Tigers posted a 7-2 win over Princeton in Game 1 Saturday afternoon.

LSU, which has won seven straight games, returns to action at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday against Stephen F. Austin at Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field. The game will be available online through SEC Network+, WatchESPN and the WatchESPN app. Live audio will be streamed in the Geaux Zone and the game may be heard on LSU radio affiliates throughout the state.

"I told the team after the first game today that although we had already won three games this week, we still hadn't played a complete game," said LSU coach Paul Mainieri. "But we came out in the second game of the doubleheader tonight and played extremely well in all three phases. We swung the bats with authority, played excellent defense and our pitching was very effective."

Freshman right-hander Alex Lange (3-0) gave an outstanding performance in Game 2 by working six innings and giving up just three hits and no runs with six strikeouts.

Starter Keelan Smithers (0-1) was charged with the loss for Princeton, working three innings and giving up eight hits and five runs.

LSU's bats came alive in the bottom of the third as shortstop Alex Bregman ripped an RBI triple to score centerfielder Mark Laird from first, putting the Tigers' first run on the board. Bregman scored on a wild pitch from Smithers to extend the lead to 2-0.

After a Conner Hale double, catcher Kade Scivicque added a two-out RBI double to left, bringing in Hale for the third run. Leftfielder Jake Fraley then reached second on a fielding error by Princeton leftfielder Paul Tupper to score Scivicque. Third baseman Danny Zardon lined an RBI single to give LSU its fifth run of the inning.

First baseman Chris Chinea single to right field to score Laird and give LSU a 6-0 lead in the fourth inning.

Rightfielder Jared Foster hit his first home run of the season in the fifth with a three-run shot into the left field stands for LSU's ninth run of the game. After a Laird double, Bregman homered to left, increasing the lead to 11-0.

Chinea extended LSU's lead to 12 in the seventh with a two-out RBI single to left, bringing home Laird from second. Bryce Jordan doubled to right, and Michael Papierski singled through the right side on the next play to score Jordan and Chinea. Chris Sciambra added to the lead with a two-out RBI double.

Fraley tallied two triples to lead LSU to a 7-2 win in Game 1 of the twin bill.

Fraley led off the game with his first triple of the day, and Laird brought him home with a single up the middle to give LSU a 1-0 lead.

Princeton was unfazed by the quick start and took the lead in the top of the second inning. Princeton had the bases loaded after two walks and a fielding error by Zardon. Third baseman Chad Powers hit a two-out single to left field to give Princeton a 2-1 lead.

LSU got to starting pitcher Luke Strieber in the bottom of the second inning. Strieber issued three walks to load the bases. Fraley knocked a triple into right field to score all three runs. The leftfielder made it home on an error by shortstop Billy Arendt and pushed the LSU lead to 5-2.

With his second triple of the game, Fraley became just the 13th LSU player in school history to have two triples in one game. Outfielder Andrew Stevenson also did it earlier this season against Boston College.

Chinea hit a one-out double in the top of the third inning, and Hale followed with a double to score Chinea and extend the lead to 6-2.

With runners on the corners in the bottom of the fifth inning, Stevenson hit his second single of the day to score Bregman and give the Tigers a 7-2 lead.

Freshman right-hander Jake Godfrey (2-0) earned the win for LSU, allowing two unearned runs on six hits in 5.2 innings with three walks and three strikeouts. Strieber (0-1) was charged with the loss as he surrendered five runs on three hits in two innings with three walks and no strikeouts.

 

[dawrestling]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: William P Franques
Date: Sun, Mar 15, 2015 at 5:35 PM
Subject: LSU 18, OLE MISS 6 (box score attached; story below)
To:


LSU Baseball Report
For Immediate Release - March 15, 2015

LSU WINS SERIES WITH 18-6 VICTORY OVER OLE MISS

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Top-ranked LSU (18-2, 2-1 SEC) rebounded from Saturday's extra-inning loss with an offensive explosion on Sunday, defeating Ole Miss (10-9, 1-2 SEC), 18-6, to win the SEC series at Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field.

LSU has won five straight SEC regular-season series over Ole Miss and 13 of the last 17. The last series victory for Ole Miss over LSU in Baton Rouge came in 1982.

The Tigers will face Southern University at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Lee-Hines Field. The game will be televised by Cox Sports Television, and it may be heard on affiliates of the LSU Sports Radio Network and in the Geaux Zone at www.LSUsports.net.

LSU collected 19 hits in the contest and scored its most runs in an SEC game since an 18-6 win over Florida on May 4, 2013.

The barrage was led by shortstop Alex Bregman, who was 3-for-6 with a double, a homer, three runs and two RBI; and by third baseman Conner Hale, who was 3-for-4 with a homer, three runs and two RBI. Designated hitter Kade Scivicque was also 3-for-4 with one run and two RBI.

"I'm really proud of our guys," said LSU coach Paul Mainieri. "We had a very tough loss last night, but we responded to that setback in a very positive way. Our hitters attacked the ball and had some great at-bats. We were also more selective at the plate without losing our aggressiveness, and that played a large role in our success."

Freshman right-hander Jake Godfrey (4-0) earned the win for LSU, working 5.2 innings and allowing five hits and three runs with four walks and two strikeouts.

Sam Smith (1-3) was charged with the loss for the Rebels as he worked 0.1 inning and gave up five runs on three hits with two walks.

Ole Miss scored the first run of the game in the top of the first after a wild pitch from Godfrey allowed Will Golsan to score from third base.

LSU took the lead for good in the bottom half of the inning, exploding for five runs. After a Mark Laird walk, Bregman doubled down the left field line to bring in Laird, tying the game at 1-1. Hale then hit an RBI single to give LSU a 2-1 lead. A series of wild pitches put runners on second and third, and Scivicque singled to center to score Hale for the Tigers' third run. Chris Chinea hit a two-RBI single up the middle to increase LSU's lead to 5-1.

In the third, Hale hit a leadoff shot to the right field stands for his second home run of the year. Andrew Stevenson advanced to second on a fielding error in the outfield and Scivicque drove him in to give the Tigers a commanding six-run lead.

Bregman added to LSU's lead in the fourth with a solo shot to left - his fifth dinger of the year - giving LSU an 8-1 lead.

In the bottom of the fifth, a Scivicque single advanced Stevenson to third, and three batters later, Jake Fraley hit a two-run single up the middle.

Godfrey found himself in trouble in the sixth as Ole Miss loaded the bases with no outs. Errol Robinson reached first on an RBI fielder's choice for the Rebels' second run of the game. Josh Watkins grounded out to Bregman, allowing Tate Blackman to score, cutting LSU's lead 10-3.

LSU didn't waver as Jared Foster launched a two-run homer to left in the bottom half of the inning, extending LSU's lead 12-3.

The Tigers continued their showcase of offensive firepower in the seventh. Laird doubled down the left field line to score Fraley. A Bregman single moved Laird to third, and Kramer Robertson drove in Laird for the Tigers' 14th run.

Pinch hitter Grayson Byrd added to the lead with an RBI double and Stevenson singled to center to score Robertson. Ole Miss reliever John Wesley Ray walked Danny Zardon with the bases loaded to bring in Byrd, and Michael Papierski hit a sacrifice fly to right, tallying LSU's sixth run of the inning.

---30---
Bill Franques
LSU Athletics
Athletic Administration Building
Baton Rouge, LA 70803
Cell: 225.241.4359
Office: 225.578.2527
wfranqu@lsu.edu

 

[dawrestling]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MARCH 18, 2015

MONMOUTH BASEBALL FALLS AT SAINT JOSEPH'S, 11-4
Gamble and Hughes add two hits apiece

MERION STATION, Pa. - The Monmouth University baseball team fell at Saint Joseph's on Wednesday afternoon in a non-conference contest, 11-4 at Smithson Field. MU falls to 3-11 with the loss, while SJU improves to 6-9.
Saint Joseph's starter Tyler Pallante worked 3.2 innings, allowing three runs on six hits. Jack Stover went 1.1 scoreless, Dominic Cuoci added two shutout frames and two more SJU relievers combined to close out the game, allowing just one run. MU started Adam Yunginger (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township), and he worked three plus innings, allowing five runs, four earned, on five hits with two strikeouts. Jeff Paglione (Mantua, N.J./Gloucester Catholic) worked a scoreless seventh and eighth for Monmouth.
Shaine Hughes (Sewell, N.J./Gloucester Catholic) and Tommy Gamble (Moorestown, N.J./Moorestown) each had two hits for Monmouth, with Gamble also scoring a pair of runs. Stefan Kancylarz had three hits for SJU, and four others had two hits for Saint Joseph's.
Monmouth grabbed the game's first run in a strange fashion in the second, after Gamble lined a double over the head of the left fielder and Kyle Perry (Toms River, N.J./Toms River South) dropped a base hit into right. Grant Lamberton (Newark, Del./Salesianum) lifted a sacrifice fly to center and Gamble scored, but Perry was cut down trying to tag and go to second just seconds after Gamble scored to end the inning.
Saint Joseph's responded in the bottom of the inning with a pair on back-to-back singles by Charlie Coghlin and Taylor Boyd to go up 2-1. MU tied the game back up in the top of the third, when Robbie Alessandrine (Sewell, N.J./Gloucester Catholic) singled and ended up at third after a double play. Hughes ripped a double on one-hop off the right field fence to chase home Alessandrine.
SJU responded with another two runs in the bottom half of the third when Deon Stafford led off with a double. Kancylarz followed with a long triple to straightaway center field and would later score on an RBI ground out to put the home team up 4-2 after three.
For the third consecutive inning in the fourth, MU got a single run via a bases loaded walk. After a Pete Papcun (Brick, N.J./Christian Brothers Academy) single, a fielder's choice and a hit by pitch to Perry and a walk to Lamberton, Steve Wilgus (Woolwich, N.J./Gloucester Catholic) drew a bases loaded walk to score a run. SJU got that run back in the bottom of the frame on a Peter Sitaras sacrifice fly. In the bottom of the fifth, Saint Joseph's put the first two runners aboard, eventually scoring one on a passed ball and another on a Matt Maul RBi single to extend the SJU lead to 7-3.
Boyd singled leading off the sixth, and Sitaras followed with a walk to put the first two on for Saint Joseph's. Kancylarz put one past a diving Lamberton to score a run, and John Brue came up two batters later and pulled a long 3-run home run into the right field bullpens to push the Saint Joseph's lead to 11-3.
Christian Holland (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) dropped a single into center field in the ninth to score Wilgus to make the final score 11-4 in favor of Saint Joseph's.

Monmouth is back in action this weekend with four games against Wagner. For all info on Monmouth baseball, follow @MUHawksBaseball on Twitter.

 

[dawrestling]

Baseball 3-23-15

Andrew Reich picked up his first career win as a varsity starter. Billy Sullivan pitched two scoreless innings. Jake Gilardi had two hits. Jeremy Vogel had 3 RBIs for the Spartans of St. Marks as they defeated Indian River by a 6-0 score. William Murray had two hits for Indian River.

Delmarva defeated Wilmington Christian by a 18-5 score. Winning pitcher CJ Wilkinson 1-0 recorded 9 strikeouts and pitched 5 innings.

Sussex Tech's Kyle Lux had a huge day at the plate for the Ravens, going 3-4, with 5 RBI's, including a walk-off grandslam in the bottom of the 6th inning as they defeated Newark Charter by a 12-1 score.

3-24-15 Baseball
Jordan Hutchins led Dover going 2 for 4 with a stolen base and drove in a run. Winning pitcher Jared Rowley 1-0 picked up the win on the mound for Dover as they defeated the Vikings of Cape Henlopen by a 9-5 score. David Kennedy led the Vikings with a pair of hits, run scored, and stolen base. David Kwan added 2 RBI's and 2 stolen bases.
Brandon Rohrer lead the Middletowns offense with 4 hits and 3 RBI's as they defeated the Rams of Dickinson by a 15-3 score.
A walk-off single from Pedro Custodio brought home the winning run for the Glasgow Dragons in a 4-3 victory over McKean High School in 10 innings at Glasgow High School on Tuesday.
The Dragons had 11 hits overall, with doubles by Aaron Coates (2), Jack McCann and Victor Norris.
Glasgow starter Aaron Coates 1-0 threw two innings of shutout ball with 5 K's. He was followed by Victor Norris for two innings. Freshman Anthony Lozada threw 4 innings today giving up 1 hit, with 6 K's. Wayne Watson closed out the game, throwing 2 innings with 1 walk and 1 K.
Kyle Hodgson threw 9.1 innings in the loss for McKean, striking out 10 along the way.
Kevin Czarnecki led the way for McKean with a triple and a single. Sam Baker had double while driving in a run for McKean.
Carter Chasanov was 2-3 with 2 runs scored and Tre Obermire was 3-3 with an RBI to pace Polytech to a 10-5 win over the Indians of Indian River. Cole Garey added a three run double in the seventh. Eddie Hogan 3-4 with 2 stolen bases and 2 runs scored for Indian River. Ryan Engh added a triple with 2 rbis in the seventh for Indian River.
For Archmere Nick Talley went 4 for 4 with 2 runs 4 rbi's. Andrew Orzel , Chris Deely and Joe Singley each had 2 hits and scored 2 runs Colin Lynch went 2 for 3 with 3 rbi's Joey Voge 1-0 pitched 5 inning shut out striking out 10 only allowing 4 base runners and two hits as they defeated the Colonials of William Penn 13-0.
Cole Davis 1-0 threw 4 strong innings for Milford allowing only 1 hit. Tom Saxon had 2 hits and Shawn Snowden hit a grand slam for Milford as they defeated the Blue Jays of Seaford by a 17-0 score. Cody Wilkerson collected 2 hits for Seaford.
:Jake Williams gave up 1 hit over six innings to lead the Riders to a 9-2 win over Sussex Tech. Brennen Brown and Quintin Ivy each went 3-4 and scored 2 runs. Jake Williams, Levi Kapp, Tim Haugh, and Brett Horne each had 2 hits for the Riders. Kapp and Haugh each had 2 RBIs paced the Riders of Caesar Rodney to a 9-2 win over the Ravens of Sussex Tech.
Trenton Hearn and Justin Hill each went 1-3 for the Ravens. Cole Collins and Kyle Lux each had a run/
Justin Mears 1-0 led the Golden Knights on the mound only allowing 1 hit in 6 innings while striking out 9 batters. He also led the team with 2 hits. Brian Carroll and Trevor Collins chipped in with an RBI each to pace the Golden Knights of Sussex Central by a 3-0 score. Sal Ingrassia came in to pitch the 7 to earn the save.
The Ravens of St Thomas More Academy behind winning pitcher Sean Pool and with the bats 1-2 1RBI & Pitched 7 innings w No Hitter with 13ks & 2 walks defeated the Cardinals of St. Andrews by a 9-0 score. Corey Gordon(STMA) 2-4 3RBIs Matt Torbert for St. Thomas More contributed with a sacrifice fly and 2 rbi's.
In a non-conference, season opener the St. Georges Hawks defeated Conrad School of Science by a 9-2 score. The Hawks were led by Tyler Campbell and Sean McGrath on the mound and solid defense behind them. Offensively, the Hawks were lead by McGrath's 3 hits, Campbell & Feehery's 2 RBIs, and Marucci's 2 hits and RBI. Hyatt and Bradigan each collected an RBI for Conrad.
Joey Nepi drove in the winning run to give the Silver Eagles the lead in the sixth inning, as Hodgson hung on to beat Appoquinimink 4-2 on Tuesday. With the score tied at two in the sixth inning, Nepi came to the plate and singled, driving home 2.
Appoquinimink jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first on a single by Ryan Steckline, then tacked on more runs when Steckline scored on an RBI single by Matt Alexander.
Hodgson's winning pitcher at 1-0 Brandon Walter struck out 12 and Emir Garrett 0-1 struck out nine for Appo in a well pitched game.



Baseball 3-26-15
Winning pitcher Ryan Bradigan picked up the win in his first career varsity start at 1-0. Brett Nowell, Dan Hyatt and Trevor Vivian all had multiple hits for Conrad as they defeated St. Thomas Moore by a 12-3 score. Sean Pool doubled for St Thomas.
Seniors Shane Feehery and Kyle Adams combined for a 5 inning, no hitter Thursday afternoon. The Hawks had eight hitters collect multiple hits while Tyler Campbell, Tristan Guild, & Shane Feehery had 3 RBIs to pace St. Georges to a 24-0 win over Christiana.


Sean Courtney had 2 hits and 1 RBI for Salesianum. Salesianum pitchers combined to allow only 2 hits and 1 run. Sean Courtney took the mound with bases loaded one out in the seventh and retired the next two batters to earn the save as the Sals of Salesianum won by a 5-1 score. Wayne Watson's single in the top of the third was instrumental in loading the bases for Glasgow, resulting in a run.

Jay Perry hit a three run homreun. Jake Gilardi also homered for the Spartans as they defeated the Riders of Caesar Rodney by a 5-4 score. Jacob Williams added three hits for Caesar Rodney.

Milford's Dustin Reeder came in in relief to pick up the win at 1-0, giving up two hits with three strike outs. Reeder also had three hits and an RBI. Philip Herber broke open a close game in the 6th with a two run single to put the Bucs ahead 4-2 which made the final score 5-2 in favor of the Bucs over Tower Hill.

Tower Hill's Harry Quimby doubled and scored a run.

Christian Diamanty's 2 run single broke a 3-3 tie in the fourth inning to lead Wilmington Christian's five run rally. Tim Glavin and Ryan Willams also had RBI's for the Warriors. Winning pitcher 1-0 Nate Hardcastle notched his first career varsity win striking out nine, and Ryan Williams picked up a two inning save for WCS. Donovan Simpson added a solid hit and two stolen bases for the Cardinals..


This post was edited on 3/30 4:01 AM by dawrestling


This post was edited on 3/30 4:14 AM by dawrestling

 

[dawrestling]

3-30-14 Delaware High School Baseball
Three pitchers combined to throw a no-hitter for Hodgson as they defeated Dickinson 9-0. The Silver Eagles were sparked offensively by Shane Talvacchio and Connor Megginson, who teamed up for four hits and three RBIs. Brandon Walter and Trevor Hunter also added 2 hits each.
Cole Davis scattered 5 hits over 5 innings striking out 8 for the win an 11-1 Milford victory over the Wildcats of Delmar.
Tom Saxon had 2 hits and 2 rbis for the Bucs. Shawn Snowden added 2 hits and an rbi. Tommy Jordan, Gunner Stanley, and Abraham Mow each scored twice. For the Wildcats, Nathaniel Smith had 3 hits and an rbi.
Highlights: Aaron Vogel was 3 for 3 with a double and scored three runs to lead the Riders to a 14-2 victory over Laurel. Tim Haugh, Brett Horne, and Jeff Gary each had two hits while Haugh and Gary each had three RBIs. Jake Williams and Cam Ervin were each 1 for 2. Noah DeAtley made his first varsity start for the win with Brett Horne in relief.
The Bulldogs were lead by Mitchell Moyer who was 1 for 1 and scored a run. Desmond Parker was also 1 for 1 while Conner Evans scored a run for the Bulldogs.
Justin Gray led the Bluejays at the plate, going 3-3. Bryan Widdowson and Cody Wilkerson had 2 RBIs for Seaford. Sussex Tech was led by Justin Hill who went 4-4, including a double, and 3 RBI's as they defeated Seaford by a 12-2 score.
Kai Vitella led the Vikings going 3 for 4 with 6 RBI's and 2 runs scored. Alec McCoy helped his cause with a pair of hits and a walk at the plate while striking out 9 on the mound to improve to 1-0 as they defeated Woodbridge by a 13-2 score. Vikings pitchers combined for 16 k's on the day. Woodbridge was led by Magee at the plate going 2 for 3 with 2 RBI's.
Aaron Holiday, Jaret Bush and Noah Dahllof combined to throw a no hitter. Seth Wampler (2-4, 4 RBIs) and Jacob Stollings (2-3, 1 RBI) led the offense as they defeated Howard by a 11-0 score. Mason Blue struck out 5 in 3 innings of pitching.
Robbie Marcelle led the Knights to a win hitting 2 triples with the bases loaded totally 6 RBIs on the day. Trevor Collins also had triple that scored three. Justin Mears homered and plated two while DJ Doherty, Trey Toppin and Luke Williams added two hits each. Brody Grove earned the win on the mound on a tough day for pitching as his record improves to 1-0 to pace Sussex Central to a 17-7 win over Polytech. Carter Chasnov, Cole Garey and Adrian Hill had two hits apiece for Polytech.

Adam Weber boosted his batting average thanks to a perfect 2-2 day at the plate. He doubled in the second inning and singled in the sixth inning.

Bryce Carney struck out seven hitters. Carney allowed one earned run, five hits and two walks over six innings to pace the Bucs of Caravel by a 4-2 score. Lake Forest winning pitcher Tyler Collins earned the win in relief at 1-0 striking out six Eagles batters as Lake Forest defeated Smyrna 8-7. Collins also doubled twice and drove in three. Chris Sipple had 3 hits and scored 3 runs. Jordan Simpson, Dillon Cole, Eric Berardicelli, and Tyler Cauthren all had multiple hit games for the Spartans. For Smyrna, Corey Everage, Ryan Seymour, and Harvey Carrow all doubled.

3-31-15 Games

Eric Moore picked up the victory for Mount Pleasant striking out eight as they defeated Howard by a 13-2 score. Mac Cox and Maurice Parson each had two hits. Austin Zarco singled for Howard.

Nate Pegram scattered 5 hits over 6 innings to pick up the win in the Tigers opening game 7-5 win over Newark. AI broke out in the first inning with 6 runs led by Lou DiChiara two RBIs. Clayton Hansen led Newark with two hits and two RBIs.

Joey Voge improves his record to 2-0 went the distance to earn his 2nd victory of the year, allowing 1 unearned over 7 scattering 5 hits. Chris Deely knocked in the games first run with a double, one of his 2 hits. Joe Singley gave the Auks 2 insurance runs in the 5th with a 2-run single. Danny Hyatt also went the distance allowing 3 runs and 5 hits. Brett Nowell had a double with his 2 hits in the game to pace Archmere to a 4-1 win over Conrad.

: Brandywine's John Evans, Steve Biddle and Joshua Niemann contributed two hits each. In the second inning winning pitcher P.J Groome hit a bases clearing single and scored on throwing error as Brandywine defeated McKean 11-1.

Ryan Steckline pitched five shutout innings to earn the win for Appoquinimink an 8-0 win over Concord. Julian Kurych hit a 2-run home run, and Brett Willett, Cole Rodriguez, Javon Fields and Thomas Rybicki added two hits each. Brannon McHugh, Austin Coughenour, Dallas Russell and Owen Linkhorst had hits for Concord.

Moises Reyes 1-0 pitched a complete game scattering four hits and striking out six for the Delcastle 4-1 win over Red Lion Christian. Wilson Gomez went 3 for 3 scoring twice, while Jeremy Smith doubled, singled, and drove in 2 runs. Seth Wampler doubled and scored for Red Lion Christian.

Andrew Reich had two hits including a grand slam with 4 RBIs to pace St. Marks to a 16-9 win over Hodgson. Pete Berardi had a double and 4 RBIs. Eric Gustafson and Shane Talvacchio each had two hits for Hodgson.

Jake Freeman 1-0 struck out 10 in 5 innings for the win. At the plate, Freeman went 4-4 with two doubles and a triple. Chase Rapine went 3-3 with a double. Vincent Leo had 3 RBIs. Donovan Simpson hit a solo HR for St. Andrews in the 3rd.

For Middletown Brennan McAllister went 2 for 3 with 1 run and 1 rbi Brandon Rohrer went 2 for 5 with 1 run 2 rbis
Matt Moran had a 3 run double to pace the Cavaliers to an 11-7 win over William Penn.

Kyle Moore led the way with 3 hits and 6 RBI's for the Seahawks of Delaware Military Academy as they defeated St. Thomas More 22-2. Jacob Hudson, Jeff Gillis, Vincent Ruggerio, and John Bialecki all had 2 hits. Matt Danz and Joe Sammons combined for 5 strikeouts on the hill. ST. Thomas More- Stephen Jackewicz and DeMarkus Lee both had a double.

Ryan Nolen was 2 for 2 with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI's. Mike Piekarski had three hits for St. Elizabeth as they defeated Newark Charter 5-0. Anthony Dalton had two hits for Newark Charter.

Michael Sorowice picked up his first career varsity win striking out seven to pace Wilmington Christian School to a 12-7 win over Delaware Academy of Public Safety and Security. Danny Berg came in relief to shut the door on the DAPPS Eagles. Nate Hardcastle had two hits and an RBI for WCS. Ryan Williams also chipped in with two hits and and a couple of RBI's for the Warriors. Jason Elliot doubled for DAPPS.

Carter Lamey scored the winning run in the bottom of the 7th after hitting a single to start the inning as they defeated Glasgow by a 3-2 score. Joel Turk drove in Kyle Baker to tie the game in the 5th. Troy Berta pitched 4 no-hit innings to earn the win. Matt Brenneman had 2 hits for CSW and Aaron Coates threw 9 Ks in 5 innings for Glasgow.

Dover's Kendall Small and Jordan Hutchins pitched a combined no-hitter for the conference victory with a 12-0 win over the Blue Raiders of Woodbridge. Small 1-0 with his record had 9 strikeouts and 2 RBI for the Senators. Zach Stone had 2 hits with 4 RBI and Dakota Graham also collected 2 hits with 2 runs scored. Logan Wescott pitched in relief for Woodbridge with 2 strikeouts.

Caesar Rodney opened up a tight game with a four run fifth inning as they defeated the Panthers of Polytech by a 9-5 score. Levi Kapp was 2-4 with a homerun and timothy Haugh was 2-4 with a double. Aaron Vogel added a homerun for the riders and Jake Williams threw six strong innings for the win.

James Donnelly picked up his first win for the Tigers as AI du Pont came back scoring 6 runs in the top of the 7th inning led by a one out bases clearing double from Evan Barba as they defeated the Colonials of William Penn by a 11-7 score. Brandon Dooley had a home run for William Penn and Dizhae Henriquez had a double.

Cape starter Austin Elliott tossed a 1-hitter with 11 strikeouts and the Vikings picked up the win via late offense as they defeated Delmar by a 6-2 score. Kai Vitella was 2 for 3 with 2 runs scored and David Kennedy drove in a pair of runs for the Vikings.

The Buccaneers of Caravel goes to 3-0 on the season as they scored 6 runs in the sixth inning behind Colin Adams 3 run home run caps the inning. Also teammates Adam Weber had 2 hits and 3 RBI
Tyler Juhl went 2-3 as they defeated Penn Charter by a 8-6 score. For Penn Charter they scored 4 runs in the 3rd and led by D. Maldonaldo who went 1-2 with 2 walks and 3 RBI's...M. Sianni also helped 1-2 2 walks and 2 runs and Wm Penn Charter goes to 6-1


4-2-15

John Evans pitched five strong innings racking up 13 strike outs while only walking one batter. Chris Mako and PJ Groome led the Brandywine's offense each with two hits including there doubles. Steve Biddle, John Evans, and Chris Mako had two rbi's each.

Jake Hudson was the winning pitcher coming in relief and had the game winning RBI while leading the indians at the plate 2-4 as they defeated Parkside by a 6-5 score. Deshawn Aiken was 1-2 with 2 runs scored, 1 RBI and 1 stolen base.

Ryan Bradigan pitched a complete game shut out, striking out 7 while scattering 3 hits. Chris Kramedas had 2 hits for Conrad as they defeated Tatnall 1-0.

Dover's Jared Rowley pitched six shutout innings for the Conference 6-0 victory over Caesar Rodney. Zach Stone, Tyler Rosello and Rowley had a RBI for the Senators. Jordan Hutchins also had 2 hits and 2 runs scored for Dover. Jacob Williams was 2-3 for the Riders.

Pinch hitter Dalton Ramsey gave Friends the lead with a 2 run single in the 4th inning. Friend went on to score 8 runs in the inning as they defeated Sanford 13-4. DeVonte' Church scored 4 runs with with walks and a single. Coonor Ganse lead Friends with 3 RBI's. Ethan Ivins pitched 4 innings and had 5 strikeouts and 1 walk to record his first win of the season.

Highlights: Early lead not enough for Glasgow Dragons, drop 5-4 decision to Sussex Technical High School

The Glasgow Dragons jumped out to an early lead, but was unable to hold on and lost 5-4 to Sussex Technical High School on Thursday.

While the Glasgow Dragons led until the eighth inning, Sussex Technical High School worked its way back and took the lead on an RBI single by Colin Bergh.

Mike Helton was hot from the plate for the Glasgow Dragons. Mike Helton went 3-4 and scored one run. He singled in the second, third, and fifth innings.

Brady Parks got the win in relief for Sussex Technical High School. Parks pitched 5 2/3 innings and allowed no runs.

Wayne Watson was the game's losing pitcher. He lasted just 1 1/3 innings, walked one, struck out none, and allowed one run.

The bottom of the second saw the Glasgow Dragons take an early lead, 3-0. Mike Helton got things going for Glasgow with a single. Aaron Coates.

Sussex Technical High School got one-run rallies in the fourth inning and the eighth. In the fourth, Sussex Technical High School scored on an RBI single by Parks, bringing home Justin Hill.

Sussex Technical High School never surrendered the lead after the eighth inning, scoring one run on an RBI single by Bergh.

Brandon Walter threw a no-hitter, striking out 12 batters. Joey Nepi doubled in the 2nd inning and scored on Derek Lambert's rbi single to pace Hodgson to a 2-1 win over St. Georges. Trevor Hunter led off the 6th inning with a double and scored the go ahead run on Walter's sacrifice fly.

A seven-run explosion in the fourth inning spurred the Rams to a 12-1 win in five innings over McKean on Thursday.
The Rams scored in the fourth on a passed ball, a two-run single by Michael Piccio.
Todd racked up four RBIs on two hits for the Rams.
William (CJ) Morton got the win at 2-0 for the Rams thanks to 13 strikeouts. Morton allowed no earned runs, three hits and one walk over five innings. Kevin Czarnecki doubled for McKean.

Julian Kurych hit a 2-run home run to start a 5 run first inning for Appoquinimink as they defeated Newark 12-2. Ryan Steckline had 4 hits and 4 RBI for the Jaguars. Clayton Hansen tripled for Newark.

Vincent Ruggerio pitched 6 strong innings allowing 1 hit while striking out 10 batters to pace Delaware Military Academy to a 7-0 win over DAPSS. Jeffrey Gillis went 3-4 with 2 RBI's. Ruggerio also had 3 RBI's. Jacob Hudson had a triple and Connor Gee had two stikeouts in relief. DAPSS- Jason Elliott had a hit and pitched 4.1 innings.

Pat Fagan's 2 out double in the top of the seventh scored Ben Crain to put the Hillers on top 3-1. Wilmington Christian tied the game in the bottom of the seventh on an RBI single by Daniel Berg. Tower Hill then scored two in the top of the eigth to take the lead for good. Pitchers Nate Hardcastle and Brendan Harris kept both team in check for the first six innings, With harris giving up 3 hits with 4 strikeouts and Hardcastle giving up three hits with six K's.

4-4-15

Matthew Danz pitched a complete game striking out 8 improves his record to 2-0 paced the Seahawks of Delaware Military Academy to a 3-0 win over Glasgow. Vincent Ruggerio and Aj Turulski had two hits for the Seahawks. Glasgow- Anthony Lozada had two hits for the Dragons.

Brett Willett earned the win on the mound for Appoquinimink and had three hits at the plate. The Jaguars jumped out to an early lead, scoring 7 runs in the first inning as they defeated Delmar 11-1. Kavon Trader doubled and scored for Delmar.

Zach Burton went 3 for 4 with 2 runs 2 rbis and 2 stolen bases Brandon Dooley went 2 for 3 with a solo Home run
Dizhae Henriquez had a 2 run home run and a rbi double to pace William Penn to a 15-0 win over Christiana.

John Barkley struck out 4 over 4 2/3 innings and the Eagles tallied 15 hits in the win. Jared Gillis lead the offense with 2 HR's paced Smyrna to a 14-2 win over AI duPont. Nolan Henderson went 3 for 4 with 4 RBI's and Mike Carrow added a HR. Shawn Dulin and Dylan Huff had two hits each. Kyle Risner went 2 for 3 for the Tigers.


Brothers Harry and Charlie Quimby homered for the Hillers in game two of a double header. Harry Quimby had three hits, while Ben Crain, Brendan Harris, and Adam Reynolds had two hits each. Reynolds picked up his first varsity win, striking out 6 in three innings of work as in the first game Tower Hill defeated St. Andrews 19-4.

Pat Fagan 1-1 on the season scattered 4 hits with 8 strikeouts to earn the win in game 1. Tower Hill's Brett Anderson had three hits with 2 RBI's. St. Andrew's Donovan Simpson had two hits and stole three bases.Tower Hill defeated St. Andrews 15-1 in the second game of the doubleheader.












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This post was edited on 4/4 7:59 PM by dawrestling

This post was edited on 4/6 1:49 AM by dawrestling

 

[dawrestling]

4-13-15 Baseball

Marty Murphy drove in JaWan Ward in the top of the 8th inning as Delcastle defeated AI DuPont in the continuation of a suspended game by a 10-9 score. Trailing 9-2 in the fifth inning, AI rallied to tie the score in the 6th. Kyle Risner and Regan Hidalgo had 2 hits each for the Tigers. Delcastle was led by Marty Murphy's 3 hits and Corey Mitchell's 2 hits and 2 RBI. Moises Reyes pitched a scoreless 7th and 8th inning to earn his second win of the season.

Shawn Dulin pitched 5 innings, striking out 5 for the 12-5 win over Milford. Jared Gillis had 3 hits and scored twice. Thomas Penuel had 3 rbi and Justin Jones had 2 hits and an rbi for Smyrna. Tommy Jordan, Dustin Reeder, and Shawn Snowden each had 2 hits for the Bucs. Phil Herber and Abraham Mow each had 2 rbi.

Kyle MacDonnell pitched a 3-hitter in getting the Newark 14-3 win over Red Lion. Joe Burton paced the way for Newark going 3 for 3 with 2 homeruns and 7 rbi's. Billy Stranahan, Clayton Hansen, Nick Zegna, and Chase Houck each had 2-hits for Newark. Daniel McNeil, Jeremy Bush, and Noah Dahllof each had a hit for RCLA.

DMA- Joseph Sammons pitched a no hitter in his first high school win as a pitcher with 11 strikeouts to pace Delaware Military Academy to a 14-0 win over Delmarva Christian. Vincent Ruggerio and John Bialecki had two hits each. Matthew Danz had 3 rbi's.

Newark Charter's Will Reader and Ellis Dorr held St. Thomas More to 2 hits and no runs. Sean Kelby was 3-3 with 3 runs scored. Zach Lesher and Cole Macaron were both 2-3. The win was Newark Charter's first varsity baseball win in school history as they defeated St. Thomas More by a 10-0.

Sean Pool and Travis Ziegler both went 1-2 at the plate for St. Thomas More

4-14-15

The Rams jumped out to an early lead on Brandywine and captured a 9-1 victory on Tuesday at Brandywine. Five runs in the first three innings allowed the Rams to put the game away early. An RBI single by Caleb Todd during the second inning helped the Rams put some runs on the board early. Refner racked up two RBIs on three hits for the Rams. Todd got the win for the Rams thanks to 13 strikeouts. The Rams' pitcher gave up just one hit over five shutout innings. Paul Groome had two hits for Brandywine.

In conference play the St. Georges Hawks defeated the Mt. Pleasant Green Knights 11-6.The Hawks jumped out to an early lead, but the Green Knights never stopped fighting and battled all game.Tyler Campbell, Kyle Adams, and Shane Feehery all had two hits with Adams and Feehery adding 3 RBIs each. Maurice Parson had 4 hits and Brett Hillsgrove had 3 RBIs for the Green Knights.


Ryan Bradigan threw a complete game scattering 5 hits improving his record to 3-0 on the season to pace Conrad to a 5-1 win over Wilmington Christian. Chris Kramedas had 2 RBis for Conrad. Ryan Williams was 2-3 for Wilmington Christian.

Zach Swain's 2 RBI single put the Hillers up for good in the 4th inning 7-3. Swain finished the game with two hits. Harry Quimby Had three hits and an RBI for Tower Hill. The Vikings' Trevor Powers had two hits and an RBI. Brendan Harris picked up his third win of the season, scattering 5 hits with three K's.





This post was edited on 4/14 8:30 PM by dawrestling

 

[dawrestling]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MONDAY, APRIL 6, 2014
CONTACT: MATT JANUS 302-888-5393[/URL] OR JONATHAN KOHUT/JACKSON BAIRD 302-888-2580[/URL]
Royals Release 2015 Blue Rocks Opening Day Roster
Team Features Three Of The Top 30 Prospects In Kansas City's Organization
Wilmington, DE - With Opening Day in the Carolina League less than a week away, the Wilmington Blue Rocks are proud to announce the young, talented roster making their way to the Riverfront in 2015. The Rocks' 2015 Opening Day roster will include three of the Kansas City Royals' top-30 prospects according to Baseball America and 11 players who have spent time in Wilmington previously. While some of the players may be used to playing on the Riverfront, manager Brian Buchanan will have to adjust to life in the Carolina League. Buchanan, who played parts of five seasons at the Major League level, enters his sixth season as a Minor League Manager, all of those spent in the Royals Organization.
The Blue Rocks pitching staff contains one of the Royals' top-30 prospects, Eric Skoglund. Skoglund, a lefty, was a third-round draft pick in 2014 out of Central Florida. Last year, he pitched in nine games (eight starts) for Rookie-Level Idaho Falls where he struck out 25 in 23 innings pitched. Returning for another year on the Rocks pitching staff are relievers Yender Caramo, Andrew Edwards, and Robinson Yambati. Caramo, who started off last season in the starting rotation, ended up being an important part of the Rocks' bullpen. He made 31 appearances out of the pen last season, posting a 3.59 ERA. Most impressively, Caramo walked just 12 batters in 82.2 innings pitched. Edwards spent part of last season in Wilmington, making 11 appearances. Yambati, who split time between Rookie-Level Idaho Falls and Low-A Lexington in 2014, spent time on the Riverfront in 2012 and 2013.
Joining the pitching staff in Wilmington for the first time will be a slew of southpaws, including Estarlin Cordero, Nick Green, Cody Reed, Luis Rico, and Eric Stout. Stout was drafted in 2014 and made his professional debut with Idaho Falls. He went 5-2 with a 3.58 ERA out of the bullpen. Green was a tenth-round draft pick out of the University of Utah. He pitched to a 3.52 ERA in 14 games for Idaho Falls. Reed and Rico will most-likely find their way into Wilmington's starting rotation. They both spent all of 2014 with Lexington making 35 starts between them. Anchoring the bullpen will most-likely be Cordero who spent all of last season with Rookie-Level Burlington. He made 15 appearances, collecting five saves with an impressive 2.70 ERA. Benino Pruneda also joins the Rocks bullpen after being a part of the Lynchburg Hillcats pitching staff last season. Pruneda closed out the second of two consecutive no-hitters thrown by the Hillcats against the Blue Rocks in June.
In the starting rotation, Alec Mills will make his Advanced-A debut on the Riverfront. Last year was a tale of two seasons for Mills as he struggled at Rookie-Level Idaho Falls, posting a 4.66 ERA, but was phenomenal with Low-A Lexington, turning in a sparkling 1.18 ERA in seven games. Luke Farrell and Matt Alvarez may also be joining Mills in the rotation. Farrell posted a 5.25 ERA in 23 games (19 starts) for Low-A Lexington before finishing the season with Double-A Northwest Arkansas where he made two starts. Alvarez was a spot-starter for Lexington in 2014, giving up just 63 hits in 73.1 IP. Jakob Junis may also join the starting rotation; he makes his Advanced-A debut after going 9-8 at Low-A last season.
The Blue Rocks roster will feature three catchers, including two returners in Cam Gallagher and Zane Evans. Gallagher enters the season as the No. 28 prospect in the Royals' organization, via Baseball America. He was a Carolina League All-Star in 2014, throwing out 40 percent of all base runners attempting to steal. Evans was impressive offensively, collecting 36 RBIs.
In the infield, Jack Lopez, Kenny Diekroeger, Frank Schwindel, and Ramon Torres return for another stint in Delaware. Lopez will enter his third season in Wilmington, moving from shortstop to second base last year. Diekroeger started 2014 in Wilmington before finishing the season at Low-A where he batted .265. Schwindel was a late addition to the Rocks last season, racking up 14 hits in 16 games in Advanced-A. Torres finished the season in Wilmington after hitting .304 at Low-A. Joining them in the infield will be Robert Pehl and Mauricio Ramos. Ramos has been impressing in the minors, batting over .300 for both Burlington and Idaho Falls in 2013 and .279 with 54 RBIs last season with Lexington. Pehl, an 11th rounder last season, opened eyes with his professional debut, batting .332 with 41 RBIs in 61 games for Rookie-Level Idaho Falls.
The outfield will be anchored in center by the returning Bubba Starling, the No. 18 prospect in Kansas City's system according to Baseball America. Starling struggled at the plate last year--batting just .218--but manned a flawless centerfield and was first in the Carolina League in games played (132). Daniel Rockett also returns to the Riverfront after collecting 72 hits last year. Dominique Taylor and Logan Moon will be joining them. Taylor has been exceeding expectations as a 15th-round draft pick. He batted .322 in his professional debut with Idaho Falls in 2013, and then hit .300 at Lexington last season. Moon, a sixth-round draft pick in 2014, tore up Appalachian League pitching in his pro debut. He batted .332, tallying 75 hits in just 59 games.
The Blue Rocks open their 2015 campaign on the road at Myrtle Beach on Thursday, April 9th. The 23rd season of Blue Rocks baseball at Frawley Stadium begins with their home opener against the Frederick Keys on Thursday, April 16. Regular season tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by calling 302-888-BLUE, visiting BlueRocks.com, or by visiting the Blue Rocks Box Office at Frawley Stadium.
Blue Rocks Baseball = The Royal Treatment
www.bluerocks.com

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[dawrestling]

MONMOUTH BASEBALL DEFEATED BY QUINNIPIAC, 5-3
Ciavarella strikes out nine for MU

WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. - Anthony Ciavarella (Phillipsburg, N.J./Phillipsburg) struck out nine and walked none, but Scott Donaghue had three hits for Quinnipiac as the Bobcats took the rubber game from Monmouth, 5-3 at the MU Baseball Field on Monday afternoon. The Bobcats improve to 9-16, 6-3 in conference while MU is 7-14, 3-3 in the league.

Ciavarella gets the loss, fanning nine and walking none while allowing four runs, three of which were earned, in 6.2 innings. Freshman Matt Littrell (Bayonne, N.J./Marist) allowed a run on four hits with two strikeouts in 2.1 innings. Justin Thomas worked 4.2 innings as the QU starter, giving up a run on five hits. Gary Binciewicz came on to get the final out of the fifth to earn the win as five QU relievers combined to allow just two Monmouth runs, both surrendered by Taylor Luciani.

Offensively, MU was led by Steve Wilgus (Woolwich, N.J./Gloucester Catholic) who was two-for-five with an RBI. For QU, Donaghue had three hits and two runs scored, while Lou Iannotti went two-for-five with three RBI's. Mike Palladino also added a pair of hits for Quinnipiac.

The Bobcats jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning, when Donaghue lined a one out double onto the warning track in left field. After Matthew Batten singled to right to put runners on the corners and advanced to second on a wild pitch, Iannotti put a single through the right side to score both runs. The visitors added single runs in the second and third as well, getting a Brian Ruditys sac fly in the second and Batten scoring on a wild pitch after a rundown between first and second.

MU got a run back in the fourth, with Shaine Hughes (Sewell, N.J./Washington Township) singling through the middle and Chris Gaetano (Madison Township, Pa./Scranton Preparatory) walking on four pitches. After Kyle Perry (Toms River, N.J./Toms River South) bunted them both over, Dan Shea (Wilmington, Del./Salesianum) brought home a run on a ground out to shortstop.

The Hawks struck for two more to cut the lead to one in the seventh. Ryan Bailey (Mount Kisco, N.Y./Fox Lane) pinch hit and singled back through the middle and Justin Trochiano (Morganville, N.J./Marlboro) walked. Robbie Alessandrine (Sewell, N.J./Gloucester Catholic) reached on a throwing error by third baseman Matthew Oestreicher that scored pinch runner Pete Papcun (Brick, N.J./Christian Brothers Academy), and Wilgus followed with a ground ball to the left side that scored Trochiano to slice the QU lead to 5-3.

The Bobcats grabbed a big insurance run in the ninth when Iannotti dropped a single into center with the bases loaded to place a run, and MU went down in order in the ninth to make the final score 5-3 QU.

The Hawks are back in action tomorrow when they take on Wagner in a makeup game at home at 3:00 p.m.


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This post was edited on 4/19 1:05 AM by dawrestling

 

[dawrestling]

Baseball Recaps 4-6-15

Highlights:
Aaron Coates struck out 13 batters to lift the Glasgow Dragons to a 3-1 win over Concord High School at Glasgow High School in seven innings.

Coates did his best to jumpstart the offense for Glasgow Dragons Varsity, reaching base two times. He scored one run and had one RBI. He homered in the sixth inning. Anthony Lozada also stayed hot for the Dragons, scoring 1 run and collecting a base hit.

Matthew Parrish took the loss for Concord High School. He lasted just one inning, walked three, struck out two, and allowed two runs.

Concord High School managed to score one run in the fourth inning on a solo home run by Austin Coughenour.
Highlights: Connor Knight through a 6 hitter for Newark to pick up the win. Billy Stranahan, Clayton Hansen, and Joe Burton each had 2-hits for Newark. Joe Burton also had 4-RBI's. Dallas Russell had 2-hits and 2 RBI's, and Robert Farnam had 2 RBI's for Concord.

4-7-15

Dan Hyatt was 3-4 with 7 RBIs. Trevor Vivian, Brock Nowell and Mike Harris each had 2 hits for Conrad as they defeated Dickinson 11-0. Andrew Kliemann was 1-2 for Dickinson.

Emir Garrett improves his record at 2-1 on the season as he struck out 6 in 5 scoreless innings to earn the win for Appoquinimink. Brett Willett doubled and scored the game's only run in the first inning. Matt Alexander added two hits for the Jaguars. Losing pitcher Kyle Hinton at 0-2 pitched a complete game with 5 strike outs for Salesianum.

Bryce Magee hit a 3 run HR to cap a 5 run 7th inning rally for Red Lion as they defeated Sanford by a 10-5 score. Bryce Maynard had 2 RBIs and Aaron Holiday and Michael Collins each had 2 hits. For Sanford, Vincent Leo and Chester Burnett had 2 hits.

Freshman pitcher Connor Megginson earned his first high school win with 9 strikeouts as he paced the Silver Eagles of Hodgson to a 14-1 win over Howard. Megginson also helped lead the offense going 2 for 2 with 2 doubles and 2 rbi. Trevor Hunter went 2 for 2 with a double, a triple and 3 runs scored. Jordan Chance had 2 hits for Howard.

Drew Kobasa 1-0 struck out 6 batters while allowing only 2 hits in 5 innings to pick up the 8-1 win for the Hornets over the Cards of St. Andrews. Kobasa and Brad Keen each collected 2 hits at the plate while Chase Pfleegor added 2 hits and drove in 4 runs. For St. Andrew's, Donovan Simpson reached base twice and stole 4 bases.

Tower Hill's Brendan Harris picked up his second win of the season as his record improves to 2-0, scattering 6 hits in a hard fought 3-2 win over Friends. Pitcher Andrews Conces kept Friends in game scattering 5 hits and pitching out of a bases loaded jam in the 5th inning. Pat Fagan and Brett Anderson both doubled for Tower Hill. Friends' Scott Davis and Thomas Cover had two hits each. Connor Ganse plated both Friends' runs with a 2 RBI single in the third

Vincent Ruggerio improves his record to 2-0 as he pitched a complete game striking out six in the win. AJ Turulski had the game tying single in the 6th and Shane Carney had the game winning RBI. Ruggerio and Jake Bialecki had 2 hits. St. Georges- Tristian Guild hit a solo home run. Riley Hall had a double and Tyler Campbell struck out 4 in the loss.

4-9-15 Games

Troy Berta's 2 out double in the bottom of 7th inning scored Kyle Baker and Sam Leo to give Charter the win a 4-3 victory over Caravel. Carter Lamey pitched 6 innings striking out 5 batters and Tommy Steiner threw out 3 Caravel base runners to keep Charter in the game. Bryce Carney pitched 6 innings with 10 Ks and Nick Jones scored 2 runs for Caravel.

Brendan O'Brien had game winning RBI single in the bottom of the sixth. Saint Mark's scored 4 runs in the bottom sixth to take the lead and the game 4-3. William Vernon had two hits and two RBIs for the Vikings.

Billy Murray had 3 hits to lead Indian River to a 16-4 win over Seaford. Justin Gray scored twice for Seaford.

Andrew Orzel drove in pinch hitter Tighe Watson with the winning run with 1 out in the bottom of the 7th inning to pace Archmere to a 4-3 win over Delaware Military Academy. Watson had reached base leading off the 7th and advanced to 3rd later in the inning. DMA's Brennan Hazewski tied the game with a 2-out homerun in the top of the 6th inning. Joey Voge went the distance allowing 2 earned runs, walking none and striking out 5. Orzel and Chris Deely both had 2 hits for the Auks.

Friends scored three times in the bottom of the first after two outs on a single by H. Gise and double by T. Cover as they defeated Concord 6-1. Concord came back with a run in the top of the second on a leadoff single by C. Ramsey, a couple of walks and a fielders choice. E. Ivins helped his cause with a RBI double in the 4th. Friends scored two more runs in the bottom of the sixth on a single by D. Ramsey and a fielders choice. Concord hitters were led by Carl Ramsey who went 1-2 with a BB and a run scored. Friends hitting was highlighted by Tommy Cover 2-3 with a double, 2 runs scored and 2 RBI's; Jake Erskine 2-3 with a run scored; and Ethan Ivins 1-2, double, RBI, and sac bunt. Scott Davis (Friends) retired all 6 batters he faced with 3 strikeouts.

Tyler Collins picked up the win while striking out 7 as Lake Forest defeated Cape Henlopen by a 6-2 score. Chris Sipple and Dillon Cole had 2 rb's each while Cole, Tyler Collins, and Logan Simpson all doubled. For Cape Henlopen, Hunter Engel had three hits and 2 rbi's.

Brandon Walter pitched a complete game shutout, scattering 5 hits with 10 strikeout and improves to 4-0 as Hodgson defeated Middletown by a 5-0 score. Walter also had a double and 2 rbis. Richie Thompson and Bryon Cowen also knocked in runs for Hodgson. Brandon Rohrer had two hits for Middletown.

Smyrna erupted for 4 runs in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th inning as they defeaed Polytech 12-0. Jared Gillis was 2-2 with a double and 3 RBIs to lead the Eagles. Corey Everage threw 4 strong innings for the victory. Trey Obermire had the only two hits for POLYTECH.

Daniel Walsh went 3 for 4 with 2 rbis Zach Burton and Dizhae Henriquez each had 2 hits. Brady Baker , Austin Heim and Daniel Walsh combined for a 5 hit shot out striking out 9 Delmarva Christian batters as they won by a 8-0 score.

Sussex Tech outlasted Newark after five lead changes on a cold spring day, squeaking out a 9-7 win. For the Ravens of Sussex Tech, Trent Hearn 1-3 with 2 runs and 2 RBI, Brad Drydnen 1-2 with 2 RBI, and Kyle Lux 1-3 with 2 runs and 2 RBI. For the Jackets, Joe Burton 2-3 with 1 run scored, Chris Knight 2-4 with 1 run and 1 RBI and Chase Houck 2-3 with 2 runs scored

Tyler Disbrow pitched a complete game scattering 7 hits as DAPSS took advantage of 6 Delcastle errors in the Eagles 6-2 victory. Mark Mitchell doubled and drove in 3 runs. Wilson Gomez went 4-4 for Delcastle.

4-10-15

Jake Freeman improves his record to 2-0 and pitched a complete game, striking out 5 for the win. Freeman was 3 for 4 at the plate as Sanford defeated Tatnall 3-1. Tre Armstrong and Vincent Leo had two hits apeice for Sanford. Chase Pfleegor and Zachary Roseman doubled for Tatnall.

Wm Penn Dizhae Henriquez went 3 for 3 with 3 runs 1 rbi Frank and Zach Burton each went 3 for 4. Brandon Dooley had 2 doubles with 3 runs and 3 rbi's. Frank Burton improves his record to 2-2 and had a 2 hit shut out striking out 7 batters to pace the Colonials to a 14-1 win over Delcastle.

Nate Smith took a no-hitter into the 7th inning, and the Wildcats had two big innings while collecting 10 hits as they defeated Washington High School 8-0.

Joey Haass only allowed 2 hits in 5 innings of work for Polytech as they defeated the Blue Jays of Seaford by a 10-0 score. Miguel Rivera, Cole Gary, Sean Hanhauser, and Joey Haass all had 2 hits for the Panthers.

Jordan Simpson and Logan Simpson lead the Spartan offense providing three hits each as Lake Forest defeated Newark Charter 10-1. Eric Berardicelli had two rbi's while Tyler Cauthren collected two hits. Curtis Reed picked up the win on the mound. For Newark Charter, Anthony Dalton had two hits and Kevin Buglio doubled.

4-11-15

AI DuPont Baseball Tournament- Kyle Adams and Tristan Guild combined to throw a one-hitter as St. Georges defeated Dickinson 12-0. Sean McGrath collected two hits, a double and home run with 3 RBIs. Riley Hall scored three runs for the Hawks while Tyler Campbell and Robert Shorts added two runs scored each. The Hawks will take on the winner of the A.I. -vs- St. E's game tomorrow afternoon at 3:00.

Colin Lynch scattered 7 hits, striking out 7 allowing no earned runs in earning the 3-1 victory over the Riders of Caesar Rodney. Andrew Orzel added 3 hits for the Auks. Jack Leonard drove in a run with one of his 2 hits in the 1st inning and Nick Talley drove in a run in the Auk 2 run 5th inning.

Matt Andrus pitched four innings to earn his first varsity win a Hodgson 9-4 win over Brandywine. Derek Lambert had 2 hits and 2 rbi and Bryon Cowen had 2 hits and 1 rbi. Connor Megginson and Trevor Hunter also knocked in 2 runs each. Joseph Wahl had 2 hits for Brandywine.

Emir Garrett threw 5 scoreless innings to earn the 13-0 win for Appoquinimink over Cape Henlopen. Julian Kurych had 2 hits and 4 RBI, Chandler Fitzgerald scored 2 runs and had 2 RBI, and Javon Fields scored 3 runs for the Jaguars. Alec McCoy struck out 5 for Cape Henlopen.

Eddie Hogan came in relief to pick up the win and shut out Delmar for 5 innings giving up 3 hits while striking out 4 for Indian River as they defeated Delmar 10-5. (D) Kavon Trader 2-4, 3 RBIs and 2 runs scored. Christian Murphy 2-4, 1 RBI and a double. (IR) Deshawn Aiken 2-4, 3RBIs, double, 1 run scored and 1 stolen base. Billy Murray 2-4, 1 RBI and 1 run scored. Jake Hudson 2-3, double and 2 runs scored.

Drew Kobasa pitched a complete game, five-hitter for the win for Tatnall a 12-2 win over Sanford. Zachary Roseman, Oliver Campbell, and Jon Keen each had 3 hits for Tatnall. Jake Freeman and Eric Duerr doubled for Sanford.

Shawn Dulin and Ryan Seymour each had a single, double, and RBI. Nolan Henderson had 2 hits. Mike Carrow pitched 5 innings for the win while striking out six Newark batters as the Smyrna Eagles won 5-4. Joe Burton went the distance for Newark and hit 2 HR. Nick Zenga also had 2 hits for Newark.

Pete Berardi was 3 for 4 with two runs scored. Ethan Brancato was 2 for 3 with a two run homerun. Jay Perry also homered for the Spartans of St. Marks as they defeated Archmere 8-2. Joey Voge was 2 for 4 for the Auks.

Salesianum scored 2 runs in the top of the 7th on Zack Miller's double to beat Sussex Central 5-4. Nolan O'Neill pitched 2 2/3 innings of perfect relief striking out 4 for the win. Trey Toppin hit 2 doubles and had 2 RBIs for the Knights.

4-16-15

Caravel scored in the first on an RBI single by Jason Bilous, an RBI single by Fraley, and a wild pitch as they defeated Archbishop Curley by a 12-7 score.
Adam Weber boosted his batting average thanks to a perfect 4-4 day at the plate to pace Caravel. He singled in the first, third, and fifth innings.
Will Findley recorded the win for Caravel Buccaneer Varsity. He allowed two runs over four innings. He struck out four, walked none and surrendered two hits.
Paul Nixon was the game's losing pitcher. He allowed 10 runs in two-thirds of an inning, walked one and struck out none.
After pushing across two runs in the bottom of the third, Archbishop Curley faced just a 10-2 deficit. A two-run home run by Martin Costes fueled Archbishop Curley's comeback.

Emir Garrett improves his record to 4-1 and pitched a complete game with 5 strike outs to earn the 7-1 win for Appoquinimink. Chandler Fitzgerald lead the Jaguar offense with 3 RBI. Julian Kurych and Matt Alexander drove in two runs each. Brennan McAllister doubled in a run for Middletown.

Sean McGrath had two hits and two RBIs, Logan Gilbert had 4 RBIs, and Riley Hall scored 4 runs as St. Georges defeated McKean 18-3 Thursday afternoon.

The Panthers were led by strong pitching performances from Joseph Haass and Miguel Rivera. Hits were added by Kalvin Bahel, Michael Obermire, Joseph Haass and Adrian Hill who also stole a base as Polytech defeated Woodbridge 6-1.

The Raiders were led by a Doug Avery going 2 for 4 with 2 singles and Garrett Temple who walked 3 times and scored a run.

Andrew DeLaveaga and Kyle Hinton both went 3 for 4 for Salesianum as they defeated St. Elizabeth 9-3. DeLaveaga had two extra base hits and 4 RBIs and Hinton had one extra base hit and 2 RBIs. Nolan O'Neill pitched two innings of relief for Salesianum allowing no runs and only one base hit.

Michael Piekarski went 2 for 3 for St. Elizabeth's.

With the game tied at 3 in the bottom of the 6th, freshman, Brady Parks doubled down the right field line to score Cole Collins for the eventual winning run to pace Sussex Tech to a 4-3 win over Dover. Offensively, the Ravens were led by Luke Oliphant who went 2-3 with a clutch 2 RBI double with two outs in the 2nd inning. The Senators were led offensively by Dakota Graham who was 2-4 with 1 RBI and 1 run scored.
Brady Parks pitched excellent in relief, allowing only 1 hit over his 5 innings of work.

Evan Nibblett threw 6 plus innings to pick up the 9-4 win for Seaford. The Blue Jays were led offensively by Noah Waldridge, Justin Gray, Evan Nibblett, and Jair Moore who each had multiple hits in the game. Justin Farren and Thomas McCabe each had 2 hits for DAPSS.

Zach Roseman went 4-4 and drove in 2 runs. Oliver Campbell, Drew Kobasa and Jack Sheehy each collected 3 hits, and Sheehy scored 4 times to pace Tatnall to a 14-4 win over Westtown. Kobasa drove in 3 with a long double into a stiff wind in the first inning and earned the save by striking out 5 batters in 3 innings.

Caesar Rodney scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh to come from behind to defeat Lake Forest 5-4. The Riders loaded the bases and Tim Haugh hit a bases clearing double to drive in the winning runs. Haugh was 2 -4 with 3 RBIs. Levi Kapp and Quintin Ivy each had 2 hits while Brennen Brown was 1-3 with an RBI.

Lake Forest took a 4-0 lead by scoring a run in the top of 1st on a RBI single by Logan Simspon. Dillion Cole scored their second run in the 2nd inning on a wild pitch. The Spartans scored two in the 3rd on a double by Tyler Collins and a 2-run homerun by Logan Simpson. Jordan Simpson was 1 for 2.

Charlie Entenman relieved Jake Williams and gave up two hits over five innings to get the win. Entenman is 1-0

Starter Ellis Dorr pitched 4 solid innings of 1 hit ball striking out 7 with no earned runs to pace Newark Charter to an 11-3 win over Tome School of MD. Dorr was 3-4 with 2rbis, Zach Lesher was 3-4 2 runs scored, Kevin Buglio had 2 hits and 4rbis while Kyle King was 2-2 to lead the hitting for Newark Charter. Tome catcher Loughton had a homer.

Corey Everage scattered 9 hits over seven innings and helped his cause with two hits at the plate for Smyrna as they defeated Sussex Central 10-4. Shawn Dulin lead the Eagles with three hits. Nolan Henderson tallied a double and a triple, and Ryan Seymour's two-run triple late in the game secured the win. Robbie Marcelle had 4 hits and scored 2 runs and D.J. Doherty had 2 hits for SC.

Connor Knight pitched a complete game to pick up the 5-1 victory for Newark. Joe Burton was 2 for 3 with 3 RBI's. Aaron Coates had an RBI for Glasgow.

RJ Edelman pitched a complete game two-hitter to lead Concord over Delcastle 7-0. Edelman also added a RBI single. Austin Coughenour led the Concord offense with two hits and 2 RBI's.

With the game tied 5-5 Kyle Baker started the 8th inning with a single took 2nd on a stolen base reach 3rd base on a error and scored the winning run on Jeff Wood sac fly to pace Charter to a 6-5 win over William Penn. Dominic Cicconi went 3 for 4 scored 1 run and 3 rbi's for Charter. William Penn's Dizhae Henriquez went 4 for 5 with 1 run and 1 rbi.

Shane Talvacchio led the Hodgson offense with 2 hits and 2 rbi as they defeated Christiana 17-1, Joey Nepi had a hit and 3 rbi, Connor Megginson, Bryon Cowen, and Brandon Bly had a hit and 2 rbi each.

The Rams beat Howard 14-0 Thursday behind both the bat and the arm of Nick Fernald.
Fernald racked up four RBIs on two hits for the Rams. He singled in the first inning and doubled in the third inning.
The Rams' Fernald kept Howard off the scoreboard for all five innings he was on the rubber. He pitched a shutout, allowing no opposing players to cross the plate on four hits while ringing up three.
Twelve runs in the first three innings propelled the Rams over Howard. An RBI single by Caleb Todd (2-3, 3 RBIs), a two-run home run by CJ Morton, and an RBI single by Fernald during the first inning.
The Rams added seven more runs in the bottom of the third. The inning got off to a hot start when Fernald doubled, bringing home Anthony Ratasiewicz and Trevor Nix.
Richie Refner recorded two doubles for Dickinson.
Darin Matthews, Wilfred Torres, Matthew Henderson-Simpson & Dante Scrivens recorded hits for the Howard Wildcats.

Dan Hyatt and Brett Nowell combined for a two hit shutout, striking out eleven. Chris Kramedas broke a scoreless tie in top of 7th with an RBI double as Conrad defeated Brandywine 3-0.

Trevor Jump threw a complete game allowing five hits, one walk, and struck out four. Brett Hillsgrove lead Mount going 4 for 5 with 2 doubles and 4 RBI as they defeated AI by a 10-4 score Benjamin Harrison had 2 hits and 2 runs scored for AI duPont.

4-18-15

James Donnelly pitched a complete game 3 hitter while fanning 10 in leading A.I. duPont to a 11-1 victory of The Friends School. Evan Barba provided the offense driving in 3 runs on 2 doubles for the Tigers. Jake Erksine had 2 hits for Friends.

Fran Naumann got his first varsity win of the season pitching 6 strong innings giving up four hits, and striking out 12 batters as the Bulldogs defeated Christiana 13-3. Chris Mako, Rich Windon, and Steve Biddle had two hits each for Brandywine while Christiana's Tyler Moore had two hits, and Raymond Roberts added a triple.

Nick Robino gave up one run in six innings to earn the 3-1 win for Salesianum over Cape. Austin Elliot struck out five in two innings of relief for the Vikings. Kai Vitella was 3 for 4 with a double at the plate for the Vikings.

Caravel lost despite Brandon Fraley's spectacular day from both the mound and the plate as Neuman Goretti defeated Caravel 2-1.
Fraley was solid at the plate for Caravel. Fraley went 2-3 and scored one run. He tripled in the fourth inning and singled in the sixth inning.

Gino Tripodi got the win for Neumann-Goretti. He allowed one run over five innings. He struck out eight, walked none and surrendered three hits.

Dover's Kendall Small pitched 5+ strong innings to pick up the non-conference 5-1 win over the Jaguars. Small also had 2 RBI double and Garrett Lawson had RBI single in Dover's 5 run 4th inning. Jared Rowely and Tyler Rosello each had SAC Fly for RBI in the 4th. Julian Kurych and Chandler Fitzgerald had solo home runs for Appo.

Dustin Reeder pitched 6 innings to pick up the win as Milford defeated Sussex Central 8-3. Reeder also broke open a close game with a 2 run triple. Tom Saxon had 3 hits, scored twice and added an rbi. Tommy Jordan added 2 hits and an rbi. Jacob Swift had 3 hits and Dustin Reynolds had 2 hits and an rbi for Central

Winning pitcher at 2-1 Brett Hillsgrove picked up the complete game victory with seven strikeouts as the Knights of Mt. Pleasant defeated William Penn 2-1. Trevor Jump went 2 for 2, and Maurice Parson singled and scored both runs for Mount. Brandon Dooley hit a solo HR for William Penn.

:Shane Horn singled in the winning run in the bottom of the sixth to pace Middletown to a 9-7 win over the Riders of Caesar Rodney. Brandon Rohrer had 2 doubles. Justin Netsch pitched strong in relief. Tim Haugh hit a grand slam for CR

Joey Voge scattered 3 hits, striking out 5 in throwing the complete game shut out for Archmere as they defeated Polytech 3-0. Voge chipped in a double to help his cause. Jack Leonard drove in the Auks first run with a 1st inning RBI single. Andrew Orzel added the 2 insurance runs in the 7th with a 2-run double. Chris Deely and Nick Gentile each had 2 hits a piece for the Auks. For Poly, Adrian Hill had 2 of Poly's 3 hits. Cole Garey was strong on the mound going the distance.

Charlie Quimby picked up his first varsity win, scattering 5 hits over 4 innings to pace Tower Hill to a 15-2 win over Sanford. Pat Fagan and Quimby each had three hits for the Hillers. Vincent Leo doubled for Sanford.

Douglas Avery pitched into the 6th inning picking up the win 3-0 victory over Wilmington Christian on the mound for Woodbridge. Jacob Rogers' sac fly in the 4th inning proved to be the game winning RBI in a well - pitched game by both teams.

DAPSS took the lead on an RBI double by Stefon Saunders in the 5th, and Jason Elliott pithed a complete game to get the win a 5-3 win over Red Lion. Jacob Stolling hit a 2 run home run for Red Lion in 1st.

Sean McGrath pitched a complete game one hitter while collecting 3 hits and 3 RBIs. Tyler Campbell and Logan Gilbert contributed 2 hits and RBI, while Tristan Guild homered for the Hawks. Marty Murphy collected the hit for Delcastle. St. Georges won 10-0.

























This post was edited on 4/10 7:54 PM by dawrestling
This post was edited on 4/11 8:32 PM by dawrestling

This post was edited on 4/19 1:37 AM by dawrestling

 

[dawrestling]

From: "Matt Janus via RocksMedia"
To: Rocksmedia@lists.skiltech.com
Sent: Thursday, April 9, 2015 8:53:44 PM
Subject: [Rocks Media] FIVE-RUN FIFTH DOOMS WILMINGTON IN SEASON-OPENER

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 2015

CONTACT: MATT JANUS 302-888-5393

FIVE-RUN FIFTH DOOMS WILMINGTON IN SEASON-OPENER
Rocks Yield 15 Myrtle Beach Hits In 9-1 Loss

MYRTLE BEACH, SC - A five-run fifth inning doomed the Blue Rocks on opening night, as they fell to the Myrtle Beach Pelicans by a final score of 9-1 at Ticketreturn.com Field on Thursday night. Jakob Junis, who started his third opening day in his young pro career, did not record an out in the fifth, eventually giving up six earned runs in four innings pitched. Duane Underwood, the 10th-ranked prospect in the Chicago Cubs system according to Baseball America, got the win, tossing five innings and allowing only one unearned run on four hits and striking out five.

Myrtle Beach struck first in the home half of the second, when Jacob Rogers led off with a double, and was eventually driven home by a two out triple by Shawon Dunston. The Rocks had a chance to knot the game up in the top of the third. With Jack Lopez at first and two down, Bubba Starling ripped a ball down the left field line. Lopez tried to score on the play but was gunned down.

Wilmington would eventually tie the score at 1-1 when the Rocks put together a two-out rally in the top of the fourth inning. Mauricio Ramos reached on an error, then promptly stole second. Cam Gallagher then walked, setting up Dominique Taylor's RBI single. That would be the only time the Blue Crew would dent the scoreboard.

Following a Jacob Rogers solo homer in the bottom half of the fourth, Wilmington went quietly in the top of the fifth. That's when the Myrtle Beach offense went to work.

Junis allowed the first four batters to reach on three hits and a walk before being lifted in favor of Yender Caramo. With the bases loaded and nobody out, Billy McKinney produced an RBI single that moved everybody up a base. Rogers continued to torment the Rocks, coming up with an RBI single just out of the reach of Torres at second base. Overall, Rogers would finished the game with three hits in four at-bats, including a homer, a double, two runs and two RBI's. Two batters later, with the score sitting at 5-1, Victor Caratini smacked a ball off first baseman Frank Schwindel's glove and into right for a 2 RBI base knock, making the game 7-1. The Pelicans would plate two more runs by game's end.

The Blue Rocks continue their season-opening road trip in Myrtle Beach on Friday. Lefty Cody Reed takes the ball for Wilmington, while right hander Daury Torrez hits the mound for Myrtle Beach. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m, and fans can listen to the broadcast on 89.7 WGLS-FM. Wilmington will play its home opener on April 16 when they host the Frederick Keys at 6:35 p.m. For ticket information call 302-888-BLUE or visit BlueRocks.com.

PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:
The Rocks continue to struggle against their foes from Myrtle Beach. The Pelicans owned the Blue Crew in 2014 to the tune of a 14-5 overall record against Wilmington. The Rocks were just 3-7 at Ticketreturn.com Field a season ago. Wilmington was 2-8 against their southern-most Carolina League rival in 2013 as well. The Pelicans enter the year as a farmhand of the Chicago Cubs, after spending the previous three seasons as the Advanced-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers.

The Blue Rocks tallied three doubles in their season-opening loss at Myrtle Beach on Thursday. If Wilmington keeps up this pace, they will finish 2015 with 420 extra base hits. This is especially noteworthy because the Blue Rocks finished dead last in the Carolina League with 308 extra base hits a season ago. The next closest team was the Carolina Mudcats with 333.

Bubba Starling enjoyed a successful night at the plate on Thursday. The first-round draft pick finished with two doubles in four at-bats. Starling collected 23 doubles all of last year, and just 36 extra base hits overall. The former first-round pick is in his second season in Wilmington.

Jakob Junis pitched well through the first four innings, but hit a wall in the fifth. On a night where he was limited to a pitch count of 75, Junis could not record an out in the fifth frame, allowing the first four men to reach safely, giving up one run in that span before giving way to Yender Caramo. Thursday marked the third time in his pro career Junis pitched on opening day. Last year with Low-A Lexington, he threw two innings against West Virginia, allowing only one unearned run and receiving a no-decision on opening day.

Wilmington sent multiple pinch hitters to the plate against Myrtle Beach. Kenny Diekroeger hit for Maurico Ramos in the ninth, then two batters later, Robert Pehl stepped in for Dominique Taylor. All of last season the Rocks used five pinch hitters total.

THEY SAID IT:
Manager Brian Buchanan:
"(Jakob Junis) pitched pretty well. He made some pitches that were up, I mean the home run was up. I think he ran out of gas there in the fifth (inning). After that, kind of the wheels fell off. (Caramo) gave up back-to-back RBI singles, and then another two RBI single. The effort was there. I think we got some stuff to work on obviously… it's the first game, so a lot of those guys get the jitters out and go from there."

"I thought the at-bats were decent. I know we got that one two out RBI by (Dominique) Taylor and tie it up in the fourth. Like I said, the effort was there. I thought the at-bats were pretty good. It's tough, two out hits, you've got to put a couple together to get some runs, and it just didn't work out."

"(Bubba Starling's) first two at-bats, he had some real good approaches, and so did Zane (Evans). Both those guys have been in this league before and that's what you kind of expect out of them, so hopefully they can keep it going… so far the approach was there, and they put some good swings on some balls, so that's all you can really ask for."

"On opening night, you want to try and get some guys in the game and get their at-bats and get their feet wet so when they do end up playing, they already have an at-bat under their belt. And that was my thinking there as far as pinch hitting during the season. We don't have any left handers on the bench or pretty much in the lineup except for Torres, so I was trying to get those guys some (at-bats)."

"They got a lot of left handed hitting and switch hitters, and it looked like their pitchers were doing a nice job keeping the ball down. That's a good ball team. You've got to go out and compete against them, and we've got a good team in here too, so we'll take it to them the next three days."

Outfielder Bubba Starling:
"I'm a lot more comfortable I feel like right now than I was last year. I worked pretty hard this offseason with my approach, and just certain stuff, as far as I just wanted to come out tonight…I was a little jittery. (I) just wanted to get the jitters out, get a couple at-bats under my belt. It was nice to get a couple of hits, but we want to get a win out of it."

"Starting out with a couple hits like this brings some confidence to me, and move on to the next day. Going out, I'm just trying to compete and do the best I can against the guy I'm facing. All of us have been working hard, but like I said, it wasn't in our favor. We were a little jittery, but I thought we still played pretty hard."

"This year, I think our team realizes we got some talent on here, and whether we get down or up, we just (have) to keep grinding, and got to keep working hard. Maybe last year at certain times we felt like we'd get down and just stay down and just have bad at-bats and just let it lead on maybe to the end of the game or maybe the next day even. I feel like with this team, I don't think that's going to happen."
www.bluerocks.com


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[dawrestling]

CONTACT: MATT JANUS 302-888-5393[/URL] Offense Struggles To Find Clutch Hit As Rocks Fall In Walk-Off To Carolina
Luis Rico fans nine but Blue Rocks lose in walk-off fashion for the second time in 2015

ZEBULON, NC - A ninth inning, two-out hit from Eric Garcia helped the Carolina Mudcats hand the Wilmington Blue Rocks their second walk-off loss in the first five games of the season on Monday night. With the 4-3 loss, the Blue Rocks are 2-3, missing out on a chance to move their record over .500 for the first time in 2015. Carolina, meanwhile, maintains a hold of first place in the Carolina League Southern Division with the victory.

Carolina cracked the scoreboard first in the first inning with some help from the Rocks' defense. Starter Luis Rico struck out the first two batters of the ballgame, a trend that would continue for the rest of his start, but Carolina would take a page out of Wilmington's playbook and cook up a two out rally. After a Dustin Peterson single, Rico would issue a walk to Jose Briceno putting runners on first and second for Joey Meneses. Meneses singled through the left side of the infield scoring Peterson. A throwing error from Dominique Taylor in left would allow Briceno to score and Meneses to go to third. Rico would strand him there as he struck out Jacob Schrader to retire the side.

Wilmington knotted the score in the third, loading the bases with one out. Bubba Starling, who sat out of Sunday's game with a stomach illness, put his five-strikeout performance on Saturday behind him as he singled in Daniel Rockett from third. A Frank Schwindel sacrifice fly would tie it at two apiece.

The Mudcats jumped right back out in front in the bottom of the fourth when Meneses hit his first big fly of the season off of Rico, a solo shot giving Carolina the 3-2 lead. Wilmington answered in the very next half inning when Rockett led off the frame with a double and Taylor doubled his fellow outfielder home. Taylor made penance for his error in the first by going 2-for-4 with that RBI, his third of the season. Taylor is now batting .389 through the first five games of the season.

Yender Caramo replaced Rico in the fifth after the lefty gave up a leadoff double to Garcia. Rico pitched four innings, allowing two earned runs while striking out nine. Caramo set down the first five batters he faced before backing himself into a jam in the seventh, putting runners on the corners with two outs. He would get out of it with a Garcia groundout. In the bottom of the ninth, Caramo got a quick out before allowing a long double off the centerfield wall to Schrader, a shot that missed a homerun by mere feet. Lefty Nick Green would replace Caramo and get Levi Hyams to strikeout before Garcia stepped up and ripped a long single just past the diving try of Taylor in left. Connor Oliver, who pinch ran for Schrader, crossed the plate without a throw as the Mudcats walk-off winners by a 4-3 final.

Game two of this three game set between the Blue Rocks and Mudcats from North Carolina is set for Tuesday evening. First pitch from Zebulon is scheduled for 7p.m. as the Blue Rocks will try to get back to .500 with a win.

PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:

Ramon Torres has been red hot to start the season. With his infield single in the third inning, Torres extended his Advanced-A hitting streak to seven games, dating back to August 31, 2014. Torres is now batting .381 (8-for-21) with four runs scored. Torres made his season debut at shortstop on Monday, and with the flawless defensive effort, Torres is still sporting a 1.000 fielding percentage between shortstop and second base.

Despite the no decision, Luis Rico was impressive in his Advanced-A debut, tying a career-high in strikeouts with nine in four innings. Rico last struck out nine batters on August 20, 2013 while pitching for the Arizona League Royals, those also in four innings of work. On the other side, Wilmington's offense continues to struggle with the strikeouts. Blue Rocks' hitters were set down on strikes seven times by Carolina pitchers. Wilmington now has 52 strikeouts as a team in 2015, 13 more than the next closest team (Winston-Salem, 39).

Bubba Starling bounced back on Monday night, both from a bad performance on Saturday and a stomach ailment on Sunday. After striking out five times in five at-bats on Saturday, Starling took a day of rest on Sunday and the rest seemed to pay off in dividends. The Rocks' centerfielder went 3-for-4 with a walk and that RBI single in the third inning. Starling is now batting .353 in four games with a homerun and four RBIs. Starling is the 18th best prospect in the Royals' organization according to Baseball America.

For the second time in five games, the Wilmington Blue Rocks fell to a walk-off hit on Monday night. The Blue Rocks also lost in heartbreaking fashion on Saturday night at Myrtle Beach. The Rocks took a 3-1 lead, scoring twice in the top of the tenth inning, but the bullpen could not hold on in the bottom of the inning. In 2014, the Blue Rocks lost games in the final at-bat eight times. Monday night was the first time since 2013 that Carolina handed Wilmington a walk-off loss.

THEY SAID IT:
Manager Brian Buchanan
"We had the bases loaded in the seventh with one out and couldn't get a run across and then in the eighth we had first and second and couldn't get the big hit. I can't complain with how we're playing. They're really battling and we're in every game. They're playing hard and doing what they need to do to win games."

"[Luis Rico] did a nice job. He left some pitches up and got away with some pitches that he probably shouldn't have. That's part of the process. He's a young kid and it was his first outing, I thought he did a fairly nice job."

"[Bubba Starling] swung the bat well. He got some good at-bats and had three hits. That's the beauty of this game, you play everyday. That's what they've got to learn, it's not just putting the last game behind you but even the last pitch."

"As soon as that guy hit it I said, 'that's it,' and then I saw [Dominique Taylor] running after it and I thought, 'well, he's got a chance.' He dove and I saw it drop. He did everything he could on that one. We had to play the outfield in to try to get the out at home and that guy got just enough of it to get it over his head, but it was a heck of an effort to try to get there."

Catcher Zane Evans
"Walk-offs are always tough, especially tonight because we had a ton of opportunities to score runs. We just couldn't get the job done. I know I was a victim of that too, but we've got to bounce back tomorrow. We've got a lot of games left. You can't really dwell on the past in this game because there's so many of them."

"We talked about [our clutch hitting] before the game, how we've been getting a lot of two out hits and two strike hits. At the end of the night we can't get any. It's part of the game so we're not going to worry too much about it."

"[Luis Rico] started out a little shaky at first but I think he found his groove in the second inning and on. His slider was really good tonight and he was throwing a really good changeup too. I'm glad he battled through that first inning and then came back and looked [good]."

"I fell bad for [Yender Caramo] that it had to end like that. He comes, he pounds the zone, he's going to throw a good two-seam at you and he's been working on that curve which has been really good too."

www.bluerocks.com



From: Kohut, Jonathan
Date: Mon, Apr 13, 2015 at 11:17 PM
Subject: Game Story 4-13-15
To: Matt Janus





--

Jonathan Kohut

Broadcast/Media Relations Assistant

Wilmington Blue Rocks

302-888-2580[/URL]

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[dawrestling]

------- Forwarded message ----------
From: via RocksMedia[/B]
Date: Sat, Apr 18, 2015 at 8:37 PM
Subject: [Rocks Media] Rocks Score Four Unanswered Runs to Edge Keys
To: RocksMedia@lists.skiltech.com


WILMINGTON, DE - The Wilmington Blue Rocks did not hold a lead until the sixth inning on Saturday night, but they still came out on top in a game against the Frederick Keys, taking the contest 4-3. Both starting pitchers produced solid performances on Saturday, but neither figured in the decision. Wilmington hurler Eric Skoglund (1-0, 0.82) tossed 5.1 innings, yielding three runs (one earned) on four hits and two walks with four strikeouts. Frederick starter Matt Taylor (0-0, 4.50) went four innings, allowing two earned runs on four hits with one walk, and did not strike out a batter.

The win belonged to reliever Benino Pruneda, who now holds a 1-0 record and a perfect 0.00 ERA. The losing pitcher was Austin Urban, who now sits at 0-1 with a 3.86 ERA. Robinson Yambati (0-0, 1.50) picked up his third save of the season.

Frederick third baseman Drew Dosch continued to torment the Blue Rocks in Wilmington's opening series at Frawley Stadium. A night after notching four hits in as many at-bats, including a double, a run, and three RBI's, Dosch came through with a 2-3 night, recording a double, a walk, and three more RBI's. He did, however, strike out looking in the ninth inning with the tying run on base.

For the third time in as many games in the series, the Keys got on the scoreboard in the top of the second inning. Dosch would record his first RBI of the night with one out in the frame, singling with one out to drive in Anthony Hewitt to give his team a 1-0 advantage. That would be the only run Frederick would get in the inning.

With the Keys still leading 1-0 in the top of the fourth, designated hitter Brenden Webb worked a one out walk and stole second base. Two batters later, shortstop Adrian Marin would reach on an error by third baseman Robert Pehl, putting runners on the corners with two down. Dosch would follow with a double, bringing in both runners and giving the Keys a 3-0 lead.

The Rocks responded in the bottom of the frame with a pair of runs of their own. Shortstop Jack Lopez began the inning with a walk, and advanced to second base on a balk. Center fielder Bubba Starling would bring Lopez in with a single to get Wilmington on the board. After moving up a bag on a wild pitch, Starling came around to score on a double by first baseman Frank Schwindel, cutting the Frederick lead to 3-2.

Wilmington would take the lead for the first time in the bottom of the sixth inning. It was another leadoff walk that got the rally going, this time coming from Starling, who would steal second base shortly after earning the free pass. Urban would get the next two men out, but catcher Cam Gallagher knocked a two out double to drive in Starling and tie the game at three. Pehl would follow with a single, scoring Gallagher and pushing Wilmington in front 4-3. Yambati would shut the door with two solid innings of work, allowing only one hit while striking out five in the contest's final two frames.

Wilmington improves to 5-4 on the season, with Frederick dropping to 7-3. These two teams will meet tomorrow in the finale of their four game series at Frawley Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 1:35 p.m., and fans can listen to the broadcast on 89.7 WGLS-FM.

PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:

Starting pitcher Eric Skoglund was a ground ball machine for the Blue Rocks on Saturday. Of the 16 outs he recorded, 11 of them came on the ground. In total, 19 of his 33 outs produced this season have been via the grounder, good for a 1.36 ground out to air out ratio. He ran into some bad luck on Saturday while keeping balls out of the air, as he was the victim of a ground ball infield single, and an error on a grounder that led to two unearned runs.

Robinson Yambati has settled into the role of defacto closer for this Blue Rocks squad. Saturday marked the right-hander's fourth appearance of the season, and in the last three, he has earned the save. After giving up a run in one inning of work during the season opener on April 9 at Myrtle Beach, Yambati has thrown five scoreless frames, striking out six batters in that span. Saturday was also his first home appearance of the year. overall, Yambati has thrown six innings in 2015, pitching to a 1.50 ERA.

With a runner on first and nobody out in the bottom of the eighth inning, Frank Schwindel was called out on an automatic strike by home plate umpire Chase Eade. Schwindel stepped out of the batter's box, and Eade chose to enforce the new pace of play rule, ruling Schwindel out via the automatic strike out. Manager Brian Buchanan went out to argue against the ruling, but the call was upheld.

The Blue Rocks offense continues to produce with two outs in an inning. Of their nine total hits against the Keys, Wilmington recorded two of them with only one out to work with in a frame. The Rocks even scored two of their runs with two outs on Saturday. The Blue Crew has been clutch this season, notching a .279 batting average with two outs and runners in scoring position, good for third in the Carolina League.

THEY SAID IT:

Manager Brian Buchanan:

"They did a good job. We continue to swing the bats well and the pitching was great. [Eric Skoglund] pitched okay. He had some good innings and some so-so innings but he kept us in the game and gave us a chance to win. That's all you can ask of your starters."

"We've got a ton of two-out RBIs this year. That puts a lot of pressure on the defense and the pitcher. When you can get two-out hits, it's heartbreaking. We talk about two strike approaches. We want them to choke up and put the ball in play. For some of these guys, it's a work in progress. Today in BP we did one round of two strike approach. They have been striking out but I think their approach is good."

"In the Minors, we don't have a closer but we want [Robinson Yambati] pitching at the back end of games. If it's a save situation he's going to be in there, but if he's not available someone else will be in there. He's not our closer, we just want him to go multiple innings each time. I think he's being more aggressive. He's got good stuff. His slider is a knockout slider and he [keeps his changeup down]. He's an intimidating factor out there. He's just got to keep the ball down."

"They called [Frank Schwindel] out for being out of the box. I don't mind them doing it but they need to do it consistently. You can't just throw it out there for one batter. I don't think that was warranted."

Catcher Cam Gallagher:

"As hard as I hit it, I thought, 'it's either going to get out or it's going to get caught.' The centerfielder must have been playing a little bit to left-center and it just dropped."

"I'm just trying to put together good at-bats, no matter what time of the game. I've been hitting some hard balls right at guys, they're not really falling. It's still early, I've just got to keep my approach."

"I never caught [Eric Skoglund] before so it was the first time in Myrtle Beach and I'm still trying to figure him out. So far we've got a pretty good game plan and we'll definitely keep on going and try to continue what he's been doing."

"Last year [Robinson Yambati] came back from Tommy John so he was just trying to get his feet under him. He came and he's been lights out. He's been pitching really well."

"I actually thought [Frank Schwindel] got tossed. I didn't know what happened, I thought he threw him out of the game. I was really confused and then it came up that there was one out. I guess it's a rule and you've got to abide my it."


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[dawrestling]

Date: Tue, Apr 21, 2015 at 7:53 PM
Subject: [Rocks Media] Offense Quiet Again, Rocks Drop First Two To Potomac
To: Rocksmedia@lists.skiltech.com



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: TUESDAY, APRIL 21, 2015


CONTACT: MATT JANUS 302-888-5393

Offense Quiet Again, Rocks Drop First Two To Potomac
Potomac starter Brian Rauh pitches seven scoreless frames as Potomac takes first two of the series


WILMINGTON, DE – Potomac right-hander Brian Rauh was lights out on Tuesday evening, going seven scoreless innings leading the Potomac Nationals to their second consecutive win over the Blue Rocks, 6-0. For Wilmington, it is the first time they have been shutout this season. Rauh also held the Blue Crew to their fewest hits this season (2), beating their previous low mark of six hits on April 17th against Frederick. The Rocks move back to .500 (6-6) on the year with the loss.


Wilmington second baseman Ramon Torres led off the bottom of the first inning with a single as it looked like the Blue Rocks may have been poised for a bounce back offensive performance after looking lost on Monday against Potomac starter Nick Pivetta. Rauh walked Bubba Starling with one out, but he would flip the switch after the free pass, sitting down the next 11 Rocks in a row. Another Blue rock would not reach base until a one out single from Dominique Taylor in the bottom of the fifth. Taylor would be cut down on an inning ending 4-6-3 double play off the bat of Robert Pehl.


Rocks starter Cody Reed, who had been magnificent in his first two outings of the season, struggled for the first time in 2015. Reed had some command troubles, which led to seven hits in just 3.1 innings of work. Potomac started the scoring in the second inning. Third baseman Drew Ward led off the frame with an infield single. Ward would steal second with one out and then he would get some help from Reed who threw a wild pitch to move him up to third. Narciso Mesa then lined a solid single through the box to plate Ward for the first run of the game. The Nationals would add five more tallies before all was said and done at Frawley Stadium.


Luke Farrell, who is piggy-backing starts with Reed to start the season, came into the game with one out in the fourth after consecutive doubles from Jimmy Yezzo and Mesa would plate the second and third runs for Potomac and effectively end Reed’s day. Farrell had swing-and-miss stuff on Tuesday, collecting eight strikeouts before his day was done, but he also had stuff that was missing Cam Gallagher behind the plate. Farrell threw three wild pitches in 4.2 innings pitched, a career high for him. Potomac would add three more runs, including a run in the seventh inning that came without the benefit of a hit. Nationals’ centerfielder Isaac Ballou drew a one out walk, moved up two bases as he stole second and advanced on a simultaneous wild pitch, and then scored on a third strike spiked in the dirt by Farrell. Farrell struck out three Potomac hitters in the frame despite the run.


The Blue Rocks will try to salvage a game from this three-game set on Wednesday morning. Manager Brian Buchanan will hand the ball to right-hander Alec Mills. Mills is looking to rebound from a start against Frederick where he gave up five runs in 4.2 innings. He will be matched by Blake Schwartz for the Nationals. Schwartz faced the Blue Rocks three times at the end of last season, combining to throw 12.0 innings, allowing 13 hits and five earned runs. First pitch from Frawley Stadium is scheduled for 10:35 a.m.


PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:


After a hot start to their season, the Wilmington offense has seemingly hit a brick wall with the arrival of the Potomac pitching staff. The Blue rocks have scored just two runs over the last two contests while collecting just eight hits in those two games. The Rocks were also shutout for the first time on Tuesday night while also being held to their fewest hits in a game (2). Over the last two contests, the Rocks offense is hitting just .138 (8-for-58) collectively with no extra-base hits.


Despite the loss, Luke Farrell’s stuff continues to impress. Farrell is currently leading the Carolina League in strikeouts (22), notching another eight Ks on Tuesday, all of them swinging. While he still has not recorded a decision, Farrell is posting a solid 3.29 ERA in three appearances. His three wild pitches on Tuesday night may also be deceiving, as command has not been Farrell’s issue this season. With the two walks he allowed against Potomac, Farrell is posting a strikeout/walk ratio off 22/4.


The Blue Rocks came into Tuesday with the best offense statistically in the Carolina League, but situational hitting is not something the Rocks have excelled at. After two double plays off the bats of Wilmington hitters, the Blue Rocks have now combined to ground into 14 double plays this season, the most in the League. While they not have made much of a difference tonight against Brian Rauh, they hurt the Rocks over the weekend as first baseman Frank Schwindel twice grounded into run-scoring double plays with the bases loaded and nobody out. Both innings on Tuesday where the Rocks actually found the benefit of a hit would come to an end on double plays.


While his team may have struggled, Ramon Torres stayed in rhythm on Tuesday adding another hit to his ledger. Torres started the season riding an eight game hitting streak, which came to an end with an 0-for-4 performance against the Keys on Sunday. Torres didn’t waste any time starting another streak, as he has now hit safely in his last two contests. Torres is batting .341 (14-for-41) with an RBI and six runs scored as the primary leadoff hitter for Wilmington this season.


THEY SAID IT:

Manager Brian Buchanan

“(Reed) couldn’t locate his fastball very well tonight. His first two outings, he was locating his fastball better, and he was throwing some good sliders to some guys. Tonight just wasn’t his night. He couldn’t find the release point, the ball was kind of spraying all over the place. He’ll have those kind of nights.”


“This early in the season, you’d like to get the bullpen a little more work, but later in the year (the piggybacking tandem is) going to help out with those guys that come in and they do give the bullpen some rest. Luke (Farrell) came in and did a nice job for us. He kept us in the game for the most part, he got a lot of swing and misses, and I thought he threw the ball fairly well.”


“(Brian Rauh) I don’t think was overpowering, but he kept the ball down and he threw his (breaking balls) for strikes. He pitched a good game.”


“I think (a 1p.m. game) would be better (than 10:35 a.m.)… that’s baseball. You’ve got to play the schedule and we’ll get back at it tomorrow morning, and we’ll be out there competing tomorrow.”


“We’ll definitely change (our normal routine for the early game). That early of a game, maybe just get some cage work for 30 minutes, and that’s it. Pitchers will come out and do their same routine, it’s just going to be nine in the morning.”


“You would like to obviously win as many games as you can, but these guys have beat us twice, and we obviously don’t want to come in here tomorrow and get swept. It would be nice to come in and at least take one from them, and that’s what we’re going to try to do tomorrow.”


“(We need to) just stick with the plan. Stick with the program. The past two nights, we faced some guys that threw the ball pretty well, so it’s just one of those things. You come out tomorrow, and that’s the good thing about baseball, that it’s a different pitcher on the mound, and we’ll run out there and compete against him.”




Pitcher Luke Farrell

“Early on, I struggled a little bit with locating the fastball, but I got that back and was able to challenge hitters in the zone, and I got some swings and misses in there. Like normal, the fastball is the most important thing.”


“(The piggybacking with Cody Reed) has worked out so far up until today. We would have liked to come away with the win, but our first two times out, I think Cody and I have both thrown pretty well, and that’s what we’re going to look to do every other time we go out there. It’s a little bit of an adjustment to come out of the bullpen. I’ve been a starter pretty much my entire life, so there’s a little bit of a learning curve, but I think we’re both handling it pretty well.”


“I think (getting out there early tomorrow is a good thing). We’ve got a group of professionals here, and I know they are going to go home and get their rest and be back here in the morning ready to go and hopefully get a (win), and erase what we did tonight.”


“(Potomac’s offensive night) was a little goofy. (I) gave up some unfortunate runs, some runs that I would like to get back, and some mistakes that I made personally on the mound, so (that’s) something I’ll look to adjust and hopefully not repeat the next time out.

www.bluerocks.com


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