Blue Rocks Take Advantage Of Poor Defense For First July Victory

The Wilmington Blue Rocks hoped to break their seven-game losing streak on Saturday in their second-to-last game of the series against the Brooklyn Cyclones.

A rain delay postponed the first pitch, but Blue Rocks starter Andry Lara was more than ready to go, setting down the first three Cyclones hitters in just four pitches.

With Lara and opposing starter Joander Suarez trading zeroes early, the Cyclones would threaten with no outs and runners in scoring position following back-to-back errors from the Wilmington defense.

Lara would force a shallow flyout, strikeout and routine flyout to get out of the inning unscathed.

The Blue Rocks lineup was sent down in order through the first three, but a leadoff single from Lucius Fox got the offense started in the bottom of the fourth.

Viandel Pena would reach on a bunt single that made Brooklyn's first basemen Chase Estep slip on the wet infield grass, allowing both runners to advance safely.

Two batters later, Will Frizzell hit a sharp grounder to Estep who dealt an errant throw to shortstop William Lugo attempting to get the lead runner that ricocheted off his glove and into shallow center, allowing Fox to score from second and Pena to advance to third.

Jeremy De La Rosa would cash in a second run off the error with a sacrifice fly to left field that scored Pena, 2-0 Blue Rocks heading to the fifth.

Lara dominated the first five innings, surrendering only one hit, and two walks, while striking out two.

In the top of the sixth, Brooklyn would load the bases following another error from Wilmington, and back-to-back walks issued by lefty Marlon Perez with no outs. Perez would work out of the inning, however, not before surrendering a sacrifice fly from Omar De Los Santos to cut the lead down to one run.

The defensive woes would continue to benefit the Blue Rocks, as they tacked on an insurance run in the bottom of the seventh inning on a wild pitch that caught Brooklyn catcher Kevin Parada in the neck, stunning him to the ground. In the midst of the chaos, Frizzell would score from third moving the lead to 3-1 Blue Rocks. Parada would exit the game after the play. Nick Shumpert would add another run with an RBI groundout that scored Jeremy De La Rosa, making it 4-1 Wilmington heading to the top of the eighth.

Carlos Romero dealt two scoreless innings to hold the lead for the Blue Rocks for Holden Powell to close the door in the ninth. With two outs, Junior Tilien was up again just 24 hours after hitting his go-ahead three-run home run that supplied Brooklyn the comeback win. This time he drilled a line drive that was snagged by a leaping Lucius Fox to provide Wilmington with their first win of July.

The Blue Rocks will look to double their fortune on Sunday as they close the series with the Cyclones at 1:05 p.m.