Blue Rocks outlast Drive 6-3 in rain-soaked extra-innings contest

After a one-hour-fifteen-minute rain delay in the sixth inning, the Wilmington Blue Rocks (16-14, 47-49) outlasted the Greenville Drive (18-13, 44-53), 6-3 in 10 innings in the series opener at Fluor Field on Tuesday night.

The Blue Rocks exploded for three runs in the top of the 10th, getting to reliever Adam Smith, on the strength of two ground-rule doubles, one from TJ White and the other from Joe Narnjo. Naranjo pinch-hit for Roismar Quintana, delivering on his lone opportunity. White’s double was a homecoming of sorts, as White played for Dorman High School and is native of Spartanburg, SC.

After consecutive successful starts for Dalton Rogers, he struggled in the early going giving up a pair of runs in the opening frames. Phillip Glasser knocked a single on the first pitch of the ballgame and stole second before making it to third with two outs. Rogers sailed a passed ball allowing Glasser to score for the 1-0 lead.

Glasser singled again in the second to score Maxwell Romero, Jr. after Romero, Jr. and Roismar Quintana walked earlier in the inning. He recovered in the third, working around a leadoff double with two strikeouts and a flyout. Rogers worked a total of five innings for the Drive allowing four hits with two walks and six strikeouts.

Greenville was held in check by Blue Rocks starter Seth Shuman through three innings before cracking him in the fourth. Allan Castro led off with a single and stole second before Ronald Rosario slapped a single to center to score Castro to cut the lead to 2-1.

Heavy rain fell from the sky in a blanket in the bottom of the sixth with one away, causing a mad scramble to the dugouts for both teams and the tarp crew to emerge. An hour-fifteen later, action resumed.

Jeremy Wu-Yelland took the mound for the Drive in the restart, working around a bases-loaded jam to put up a zero in the frame, keeping the lead at 2-1 in favor of Wilmington. Wu-Yelland’s efforts paid off as Luis Ravelo launched his game-tying homer on the second pitch of his at-bat in the bottom of the seventh.

Wilmington answered in the top of the eighth picking up a Quintana RBI-single with two outs to retake the lead. But again the long ball paid dividends for the Drive.

Jhostynxon Garcia launched a breaking ball into the apartments behind Fluor Field’s left field wall, a nearly 400-ft blast to knot the game at 3-3. The Drive put the go-ahead runner on second with two away as Justin Riemer doubled, ending the night for Wilmington’s Miguel Gomez. Matt Cronin, the only lefty in the bullpen, induced a ground ball to stifle the threat.

After a quiet ninth, the game moved to extras where the Blue Rocks unloaded for three runs and hung on to win, 6-3.

Greenville went down in order in the bottom of the 10th.

The Drive return to action on Wednesday, July 31st at 7:05 p.m. for game two of the six-game series against the Wilmington Blue Rocks, affiliate of the Washington Nationals.