Back-To-Back Blue Rocks Bombs Lead To 4-3 Win

The Wilmington Blue Rocks (49-55) bested the Jersey Shore BlueClaws (50-49) by a final score of 4-3 on Friday, August 9.

There was no shortage of early opportunities in this game, as both the BlueClaws and Blue Rocks left five men on base throughout the first four innings that resulted in no runs for either side. The tide turned in the fifth inning though, as the BlueClaws got on the board first with an RBI single by Phillies’ No. 23 ranked prospect Hendry Mendez to make it a 1-0 game.

That lead didn’t last long, as the Rocks came back with a vengeance in the bottom half of the inning. First, the Nationals’ No. 10 ranked prospect Robert Hassell III, who is with Wilmington on a rehab assignment, grounded into a double play that allowed Marcus Brown to score from third and tie the game at one. In the very next at-bat, the inning was extended as Murphy Stehly reached on a throwing error by shortstop Aidan Miller, who is the Phillies’ No. 2 ranked prospect.

The BlueClaws paid the price for that fatal mistake, as Jared McKenzie then stepped up to the plate and crushed a two-run homer just to the left of the foul pole in right field to give the Blue Rocks their first lead of the game, 3-1. They weren’t done there, as T.J. White continued the home run party and his recent hot streak by demolishing a ball well out of the ballpark in right-center field to go back-to-back with McKenzie and extend the lead to 4-1.

That’s all Wilmington needed, as a dominant performance from Jarlin Susana on the mound was followed by a stellar performance from the bullpen. Susana, the Nationals’ No. 12 ranked prospect, put together his best start as a Blue Rock, tossing five innings of one-run ball while striking out nine. Tyler Schoff, Luke Young, and Miguel Gomez then came in for clean-up duty and shut the door on Jersey Shore.

Gomez allowed two runs in the bottom of the ninth, but recorded the final out of the game with the tying run on third and winning run on first to secure his second save of the season.

T.J. White led the Rocks’ lineup, going 3-3 including his long homer. Phillip Glasser also recorded a multi-hit game, going 2-4 with a walk, and McKenzie drove in two runs thanks to his laser home run.

With the win, the Blue Rocks now trail this six-game series 2-1. Manager Mario Lisson’s squad will have a chance to jump out to a series lead tomorrow as the team prepares for a doubleheader as a makeup for Thursday’s postponement. First pitch for Game 1 is scheduled for 5:05 p.m.