Blue Rocks Split Doubleheader On The Backs Of A One-Hitter

The Wilmington Blue Rocks (25-28) split the doubleheader against the Hudson Valley Renegades (27-25) on Thursday, June 6, dropping the first by a score of 8-3 and winning the second 4-0.

Game 1

The Renegades’ bats helped propel them to a Game 1 victory, totaling eight hits and eight runs across the seven innings.

The scoring started in the second after Rafael Flores and Omar Martinez both got on to open the inning. Josh Moylan drove Flores home with an RBI single, and then Cole Gabrielson delivered another RBI single to score Martinez and make it a 2-0 game. Kyle Battle would then clear the bases with a two-run triple to give Hudson Valley the 4-0 advantage.

The Blue Rocks would get one back in the bottom half of the second though, as Maxwell Romero Jr. singled home Trey Harris to make it a 4-1 game. That would be the only run that Renegades’ starter Bryce Warrecker would give up in his 2.1 innings of work. He allowed three hits and two walks while striking out two.

The Renegades tacked on three more runs in the third inning against Blue Rocks’ starter Rodney Theophile, who ended the day giving up seven runs (six earned) in three innings of work. After Jesus Rodriguez singled to open the frame, Flores hit his fourth home run of the year to make it 6-1 and then later in the inning, Gabrielson racked up his second RBI of the game with another RBI single.

Both teams would also tack on a run in the fourth. Hudson Valley’s run came off Rodriguez’s bat, who hit a sacrifice fly to score Roc Riggio, while Harris hit a solo home run, his first of the year, for the Blue Rocks.

Phillip Glasser drove home Gavin Dugas with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh to provide the game’s final margin.

Harris, Romero, and Viandel Pena all tallied two hits for the Blue Rocks, while Romero, Glasser and Harris added an RBI each.

Game 2

The Blue Rocks flipped the script to open Game 2, getting on the board first after Phillip Glasser, who singled to lead off the bottom of the first, crossed home after a passed ball to give Wilmington an early 1-0 advantage.

The Blue Rocks tacked on two more runs in the second inning. Elijah Nunez scored Kevin Made, who led the inning off with a double, after grounding into a 4-6 fielder’s choice, and later came around to score on Pena’s RBI single.

Wilmington picked up an extra insurance run in the fourth after Matt Suggs beat out an infield single with the bases loaded, allowing Glasser to score and provide the game’s final margin.

Zach Brzykcy got the start for Wilmington in a bullpen game and retired the side 1-2-3 in his first and only inning. Wander Arias followed suit and was dominant in three scoreless innings of work, allowing just one hit and two walks while striking out four. Brendan Collins and Matt Cronin pitched the last three innings and combined to allow just one hit while striking out four.

Glasser, Pena, Daylen Lile, and Made all recorded two hits in the contest.

The two teams will square off for the fifth game of this eight game series tomorrow, Friday, June 7, with first pitch scheduled for 6:35 p.m.