The Wilmington Blue Rocks continued their early success at Daniel S. Frawley Stadium on Saturday, April 20, winning their third consecutive game and securing the series win against the Greenville Drive by a final score of 6-4.
Riley Cornelio got the start on the mound for the Rocks, and after giving up six runs in just ⅓ of an inning in his previous outing, the 23-year-old bounced back in a big way, pitching five innings of two-run ball (one earned) while also striking out seven.
“Just fill it [the strike zone] up, give myself the best chance possible,” Cornelio said in regards to his game plan coming in. “After a start like that, it’s tough sometimes… but I felt like things fell my way most of the time which was helpful today.”
“He was better today compared to last outing,” Blue Rocks manager Mario Lisson said. “His ability to pitch to compete, that’s what we want. Not every day you’re gonna have your best stuff, but every time you’re out there you should be able to compete, and that’s what he did today.”
Although it was a massive improvement, it was far from perfect. Cornelio walked four batters and allowed a runner on base in all but one of his innings. This forced the right-hander into a few jams, and a big factor was three errors committed by Wilmington, but Cornelio never lost faith in his defense, and it allowed him to minimize the damage.
“I trust my stuff, and most of all I trust my defense,” Cornelio said. “They’re great out there; obviously with the catch they just made, when they make plays like that it’s easy to fill up the strike zone. So you get traffic and just try and let your defense work for you and try not to shoot yourself in the foot too much.”
The Rocks jumped out to a 6-2 lead heading into the eighth inning, but Greenville was able to tack on one run in both the eighth and ninth innings. The Drive applied pressure to reliever Marquis Grissom Jr. in the final frame as Ronald Rosario, the tying run, came up to the plate. Rosario roped a bullet into the right-center field gap, but the speedy Johnathon Thomas covered what seemed like miles of ground en route to making a diving catch to end the game.
“That ball was up, I was like ‘That’s kinda close, I can catch that,’” Thomas said with excitement. “Just gotta run for it and help Marquis [Grissom Jr.] finish the game. Gotta do what you gotta do.”
Thomas has been earning some early playing time, and plays like that are an example of why. In addition to his clutch defense, Thomas came through with a timely sacrifice bunt in the bottom of the fifth that scored T.J. White from third and tied the game at two. In Lisson’s eyes, if the 24-year-old’s hitting can improve, he can take significant strides toward becoming a complete player.
“That’s part of his game. Right now he’s having a hard time at the plate, so he has to find a way to help the team somehow,” Lisson said. “Today he did it with that bunt; that bunt won the game. The bunt, after a strikeout in his first at-bat, gets it done. And now stays locked in on defense, makes a play, and wins the game.”
In the grand scheme of things, Saturday’s victory was gutsy, to say the least. Wilmington committed three errors in the field and was only able to record five hits at the plate. Nonetheless, Lisson’s team dug deep and found a way to come away with the win; something they’ve made a habit of all season long.
“We’re trying to back up our pitchers, they’ve been doing a good job for us,” Lisson said. “We’re trying to do, offensively, as much as we can. Taking good at-bats, playing good defense. Today, [Kevin] Made missed a ball early, and then made a leaping catch to end the inning. [Marcus] Brown, same thing. It’s part of being a team; it takes a village to win ball games, and right now that’s what we’re doing, pulling it together.”
Up next for the Blue Rocks is the series finale against the Drive in front of the home fans. The Rocks are off to a 7-1 start at Frawley Stadium, and the city of Wilmington is beginning to take notice and pack the seats.
“We love it, man,” Lisson said. “I always said, I played here in 2007 and that’s what I remember the most; the crowds every day supporting the players. These past few days have been good, we really appreciate it and hope that they keep coming to the ballpark.”
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