After two extra days of rest due to inclement weather, the Wilmington Blue Rocks participated in a series-closing doubleheader against the Bowling Green Hot Rods on Sunday, May 8.

Game one got off to a hot start, with Bowling Green immediately jumping out to an early 3-0 lead in the top of the first. The Blue Rocks struck right back, however, with RBI singles by Israel Pineda and Drew Mendoza to cut the deficit to 3-2. 

The next major move that conspired during the game was Cole Daily getting subbed in at shortstop to replace Jordy Barley.

In what was a back and forth battle all the way until the finish, and required extra innings to complete, Daily emerged as the hero with a walk-off single that scored Jose Sanchez and won the game for the Rocks 6-5.

“I had faced that guy in my previous at-bat and I’d seen pretty much all of his pitches,” Daily said. “Runners on first and third, I was just trying to get a good pitch in the middle of the plate and hit a line drive up the middle, and I hit a line drive and it found a hole.”

Game two was the polar opposite of game one, and it didn’t go the same way for the Blue Rocks as they were defeated 2-1. While game two also went into extra innings, Wilmington and Bowling Green were both scoreless entering the extra frame. 

That is where the Hot Rods were able to capitalize on the placement of a runner on second base and drive in the game’s first two runs to take a 2-0 lead. The Blue Rocks responded with one more in the bottom half of the eighth inning but it ultimately wasn’t enough and the two teams ended up splitting the double-header.

Even with the game two loss, the one win secured the series for the Blue Rocks, their second of the season.

“There were a lot of good things,” Manager Mario Lisson said in reference to the series. “Our pitching was good. We come here every day to compete, so that’s what we’re doing.”

In the back and forth season for the Blue Rocks, Lisson’s team is staying ready and continuing to do all the right things to go on a potential hot streak.

“We get our work in every day,” Lisson said. “We get good work in the cages, so we’re trying to stay on point every day.”

Following a day off on Monday, the Blue Rocks were back in action on Tuesday, April 10, facing off against the Brooklyn Cyclones for the second time this season.

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