The Wilmington Blue Rocks defeated the Aberdeen IronBirds by a score of 2-1 in a tight contest at home.

The first three innings of the game were defined by great pitching on both sides, with neither team having any luck on the offensive side of the ball. Both starting pitchers were efficient, getting quick outs and not allowing any baserunners to get into scoring position.

The first team to score in the game was Aberdeen in the top of the fourth inning. Ethan Anderson led off the inning with a double, and was followed by a Vance Honeycutt infield single to put runners on first and second. A double steal would put both runners in scoring position, putting pressure on the Blue Rocks’ defense. A groundout was enough to bring Anderson home and give the IronBirds a 1-0 lead.

The Blue Rocks responded immediately in the bottom of the fifth inning though. Matt Suggs hit a double that hugged the right field line just enough to stay fair. The ball rolled into the corner, allowing him to cruise into second base.

That brought up Murphy Stehly, who came up and hit a long fly ball to left field. The left fielder looked up at the wall, thinking it was gone, but it dropped right next to him, allowing Stehly to reach second and score Suggs to tie the ballgame at one.

“I felt it off the bat,” Stehly said. “But everyone knows this is not a hitter’s ballpark, so I was hoping it would go out, but thankfully it was a double.”

Things remained mostly silent until the bottom of the seventh. Suggs and Stehly were once again both active offensively, each reaching base to put pressure on the IronBirds. This set up Caleb Lomavita with a golden opportunity to take the lead, and he delivered, hitting a single into center field to score Suggs and give Wilmington a 2-1 lead.

The clear star of the game was starting pitcher Jackson Kent. After an excellent first outing, Kent followed it up with another stellar performance on the mound. He pitched a strong, career-high seven innings while limiting the IronBirds to just one run.

“I did it the right way, where I was built up and prepared for anything,” Kent said. “I felt good, and I was able to keep my pitch count under control.”

In addition to his seven innings of work, Kent recorded five strikeouts.

“My changeup was working well today,” Kent said. “I was also able to land my curveball for a strike, which is key. Everything was working.”

The starting staff in this series has been excellent. Kent, along with Alex Clemmey and Riley Cornelio, have combined to give up just two runs over the three games so far.

“Our hard work in the starting staff always competes with each other,” Kent said. “It is a good culture we have here with one another, and we want to do things the right way.”

Yeury Jimenez and Thomas Schultz came in and pitched two great innings out of the bullpen to lock down the win. Schultz earned the save and got help from some standout defense in the ninth. Griff O’Ferrall laid down a perfect bunt, but Stehly made an even better play at third to charge the ball and fire it to first for the out.

“I take a lot of pride in my defense,” Stehly said. “When you are at third, you want the ball; that is how you become a good infielder. I try to have that mentality every second I play.”

After getting swept on the road by Hudson Valley, Wilmington has now won three in a row at home to start the series against Aberdeen. The team seems to be settling in and finding a rhythm.

“We lost all our games in Hudson Valley,” said Stehly. “So our backs are up against the wall, and we’re rallying the troops. We are having fun now. We’ll see how many wins we can get.”

The team will look to continue its winning streak tomorrow night at Frawley Stadium on a fireworks Friday.

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