The Wilmington Blue Rocks defeated the Hudson Valley Renegades by a score 3-2 in the first game of the series.

The game started off slow with a rain delay causing the game to start 15 minutes late, but ended in heroic fashion with a walk off home run, from an unlikely hero.

The Blue Rocks offense got it going early in the bottom of the second inning. The 39th overall pick in the previous MLB Draft, Caleb Lomavita hit a triple into left centerfield. Elijah Green then hit a weak ground ball out that got slowed down by the mound, which allowed Lomavita to score.

Lomavita came into the game hitting .308 with a .792 OPS. He has been thriving and may soon be called up to the next level. The one thing to monitor for Lomavita is his batting average on balls in play, which is a bit high and due for regression at some point this season. But at the same time with the way the fielding is in the minor leagues, it is expected for him to be getting a little luck at the plate.

Omar Martinez for the Renegades responded with a home run in the top of the third inning to tie the game back up at 1-1. Other than that one mistake, Blue Rocks pitcher Jackson Kent had another strong start at home. Kent struggled in his previous start, but he had his stuff going early, picking up three straight strikeouts to open the game. 

“Everyone has that one outing where they mess up,” Kent said. “You have to learn from it and get better from it.”

Kent finished the game with ten total strikeouts in 7.2 innings, while being credited with two earned runs. Kent credits his early season success to what his approach has been.

“I have been attacking hitters trying to get ahead in counts,” Kent said. “If I fall behind I am punished, if I get ahead it works out for me.”

In the bottom of the fifth inning the Blue Rocks took the lead after a Hudson Valley walk and throwing error, making the game 2-1.

Anthony Arguelles came into the game to replace Kent with two outs and a runner on first, and gave up the lead almost instantaneously. The first batter he faced, Jace Avina hit a double to tie the game. Parks Harbor followed it up with a single to give the Renegades the lead late in the game. 

With it looking like the game was over and Wilmington once again being on the losing end against the Renegades, the offense needed some sort of spark in the bottom of the eighth or ninth inning. There was none in the eighth, but the ninth provided a much different story and situation. 

Lomavita lead off the inning and got hit by a pitch, which may have sparked a rally for Wilmington. A Green strikeout brought up Branden Boissiere.

“I was looking for anything over the plate,” Boissiere said. “Last at bat, I kind of got out of my approach a little bit, even though they were good pitches. This time I was just trying to get the ball high and into the gap.”

That approach worked out for Boissiere who hit a long drive, with some uncertainty on whether it would be a homer to walk off the game or a double to tie it. It was ultimately the home run to win it.

“At a normal ballpark, I would have known it was gone,” Boissiere said. “But here it plays a little bit, so I just ran. I was hoping it would go over, and it did.”

This was Boissiere’s second home run of the season, already passing his total from last season

Last time Wilmington faced off against Hudson Valley they were swept, perhaps this walk off can create a momentum shift.

“This lets us have confidence as we go through the rest of the week,” Boissiere said. “It does not matter who is up at the plate, we know we can get it done.”

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