With bases juiced and no outs in the bottom of the eighth at Frawley Stadium, it was shaping up for the Blue Rocks to take the lead and grab their first win of the homestand. Three quick outs with no runs plated and a run given up in the ninth completely flipped the script as Wilmington was forced to take home a 4-3 loss on Saturday, June 21, the third one-run defeat in their series against the Asheville Tourists.

After struggling to get much going offensively against the Houston Astros’ No. 5-ranked prospect Anderson Brito through five innings, the ‘Rocks were able to capitalize against Asheville’s pen. In the sixth, RBI singles from Branden Boissiere and Marcus Brown tied the game up at three, setting the stage for the pivotal eighth inning. 

Cortland Lawson started off the inning by reaching base via an error. A Caleb Lomavita single and Boissiere walk meant ducks on the pond for T.J. White, seeking to make any solid contact to break the deadlocked score. After a tough seven-pitch at-bat, White hit a sharp ground ball to first, resulting in a 3-2 putout at home, keeping a run off the board. Subsequent outs made by Brown and Armando Cruz spelled a tough end to the inning.

What made the poor execution sting more was that in a similar situation, Asheville did convert on their chance to bring a run home in the ninth. With runners on second and third, Lucas Spence grounded out to shortstop but allowed the lead runner to score and take the lead. The run would prove all the difference as Wilmington couldn’t match the Tourists in their half of the ninth.

“We were this close,” Boissiere said. “But I think we stuck with it pretty well, so if we continue to do that, we should be fine.”

Although the results haven’t shown this series as Wilmington has dropped all four games played thus far, Boissiere is largely right. Since May 13th, Wilmington holds a 20-14 record while also being 16-11 in one-run games over the course of the season. 

If there is a positive takeaway for the Blue Rocks, it can be found in the performance of pitcher Jake Bennett. The 2022 second-round pick missed all of 2024 with Tommy John surgery but has been steadily rebuilding his stock as a prospect this season. While the lefty only went three innings as a continuation of his rehab plan, he showed off great command and solid stuff. Bennett didn’t allow a run while striking out four batters, three of those caught looking at his breaking ball. He also didn’t walk a batter while scattering four hits. 

“The sweeper was working well tonight, and my slider as well,” Bennett said. “I’m just trying to change eye-levels, change speeds, and keep them off-balance.”

While five innings pitched in June isn’t much of a sample size, Bennett hasn’t given up a run and should garner more attention as well as a bigger workload in a rotation loaded with top prospects. Bennett, along with Travis Sykora, Alex Clemney, and Jackson Kent, will be counted on to continue anchoring a Wilmington team that has been given a new lease on life. The minor league system crowns a first-half and second-half of the season champion, with the two winners making the playoffs. After a slow start to the season, the Blue Rocks have played better as of late and expect to make a run at the playoff bid. 

“I think we’re very confident in the team we are,” Boissiere said. “We’ve been starting to play together a lot more in the last couple weeks, so I think we feel pretty good, it’s just about getting timely hits. Just gotta stick with it and I think it’s gonna come.”

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