Caleb Lomavita leads off first. - Photo via Ryan Griffith
Twice they rallied back from multi-run deficits. Twice they had the bases loaded with a chance to win the game. Yet after 12 innings were played, the only thing the Wilmington Blue Rocks had to show for it was a loss.
The Blue Rocks dropped a 7-5 heartbreaker in extras to the Jersey Shore BlueClaws on Independence Day at Frawley Stadium. As fireworks being set off in local communities could be seen and heard around the stadium, the game featured plenty of fireworks of its own.
Jersey Shore’s Braydon Tucker had stifled Wilmington all day, throwing six scoreless innings before handing a three run lead over to the bullpen. In the eighth inning, the bats finally woke up. Jared McKenzie led off the inning with a triple before being driven home by a Cortland Lawson double. That brought up the ‘Rocks’ most consistent hitter all season in Caleb Lomavita who hit a towering three-run homer over the home bullpen in left field to knot the game up at three.
What followed could be considered Wilmington’s most agonising moment of the season. In both the ninth and 10th innings the offense was able to load the bases with the winning runner 90 feet away from scoring. Both times however, the batter could not bring him home and the game continued to prolong. After neither team could score in the 11th, the Blue Claws put two runs on the board in the 12th and locked down the game in the home half, securing the 7-5 win.
After having so many chances to put the game away, it would be understandable for the squad to feel a wide range of emotions. Lomavita chose to take a positive spin from the result.
“You can really tell someone’s character when you go deep into a game like that. The character of this team is phenomenal. We had guys battle to the last pitch and there was no sign of giving up in the box or in the dugout.” Lomavita said.
A key ingredient for success is starting pitcher and like they have all season, Wilmington got it in this game, this time from Jackson Kent. The lefty threw five innings, allowing just one run while battling through a sprained ankle he picked up in the middle of the game.
“It was a good outing. Everything went well, everything was working well. All my pitches felt really good.” Kent said.
Sitting at 5-8 to start the second half of the season and already being a few games back from the division leader, Wilmington will need the same high-caliber starting pitching and more consistency at the plate to make a run for the playoff berth. Despite the loss, Lomavita is as confident as ever the team has what it takes to make that push.
“We still have a chance to clinch the second half and we have the guys to do it,” Lomavita said. “I don’t doubt that we might not, I think we will. We have a good chance.”
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