WILMINGTON, Del. (6/23) — Coming off of a series sweep and a morning of rain in Delaware, the 34-35 Blue Rocks fell 5-0 to the number one ranked Frederick Keys (44-24) during the first game of the series on Tuesday night at Frawley Stadium.
“We battled some rain this morning and weren’t able to get on the field, but it’s a new week. Taking it week by week, day by day,” said defensive coach Mitchell Boe.
Despite rallying six hits in their last game, the Blue Rocks struggled to get the ball rolling in Tuesday’s matchup. Wilmington finished with one hit, from shortstop Ronny Cruz.
Blue Rocks right handed pitcher Yoel Tejeda Jr. had a challenge ahead of him as he faced the powerful Keys offense. The Florida State alum allowed four hits and two runs, and rallied a total of seven strikeouts on Tuesday’s appearance.
Tucker Biven and Jacob Rodgers also made appearances on the mound. Biven allowed one hit and one run, while Rodgers had a scoreless outing with no hits.
Euri Montero, the right handed pitcher, finished the game off for the Blue Rocks. Montero gave up one hit, but a groundball hit by Braylin Tavera of the Frederick Keys was deflected off of the glove of Ronny Cruz and allowed two runs to score in the fourth.
The Keys were able to bring in two runs by the fifth inning, but an additional three runs solidified their victory over the Blue Rocks.
Despite the outcome, Boe, the defensive coach who took the spot of absent manager Ted Tom, felt the pitchers saw some success.
“We got into some tough situations early. I thought Yoel really battled, which was awesome to see. He had a great outing, kept it tight, and just couldn’t get the offense rolling,” said Boe.
The Blue Rocks are hoping to take home their first win of the series Wednesday night at Frawley Stadium, and Boe remains optimistic about the performance of his players.
“Keep showing up, putting in the work,” said Boe. “They put in work every day. We never need to question their work ethic or how much they want it.”
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