Wilmington, DE - Despite a two-run rally in the bottom of the ninth, the Wilmington Blue Rocks came up short for the second straight night against the Myrtle Beach Pelicans at Frawley Stadium. A day after dropping the opener in 13 frames by a 2-0 count, the Rocks fell to the Pelicans on Saturday night, 4-3.

Trailing by three with one out in last of the ninth, Joe Dickerson (pictured) stroked a two-run triple to right field off reliever Nick Fellman. Following a pitching change, Dickerson attempted to score on Kurt Mertins' grounder to short, but was cut down via a throw from shortstop Brandon Hicks to catcher Phillip Britton. In the subsequent at-bat, Matt Morizio struck out swinging against Brett Butts to end the game.

Wilmington falls to 0-2 on the season and has managed to scratch out just three runs and seven hits in 22 innings through the first two games.

The Blue Rocks scored their first run and took their first lead of the young campaign in the second. Mertins delivered an opposite field single to right against Pelicans starter Deunte Heath, scoring Dickerson from second. The tally broke a scoreless streak of 14.1 innings to begin the season.

Myrtle Beach took the lead for good in the fourth against Wilmington starter Matt Kniginyzky. The Canadian right-hander yielded a two-run triple to Ernesto Mejia, giving the Pelicans a 2-1 advantage. It appeared the lead would balloon to two runs when Roberto Alvarez popped a medium-depth fly ball to left field in the following at-bat. However, Brett Bigler made the snag and then gunned down Mejia on a one-bounce strike to the plate.

Kniginyzky (0-1) needed 70 pitches to maneuver through four innings. He allowed two runs on three hits and struck out four in his Advanced-A debut.

Hicks, who went 2-3 with a walk, belted a solo shot in the sixth against Blue Rocks reliever Chris Nicoll to push the Birds ahead 3-1. In the next frame, Myrtle Beach capped off their scoring when Derrick Arnold plated a run with a two-out bunt single off Nicoll.

The Blue Rocks will once again try for win No. 1 of the 2008 season when they host Myrtle Beach on Sunday at 1:35 p.m. Wilmington will feature a piggybacking tandem of right-hander Greg Holland and southpaw Everett Teaford. Myrtle Beach will counter with righty Kyle Cofield.

GAME NOTES
Blue Rocks pitching fanned 13 Pelicans batters for the second consecutive night. Wilmington, which fanned a franchise record 21 times the previous night, went down on strikes just six times.

Chris McConnell, Joe Dickerson and Kurt Mertins each stole a base in the affair. Meanwhile, Derrick Robinson was picked off first base by Deunte Heath in the third.

Dickerson and Anthony Seratelli each were plunked with a pitch while batting.

Right-hander Henry Barrera made his Blue Rocks debut out of the pen, yielding one hit and fanning four in two scoreless innings.