Lynchburg, VA – Sunday afternoons normally mean rest and relaxation. The Wilmington Blue Rocks received neither on a quite unlucky Sunday the 13th with a 14-2 loss in Lynchburg against the Hillcats. The Blue Rocks (3-7) never enjoyed a single lead on the game, which cost the squad the short three-game series to the Pirates affiliate, two games to one. Wilmington finishes 2-4 on its first road trip of the season, and returns to Frawley Stadium for a brief three-game homestand with a series against the Kinston Indians starting on Monday.

Lynchburg laced three runs and four hits on starter Mario Santiago (0-1) in the very first inning to put the Blue Crew in an early hole. While Wilmington rallied to plate two runs in the second on back-to-back two-out RBI doubles by Kurt Mertins and catcher Jeff Howell, its offense would sputter from there on while Lynchburg’s surged.

The host ‘Cats chased Santiago in the bottom half of the frame. Albert Laboy led off with a first-pitch swinging double to right, and James Barksdale followed with a sac bunt dropped right in front of the plate. But Howell errantly missed first base on his throw, allowing Barksdale to reach first and Laboy to score for a 4-2 count. After Brian Friday worked a four-pitch walk, Angel Gonzalez flied out to center for the inning’s first out. Santiago would not retire another batter.

Jim Negrych knocked in Barksdale with a single, and scored on a double by Kent Sakamoto that left fielder Brett Bigler errantly bobbled on his scoop attempt. Santiago left the game trailing 6-2, allowing six runs (five earned) on seven hits, one walk and a wild pitch over just 1.1 innings.

While Wilmington failed to score after the second inning, bouncing into three double plays and stranding four runners in the process, Lynchburg scored eight more runs against the Blue Rocks bullpen for the 14-2 final. In total, the Hillcats worked 11 unanswered runs against the Blue Crew. Each of Wilmington’s three relievers allowed at least one run.

The fourth overall selection in last year’s draft, Lynchburg starter Daniel Moskos (1-0), earned his first Advanced-A win with a solid but unspectacular five innings of two-run, five-hit ball with one walk and four strikeouts. A pair of relievers combined for four scoreless innings thereafter in Blair Johnson and Jake Cuffman.

The Blue Rocks return home Monday for the first of a short three-game series and homestand against the Kinston Indians. The fourth-best chip in the Royals minor leagues according to Baseball America, Blake Wood (0-0, 2.70), starts for the Blue Rocks against Carlton Smith (0-0, 9.00). First pitch is slated for 6:35 p.m. at Frawley Stadium.

PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:
The Blue Rocks franchise record for largest margin of defeat is 13, done three times. Most recently, the Frederick Keys walloped the Rocks, 14-1, on August 2, 2002 at Harry Grove Stadium.

The record for most runs allowed by the Blue Crew in a nine-inning affair is 16, done twice. Salem turned the trick last in a 16-5 drubbing on June 2, 2000 at Memorial Stadium.

Joe Dickerson doubled to right field in the opening inning, stretching his Carolina League-best hitting streak to nine games. The Blue Rock right fielder has gone 15-for-33 (.455) during his hot hitting. He also swiped his league-best sixth base on the season with a steal of third after his double.

Leadoff hitter Derrick Robinson finished the game 2-for-4 and has now reached base safely in eight consecutive games with a hit or a walk.

Second baseman Jeff Bianchi finished the game 2-for-4 with a double.

Lynchburg’s 14-run effort marks the most scores surrendered by the Blue Rocks since a 14-5 defeat against these same Hillcats on June 27, 2007 at Frawley Stadium.

Hillcats back-up catcher Kris Watts was the only ‘Cat that failed to hit Wilmington pitching on Sunday, going 0-for-5 with a groundball double play.

Nine of the 18 hits the Blue Rocks allowed to Lynchburg went for extra bases.