MLN - THE RAW FEED - www.mlntherawfeed.com -

MLN Newswire - www.mlntherawfeed.com - Winston-Salem, NC – They were down for the count before they could throw a punch. Seven first-inning runs gave the visiting Wilmington Blue Rocks a lopsided lead en route to their biggest blowout of the season in a 14-1 rout at Winston-Salem Tuesday night. Matt Morizio delivered the first frame’s biggest blow, a three-run double that made it 6-0. Starter Ed Cegarra (5-6) notched the his third straight quality start with six innings of one-run ball, and Aaron Hartsock got his first save with three scoreless innings.

Wilmington’s seven-run first fell one score short of its best single frame this season. The Rocks assembled the monstrous inning with five hits, two walks and two Winston-Salem errors. A miscue accounted for the first run while Brad Correll singled in the second and Anthony Seratelli pushed in the third with a bases-loaded walk against starter Matt Long (7-11). Morizio fell down 0-2 in the count before belting an opposite-way double to the left-center gap that chased home three more tallies. He had been 0-for-5 in bases-loaded situations entering the game. An errant relay throw to the plate allowed Morizio to take third and Jarrod Dyson closed out the scoring thereafter with a sacrifice fly to left.

Cegarra allowed the first two ‘Hogs batters to reach in the bottom of the first, walking C.J. Retherford and giving up a hard single to Dale Mollenhauer. But the 19-year-old Venezuelan would find a steady rhthym and retire the next three men in order to strand the runners, the first of 15 consecutive batters he would set down.

Long did not return to the hill after allowing the first seven runs (five earned) and a parade of Winston-Salem relievers began in the second with Steve Spurgeon. After a 1-2-3 second, the Rocks tagged him with five more runs in the third inning. Morizio drove in the first score with a single while Derrick Robinson hit a sac fly and Paulo Orlando blasted a fierce solo homer to left, his first as a Blue Rock.

An RBI groundout from Chris McConnell and two-out run-scoring single by Kurt Mertins swelled Wilmington’s lead to 14-0 in the sixth. Cegarra would allow the opposition’s lone score in the bottom half of that same inning. After needing just 53 pitches to get through the first five frames, Cegarra allowed back-to-back hits to begin the sixth and Mollenhauer drove in a run with a fielder’s choice. The Warthogs would load the bases with two outs, but Cegarra struck out Estee Harris with a swing and a miss to leave the bases full.

Cegarra allowed just one run on four hits and two walks over six innings, striking out five. The team has won each of his last three starts.

Hartsock surrendered just two hits over the game’s last three innings for his first save of the year. He also struck out three batters.

The series concludes on Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. North Carolina native Greg Holland (4-4, 3.72) makes a spot start against changeup specialist John Ely (7-11, 4.60).

PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:

The ‘Hogs used seven pitchers on the night, including catcher Adam Ricks in his first pitching appearance as a professional.

Winston-Salem has committed 14 errors over its last three games.

Eight of the nine Blue Rocks in the starting lineup had at least one RBI. Only Josh Johnson failed to drive in a run, but did walk twice and scored a pair of runs.

Wilmington set a pair of season highs in the win including most runs scored in a game (14) and most lopsided win (13). Tuesday’s game eclipsed a 12-2 win versus Lynchburg on May 25 in both categories. The team record in both regards is a 20-3 triumph at Myrtle Beach on April 19, 1999.

Derrick Robinson collected each of his two base hits in the first inning alone. He swiped his league-leading 56^th base of the year.

Jarrod Dyson saw his career-best hitting streak end at 13 games, going 0-for-3 with a sac fly. His remarkable run started on July 19 and saw him hit .364 (16-for-44).

In two games as a Blue Rock, former Winston-Salem Warthog Paulo Orlando has gone 5-for-9 (.556) with two doubles, a triple and a home run. He has also stolen a base, driven in two runs and scored five.

The Blue Rocks made the most of their baserunners on Tuesday night, leaving just one man on base all night. They did not hit into a single double play. Wilmington went down 1-2-3 in each of its six scoreless innings on the game.

If you like the daily news of the Raw Feed, SUBSCRIBE TODAY to the nation's only alternative professional sports magazine, SZ, with original features and great action photography in baseball, hockey, basketball, and football. Just $11.99 per year for an e-zine like you’ve never seen!