WILMINGTON, DE (9/1/26) - The Wilmington Blue Rocks turned a short night into a clean result Tuesday, beating the Hudson Valley Renegades 6-0 in a game cut down to five innings by weather.
The Blue Rocks got rolling early and never let up. Jacob Walsh set the tone with a two-run blast in the second inning, and Eli Willits followed with an RBI triple off the right field fence that brought in Teo Banks and pushed Wilmington ahead 3-0 by the end of the frame.
Walsh kept the pressure on in the third, driving in two more runs with an RBI single to stretch the lead to 4-0. Before the tarp came out, Ronny Cruz added another run with an RBI double, giving Wilmington all the offense it would need.
The night also brought more milestones into view for Walsh, who came in after earning South Atlantic Player of the Week honors against Jersey. He is now one homer away from becoming the first Blue Rocks player to reach 20 home runs since John Whittleman in 2005.
On the mound, Wilmington pieced together another bullpen game for manager Ted Tom and company. Austin Amaral handled the first two innings without allowing a hit, then Bryan Polanco took over in the third and kept Hudson Valley quiet the rest of the way. Polanco ran into trouble in the fifth with the bases loaded, but he got out of it by striking out Dean Toigo.
Polanco finished with three and two-thirds scoreless innings, giving up two hits and three walks while striking out four.
The weather played its own role in the night’s finish. Tuesday’s series opener was halted by inclement weather, with a delay beginning at 8:20 p.m. before the game was officially called at 8:55 p.m.
Hudson Valley had little going offensively against the Wilmington pitching. The Renegades managed just two hits and six walks, while starter Luis Serna was tagged for six runs on eight hits and four walks across four innings. He struck out five, but Wilmington’s bats had already done the damage.
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