Katie Larrington
Wilmington
A 49-minute “weather delay” plagued the Salem Red Sox Tuesday evening as they lost by a score of 3-0 in a short six-inning bout against Wilmington in game two of the series.
It was entirely the delay's fault…I know it… it’s a fact!
The reason I say this is because throughout the entire “weather delay”, there wasn’t a drop of rain or dark skies anywhere. The decision was clearly based off the anticipation of storms that surrounded the area, on radar, and then ended up coming in later to hit during the middle of the third inning. Unfortunately, it sent a bulk of the fans in attendance for the exits but play on the field continued.
With a respectful Tuesday night crowd on hand at the original start time, 7:05, the stadium consensus seemed to be something along the lines of ‘just play the game’ as fans were forced to wait until 7:49 to see the first pitch all-while under ideal ballgame conditions.
It was around 8:45 p.m. when the rain really started to pick up along with the wind, sending those fans that initially stayed to the exits as well.
Up until the rain, Salem had struggled since giving up a two-run shot in the third inning to Wilmington’s Jared Schlehuber (say that last name three times fast!) And with only three hits that didn’t compliment each other, Salem failed to record a run.
It was the Blue Rocks again in the fifth inning to put a run on the board. An RBI double for Justin Trapp essentially sealed the deal for Wilmington as the rain began to drizzle down.
But, the “catch” to all of this is that the game had made it to the bottom of the fifth inning when the umpires ruled to continue playing the game. And once a game hits six innings (top or bottom), it can be deemed “official” by the umpires. Essentially leaving the Sox with a half inning to tie the game or go home with a loss.
To the disadvantage of the Red Sox, the tarp came out as soon as Henry Ramos recorded the third out in the bottom of the fifth and then the tarp never came off of the diamond again.
The final call was made at 9:54 p.m. and ironically, as soon as the umpire gave the signal, the rain drastically let up and as I finished the entry, the rain had ceased completely (just a few questionable calls tonight, oh well).
In a rare day game that is set for tomorrow (Wednesday) morning at 11 a.m. the Sox will look to respond from what was a disappointing loss in a short game on Tuesday evening.
Weather permitting, RHP Kyle Stroup is the probable starter for the Sox tomorrow and while it will be a rare schedule for the players, I’m hoping for a quality performance from the guys to stay on the winning side of this home stand.
Be on the lookout for the next “Insider Extra” with catcher Blake Swihart! I sat down with him today following a batting practice session and was able to get some insightful stuff from the first round draft pick.