Tony Blanco Jr. with a Walk-Off Solo Home Run to win the game for the Greensboro Grasshoppers on Saturday night, at First National Bank Field…Blanco Jr. was on the scene, and he was seeing green, as in the Green Light, and was he was seeing nothing but Green, he hit the ball toward Eugene, as in Eugene Street, out beyond right field at FNB Field, his shot was Clean toward Eugene, and the Blanco Bomb gave the Greensboro Grasshoppers an 8-7 victory over the Wilmington Blue Rocks, and allowed the Hoppers(39-23) to stay within a 1/2 Game of the Frederick Keys, in the South Atlantic League’s Northern Division race for the First Half Title…Keys(38-21), up over the Hoppers, with four games/days left in the First Half of the SALLY League 2026 season…Keys were a 5-4 Winner in 10 Innings, as Frederick topped the Brooklyn Cyclones, on Saturday night…
This is our Fred Anderson Toyota of Raleigh Game Report……
Super electrifying ending on Friday night, with the Walk-Off defensive play at the plate, as the Hoppers won, 7-6, and then here on Saturday, the Hoppers led the Blue Rocks 7-2, they let the Rocks come back and tie it all up, at 7-7, before the Hoppers saw Blanco Jr. go Green toward Eugene, and it was then Greensboro over Wilmington, 8-7…Hoppers now lead this Six-Game Weekly Series, 4-1, with one more game coming on Sunday afternoon…
The electricity of Friday, and then the drama sets in on Saturday, and no matter how it all ended, the Greensboro Grasshoppers are truly in the Hunt for the First Half Title…One-Half Game back, with four games/four days to go…
Tony Blanco Jr. was “The Man” on Saturday night, as he claims our REMAX Revolution Player of the Game honors…Friday night, it was Josh Tate and Luke Scherrer, teaming up to claim the REMAX Revolution POG distinctions…
Hard to describe all of this, the way the past two games/nights have ended…Saturday in particular, the Hoppers fell behind 2-0, and it was 2-1 Blue Rocks, as we headed to the Bottom of the Fourth Inning…That is where the Grasshoppers posted two key runs, to take a 3-2 lead in the ballgame…The 3-2 score, became 7-2 Hoppers, as we hit the Top of the Eighth Inning…
The Rocks pushed across two scores in the Eighth, and the 7-2 advantage was cut to just 7-4 Hoppers…Then the Rocks got those three runs, from the bottom of their batting order, and at that point, the Rocks had found their way back into this contest, with the new score, 7-7, Hoppers-Rocks…
You give up three runs like that, and you wonder, can you ever get back on top again…The Rock got those three runs to tie it up, on a Hit by Pitch, a Single, and an Error…Two Home Runs in the game for the Blue Rocks…It was a Two-Run HR by Angel Feliz that got the Rocks rolling in first inning…Ronny Cruz crushed a Solo Homer to left in the Eighth Inning, and Wilmington was scoring in bunches…Two Runs Rocks in the First, Two More Rocks’ Runs in the Eighth, and then Three Rock Runs, in the Ninth Inning…Hoppers concurrently go, One Run First, Two Runs in the Second, Three Hopper Runs in the Sixth, One Run in the Seventh, and then the Walk-Off Hopper Homer from Tony Blanco Jr., in the Bottom of the Ninth…
For the Game it was Hopper Hitters hitting it like this…Jesus Castillo goes 2-5/2 Runs/RBI…Yordany De Los Santos went 0-4/BB…Easton Carmichael was 3-5/3 RBI…Murf Gray 2-5…Edward Florentino went 1-3/2 BBs/Run/SB…Tony Blacon Jr. 2-4/HR/BB/2 Runs/RBI…Brian Sanchez 1-3/BB/Run…Dylan Palmer 2-2/2 BBs/2 Runs…
For the second straight night, the Hoppers starting pitching was outstanding…Starter Hung-Leng Chang worked 4 Innings, and he gave up 2 Runs, on 4 Hits, with 0 BBs/8 Ks…Chang did serve up a Two-Run Home Run to the the Rocks’ Angle Feliz…But, Chang had those Eight(8) Strikeouts, and he did not Walk any Blue Rock batters…Chang was strong out there, and Friday Night, starter Kyle Robinson struck out 9 Blue Rocks to get things going the Hoppers way early….How many strikeouts will we see from the Sunday scheduled starter for the Grasshoppers, Seth Hernandez??? Should we go with 10 Ks, as a hopeful outing for Hernandez???
(Hoppers pitching on Saturday night, with 0 BBs/11 Ks/Strikeouts, and that is Huge.)
The Hoppers winnng pitcher on Saturday, Inmer Lobo, Two-Thirds of an Inning, and he preceeded to give up, O Runs, on 0 Hits, with 0 BBs/1 K…Lobo sort of like the ‘Vulture Reliever’, who swoops in and picks up the victory…Right Place, Right Man, Right Time…
Top Wilmington Blue Rocks hitters for the game were:Angel Feliz 2-5/HR/Run/2 RBI…Jacob Walsh was 2-5/2 Runs…Kevin Bazzell 2-5/Double/RBI…Ronny Cruz 1-5/HR/2 RBI…
Blue Rocks losing pitcher, Yeuris Montero worked 1/3 of an Inning, and Montero gave up 1 Run, on 1 Hit, with 0 BBs/1 K…Montero served up the Solo Walk-Off Home Run, to the Greensboro Grasshoppers Tony Blanco Jr.
Very dramatic Win by the Greensboro Grasshoppers, on Saturday night, at First National Bank Field….Again, makes you wonder, what Sunday’s going to be like…
Some of our key Game Details/Numbers…
Final Score:Greensboro Grasshoppers 8, Wilmington Blue Rocks 7
WP:Inmer Lobo(2-0)/LP:Yeruis Montero(3-1)
Hoppers' Line-8-13-2 Rocks' Line- 7-10-1
Hoppers(39-23)
Blue Rocks(29-33)
Attendance-4,129
Time of Game-2:47
Game Time Temp-93 Degrees and Sunny
Up Next:The Wilmington Blue Rocks(29-33) at the Greensboro Grasshoppers(39-23) on Sunday afternoon, at First National Bank Field…First Pitch coming in @ 2pm…RHP Seth Hernandez for the Hoppers, and RHP Mikey Tepper for the Blue Rocks…Kids and Family Play Catch on the Field before the game, and then the Kids Run the Bases, after the game…CLICK HERE to Listen Live to Sunday’s Hoppers-Blue Rocks game on GSOHoppers.com, from the Long Gone Baseball Radio Network…Bryant Roche, from the News and Record will join us, for the Sunday broadcast…
*********Hoppers-Rocks Game Report from Saturday night, from Callie Cline, @ GSOHoppers.com….********
Blanco Jr.’s Walk-Off Homer Lifts Grasshoppers Past Blue Rocks, 8-7
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Tony Blanco Jr.’s walk-off home run lifted the Grasshoppers over the Blue Rocks 8-7, on Saturday, June 13. With the win, Greensboro improved to 39-23 on the season, while Wilmington fell to 28-33. The Grasshoppers outhit the Blue Rocks 13-10 despite committing two errors compared to Wilmington’s one.
Offensively, catcher Easton Carmichael paced Greensboro, going 3-for-5 with three RBI. Blanco Jr. finished 2-for-4 with the game-winning home run, one RBI, and two runs scored. Additional hits for the Grasshoppers came from Jesus Castillo (2), Murf Gray (2), Dylan Palmer (2), Edward Florentino, and Brian Sanchez.
Wilmington was led at the plate by catcher Kevin Bazzell, who went 2-for-5 with a double and one RBI. Jacob Walsh added a 2-for-5 performance with two runs scored. Additional hits for the Blue Rocks were recorded by Angel Feliz (2), Ronny Cruz, Elijah Green, Jack Moroknek, and Elijah Nunez.
Right-hander Hung-Leng Chang made the start for Greensboro, striking out eight batters while allowing five hits and two earned runs over four innings. Left-hander Inmer Lobo earned the victory in relief, improving to 2-0 on the season.
Right-hander Alexander Meckley started for Wilmington and struck out one while allowing six hits, three runs (two earned), and four walks over 4.1 innings. Right-hander Euri Montero suffered the loss, dropping to 3-1 on the year.
The Grasshoppers finish up their homestand against the Wilmington Blue Rocks tomorrow, Sunday June 13 at 2:00PM. To purchase tickets to any home Grasshoppers game please call 336-268-2255 or visit gsohoppers.com.