In what has been a rough trend early in the season for the Potomac Nationals (12-8 Overall, 2-7 Home) at home at Pfitzner Stadium, the P-Nats took their first look at the opposing pitcher while already behind on the scoreboard. Wednesday night, 2B Ian Happ of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (11-9 Overall, 5-4 Road) launched a two-run home run just three batters into the game. Happ’s team best fourth home run on the season ended up as the winning hit, as the top ranked Myrtle Beach pitching staff propelled the Pelicans to a 5-1 victory.
RHP Boone Whiting (L, 3-1) picked up his first loss of the season despite lowering his ERA with his second straight quality start. Whiting allowed just three earned runs, four runs overall, on six hits over six innings. With one out in the first inning, SS Gleyber Torres reached on a fly ball that fell between CF Andrew Stevenson and RF Narciso Mesa, one that likely should have been caught by either player. With Torres on second base, Happ cleared the wall in right field and made it 2-0 Myrtle Beach. The loss dropped Potomac to just 1-8 when they give up the first run of the game. Meanwhile, the P-Nats are a perfect 11-0 when they score first.
Opposite Whiting, RHP Zach Hedges (W, 2-2) continued his stellar start to the 2016 campaign. The righty allowed just one run on four hits over six dominant innings. Though he walked three, Hedges matched his season high with six strikeouts. Potomac’s lone run vs. Hedges came in the bottom of the first inning and started with a leadoff walk. Stevenson drew the walk but was erased at second base on a groundout by SS Osvaldo Abreu. A single by 1B Jose Marmolejos moved Abreu to third base, and C Raudy Read extended his hit streak to a team high 15 games with an RBI single to centerfield. After 3B Drew Ward walked, which loaded the bases, 2B Bryan Mejia swung at the first pitch and grounded into an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play.
The P-Nats did not have many more scoring opportunities throughout the night and wrapped up the affair just 1-11 with RISP. With men on first and second in the fourth, LF Alec Keller flied out to left field and DH Dale Carey struck out. With men on the corners and two outs in the sixth, Keller flied out to centerfield to end the inning, while Abreu struck out with Mesa at third base to end the seventh.
Myrtle Beach meanwhile broke the game open on another two-run home run, this time in the top of the fifth inning. After DH Daniel Lockhart reached on a fielding error by Marmolejos, C Cael Brockmeyer cleared the left field wall for his second home run of the season. After 4.5 innings, the Pelicans led 4-1.
After two scoreless frames from Potomac RHP Mick VanVossen, LHP RC Orlan gave up a run in the top of the ninth on an RBI double by Lockhart, Lockhart’s third extra-base hit in the first two games of the series. RHP Daury Torrez and RHP David Berg pitched a combined three shutout innings out of the Myrtle Beach bullpen and secured the Pelicans’ victory.
Just four Potomac starters recorded a hit and Read put together the lone multi-hit game of the night for the P-Nats. Happ and Lockhart each had a two-hit night for Myrtle Breach, as six different Pelicans had at least one hit.
The rubber match in the first series between the two squads is set for 7:05pm Thursday night at Pfitzner Stadium. On the mound for Potomac will be RHP Luis Reyes (1-2, 5.17) who allowed just two earned runs in a quality start last time out in Wilmington. The Pelicans will send RHP Trevor Clifton (0-2, 4.15) to the hill, as he comes off of his best start of the season, just one earned run in 5.1 innings vs. Carolina. The “P-Nats Lead-Off Show” gets underway at 6:50pm and can be heard at PotomacNationals.com or via the TuneIn Radio App.
Throughout the series finale Thursday, select drinks will be just $1. As the P-Nats welcome in the Wilmington Blue Rocks on Friday night, kids can run the bases, and then Saturday night, fans will be treated to a fireworks show following the 6:35pm game. Sunday wraps up the homestand with a 1:05pm start, as it is “Bark in the Park” day, Sunday Family Fun Day, and features a beer tasting with Flying Dog Brewery.
Share
Contributors
