On Thursday afternoon at Pfitzner Stadium, the Potomac Nationals (42-42 Overall, 25-19 Home, 9-5 Second-Half) swept the Lynchburg Hillcats (39-44 Overall, 23-14 Road, 6-7 Second-Half) in a matinee doubleheader to take the three-game series two to one.
The Nationals clipped the Hillcats by the final score of 3-2 in the frontend matchup and 4-2 in the “nightcap” to get back to a .500 record in 2015.
En route to the twin bill broom job, Potomac 2B Khayyan Norfork blooped a walk-off RBI single in the last of the 7th in the first double dip contest in advance of the stellar complete game slung by RHP John Simms in the second clash.
The Red, White, and Blue are now a (5-7) club in their doubleheader affairs during the 2015 season, and the Nationals have played to a (10-8) head-to-head record against Lynchburg.
In Game One, P-Nats starter, RHP Phillips Valdez gave the home club a chance to win by dealing 5.0 frames in which he surrendered two earned runs on six hits, one walk, and one wild pitch. Valdez tied his season-high with six strikeouts in a no-decision.
The Hillcats tagged Valdez for a pair of runs in the 4th inning on an RBI sacrifice fly off the stick of Lynchburg C Eric Haase and a seeing-eye run-scoring groundball single through the left side of the infield from 2B Claudio Bautista.
Washington Nationals RHP Aaron Barrett, down with Potomac on rehabilitation for a right biceps strain, took the mound in the 6th stanza and faced only one hitter before leaving the game. Barrett gave up a double on a 3-0 pitch stroked to the alleyway in right-center field by Lynchburg 1B Nellie Rodriguez.
Nationals RHP Brian Dupra (1-0), the winning pitcher of record, got the final six outs of the game walking one and fanning one in the process.
Lynchburg starting hurler, RHP Dace Kime was dealing through 6.0 innings but ran into trouble to begin the 7th. Kime walked Potomac C Spencer Kieboom before 3B Drew Ward ripped a single to right field on the first pitch he saw to knock Kime out of the game.
Kime’s finished line was 6.0-plus innings, two runs (two earned runs), four hits, one walk, five strikeouts, and one wild pitch.
Hillcats RHP Ben Heller (BS 3, 0-2) would come on in relief of Kime to blow his third save and suffer his second losing decision of the season as the Nationals rallied for three runs. Heller allowed an RBI single swatted to left field by RF John Wooten to drive home Kieboom and cut Lynchburg’s lead to 2-1. Nationals 1B Grant DeBruin laid down a sacrifice bunt to put two runners in to scoring position with one out. A wild pitch from Heller then allowed Ward to slide across home plate to tie the game at 2-2. Potomac DH Brandon Miller then raked a sharp 5-3 groundout to lead up to the game-winning at-bat for Norfork, who looped a game-winning single into left-center bringing Wooten to the dish and propelling the P-Nats to their fifth walk-off win of the 2015 season.
In Game Two, Simms submitted his tenth quality start in his last 11 outings on the mound.
The winner, Simms (5-5) gunned through a 7.0 inning complete game while allowing two runs (one earned run) on five hits, one walk, and one hit batter. Simms struck out only one batter amid his gem.
Simms tossed 79 pitches and 54 for strikes to earn his fifth victory in 2015.
Lynchburg starting pitcher, RHP Antonio Romero did not receive a decision after going 3.0 innings and allowing one earned run on four hits and two walks with only one strikeout to his line.
The P-Nats jumped on the scoreboard in the 3rd inning when DeBruin laced an RBI sac fly off Romero with the bases loaded to center field to score the leadoff walk issued to LF Cody Dent.
A run-scoring single nailed into right field by Hillcats RF Mike Papi on an offering from Simms in the top of the 4th answered the Nationals’ run to tie the contest.
Potomac put together their second three-run frame of the day in the 5th against losing pitcher, Lynchburg RHP Justin Brantley (1-4) to jump on top 4-1. Nationals RF Estarlin Martinez stole home plate for the second time this season on a successful double steal attempt, Wooten chopped an RBI one-base knock into center field, and Ward sliced a single to left-center to plate one run.
Brantley took his fourth loss after serving up those three earned runs in 1.2 innings of bullpen work.
It was too little, too late for Lynchburg in the 7th as Papi’s leadoff double to the right field line scored on a one-out sac fly from C Sicnarf Loopstok but the final out was recorded by Simms on a scorched lineout to Norfork at second base off the lumber of Hillcats 2B Yhoxian Medina to seal the twin bill sweep for the Nationals.
Tonight, the Nationals travel to Winston-Salem, NC to begin a four-game wrap-around weekend series against the Winston-Salem Dash (Chicago White Sox) at BB&T Ballpark from Friday, July 10th to Monday, July 13th.
In the series opener tomorrow night, Potomac RHP Austen Williams (0-0, 0.00) makes his Carolina League debut against Winston-Salem RHP James Dykstra (3-6, 3.95) with first pitch scheduled for 7:00pm at “The Bank.”
Share
Contributors
