P-Nats even series
The Frederick Keys held the Potomac Nationals’ offense in check for seven innings, and stood six outs away from the Carolina League championship series. But Potomac rallied for six runs in the eighth and came from behind for a 6-1 win that sent the Northern Division Series to a deciding Game Five Monday in Frederick.
Ryohei Tanaka kept the Nationals at bay for six innings; he allowed just two hits and departed with Frederick in front 1-0. Justin Moore retired the Nationals in the seventh, but hit a wall in the eighth.
Eury Perez bounced a single on the infield to start the inning before Francisco Soriano walked. Jeff Kobernus squared to bunt, and was hit by a pitch on the right wrist to load the bases. With the infield drawn in, Destin Hood bounced a single through the middle into centerfield to give the Nationals the lead. Jose Lozada then singled two home, and a Zach Walters triple to right field made it 6-1.
Adam Olbrychowski kept the Nationals in the game with an outstanding start. He went five and a third innings, allowed just one run on six hits and struck out five. The Keys only run came in the fourth, when Brian Ward singled home Mike Flacco.
Neil Holland, Joe Testa and Cameron Selik kept it a 1-0 ball game before the offense went to work in the eighth.
Hector Nelo came on in the ninth. He allowed a one-out double to Ward but retired Glynn Davis and Bobby Stevens to wrap up the win.
Game Five is set for 7 P.M. in Frederick on Monday night.
P-Nats fall to Keys, trail 2-1 in playoff series
The Frederick Keys held the Potomac Nationals to just three hits on Saturday night in Woodbridge in a 5-1 victory that pushed them one win away from the Mills Cup Championship Series. Scott Copeland was in command for seven outstanding innings, the middle of the Keys’ order shone, and Potomac was held without a hit after the fourth inning in the Game 3 loss.
For the first time in the series, Frederick took the first lead of the ballgame. Fittingly, Jonathan Schoop and Manny Machado were right in the middle of the opening rally. With one out, Schoop singled off Nationals’ starter Evan Bronson. Machado then doubled him home with a laser down the right field line to put the Keys ahead 1-0.
Potomac, held to two infield singles in the first three innings, tied the game with a ball hit decidedly out of the infield. Destin Hood hit an impressive home run to right field that knotted the score at one.
That would be the Nationals’ last hit.
The Keys – led by Schoop, Machado and Aaron Baker – kept on coming. In the fifth, Schoop doubled with one out. Machado brought him home with a sharp single to right field, and would score on a Baker double to deep left-center.
Bobby Stevens led off the sixth with a single. After Dale Mollenhauer grounded out, Schoop walked. Machado hit a hard line drive to third base that was dropped by Jose Lozada. It deflected off his glove and into the corner by the left field bullpen, and allowed Bobby Stevens to score from second. Baker then hit a sacrifice fly to right to plate Schoop, make it 5-1 and close out the scoring.
Copeland retired 11 of the last 12 Nationals batters he faced; his lone miscue was a pitch that hit Steven Souza in the seventh.
Ryan Berry pitched a perfect eighth and ninth to push the Keys to the brink of the Championship Series against the Kinston Indians. Kinston defeated Myrtle Beach 9-2 to close out the Southern Division Series.
The Nationals turn to Adam Olbrychowski in Sunday’s elimination game. Ryohei Tanaka takes the mound for the Keys at 1:05 P.M.
P-Nats even playoff series
The Potomac Nationals used a pair of early two-out rallies in Game 2 on Friday night to stake Sammy Solis to a lead. The lefthander and a trio of bullpen arms had no intention of relinquishing it, and the Nationals cruised to an 8-0 win that leveled the Northern Division Series at one game apiece.
In the first inning, Keys starter Rick Zagone got the first two outs without incident. But Destin Hood then worked a spectacular 12-pitch walk to extend the inning for Brian Peacock. Peacock then blasted a home run to straightaway center field that put Potomac ahead 2-0.
After Solis struck out a pair in the first inning, the Nationals went to work again in the second – and again, they did so with two outs. Jose Lozada drew a walk and Eury Perez singled down the right field line. Francisco Soriano then belted a 2-2 breaking ball over the wall in left field that staked Potomac to a 5-0 advantage.
Solis allowed just one hit in each of the next four innings, and struck out five more for a total of seven punchouts. But a tight strike zone ran his pitch count to 91, and after a two-out walk of Jonathan Schoop put runners at the corners in the fifth, Solis was lifted for Neil Holland. Holland struck out Manny Machado to end the threat.
Holland pitched two and a third scoreless innings; Joe Testa and Cameron Selik followed and preserved the shutout.
Potomac tacked ons single runs in the fourth, seventh and ninth innings – and all of them were scored by Perez. After reaching on a fielder’s choice in the fourth, Perez advanced to second on a wild pitch, to third on an error by Keys catcher Brian Ward, and scored on yet another wild Ryan O’Shea offering. In the seventh, Destin Hood plated Perez with a two-out single. Soriano’s double brought Perez home in the ninth.
Game 3 is set for 6:35 P.M. at Pfitzner Stadium in Woodbridge. Evan Bronson takes the mound for the Nationals against the veteran righthander Ryohei Tanaka.
P-Nats lose rain-shortened Game One
With the Frederick Keys batting in the bottom of the sixth inning and leading 5-1, play was suspended at Harry Grove Stadium. With torrential rain falling and more predicted through the night, the game was called and the Keys had a rain-shortened victory to open the Northern Division Series.
Potomac surged to an early lead on Steven Souza’s solo home run in the second inning. Paul Demny, the Nationals starter, was steady in the first two innings and worked around trouble in the third, inducing a double play to escape a double and a walk.
In the bottom of the fourth, Demny appeared to make another pitch that would get him out of a jam. With one out, Jacob Julius hit a hard one-hopper to second base, but the ball was bobbled by Jeff Kobernus. The split second prevented the Nationals from turning the double play – and that proved costly. Miguel Abreu blasted a three-run homer to left field that gave the Keys a lead they would not relinquish. Brian Ward then followed with a back-to-back homer that put Frederick ahead 4-1.
Keys starter Jake Pettit was fantastic and earned his third win against Potomac in 2011. Other than the homer to Souza, Pettit allowed just two other hits, struck out four and retired Potomac twice in order.
Abreu struck again in the sixth and final inning. With one out, Demny allowed a single to Jacob Julius and Demny was sent to the clubhouse. Rob Wort came on, and Julius stole second base. Abreu then singled to left to score Julius and put Frederick in front, 5-1. Wort then struck out Ward, but walked Bobby Stevens and Dale Mollenhauer to load the bases.
With two outs and a 2-1 count to Jonathan Schoop, the rain became too heavy to continue, and play was called. A driving rain continued through the night and forced the game to be finalized.
Game Two is scheduled for Thursday in Frederick. Potomac will send Sammy Solis to the mound against lefthander Rick Zagone at 7:05 P.M.
Emotional win for Lynchburg
A somber scene opened Sunday night’s game between the Hillcats and the Keys, as a moment of silence was held for Calvin Falwell, who passed away the previous night. Once the game started, the Hillcats dominated en route to a 12-1 win.
The Hillcats jumped out early against Keys starter Nathan Moreau. In the first inning, Andrelton Simmons got things started with a one-out double. Todd Cunningham singled to right, and Simmons made an aggressive turn around third and scored on the play. Joey Terdoslavich followed with a shot off the wall in left-center. Cunningham scored and Terdoslavich cruised into second with his 49th double of the season, two shy of the single-season Carolina League record. Joe Leonard grounded out, and then Christian Bethancourt singled home Terdoslavich to put the Hillcats up 3-0.
Lynchburg continued their hot-hitting in the second inning. Ryan Query led off the inning with a double, his first hit in the Carolina League. L.V. Ware sacrificed him over to third. Keenan Wiley hit a shallow fly ball to left that wasn’t far enough out to score Query. Simmons came through with a two-out single to score Query. Todd Cunningham followed with his fourth home run of the season, a long fly ball that just barely cleared the wall in left field, to make it 6-0.
Moreau got through the next three innings unscathed, and left the game after five innings. Justin Moore entered the game for the Keys. 11 batters came to the plate in the inning, and six runs scored on five hits. The Hillcats had only one extra-base hit in the inning, a double from Simmons, but when the dust cleared, the Hillcats led 12-0.
Caleb Brewer had a fantastic outing in his second start with the Hillcats. Brewer (1-0) pitched eight shutout innings, giving up just three hits. Mark Lamm came into the ninth inning and gave up a run, but the Hillcats won 12-1.
The 12 runs tied for the most scored by the Hillcats this season, and the 11-run margin of victory also tied for the season high. The Hillcats improved to 25-31 in the second half, and with a loss by Potomac, are only five games behind Potomac for the second-half playoff spot. Frederick fell to 34-22.
The Hillcats have an off-day Monday night before going out on the road for a six-game road trip. The first game will be played in Myrtle Beach at 7:05 pm Tuesday night.
Keys snap Lynchburg streak
The Hillcats gave up three home runs and were unable to take full advantage of four Keys errors to fall to Frederick 10-6 on Sunday night.
Frederick struck first in the top of the third. Andrelton Simmons committed an error that allowed Justin Dalles to score and Jonathan Schoop to reach first. Later in the inning,k Schoop scored on an RBI single by Manny Machado to give the Keys an early 2-0 lead.
The Keys broke the game open in the fourth. With two outs, five straight batters reached base, capped off by a three-run home run by Jonathan Schoop. Five runs scored on four hits in the inning, and the Keys led 7-0.
The Hillcats tried to claw their way back in the bottom of the inning. With one out, Joey Terdoslavich was hit on the foot by a pitch from Nick Haughian. He had started to swing, but according to the umpires, he was able to hold up. This brought out an outraged Orlando Gomez from the Keys dugout, and he was ejected by home plate umpire Aaron Roberts. Joe Leonard singled, and Shawn McGill walked to load the bases. Marcus Lemon fought to a full count and then drew a walk, scoring the first run of the game for the Hillcats. Geraldo Rodriguez struck out, and then Keenan Wiley hit a grounder to second baseman Jonathan Schoop. Schoop bobbled the ball, every runner advanced safely and Leonard came in to score. With Todd Cunningham at the plate, Haughian threw a breaking pitch that got past catcher Justin Dalles, allowing McGill to score from third. Cunningham grounded out, but the lead shrank to 7-3.
The Keys got some of those runs back quickly in the top of the fifth. After Kipp Schutz led off with a walk, Michael Flacco hit a titanic shot to left for a two-run home run, extending the lead to 9-3.
Lynchburg got one back in the bottom of the fifth. Barrett Kleinknecht swung at a pitch and caught a piece of Dalles’s glove, giving him first on catcher’s interference with one out. Terdoslavich singled, but back-to-back singles by Leonard and McGill drove in Kleinknecht to make the score 9-4.
The Hillcats took advantage of another Keys error to cut the lead even further in the sixth. Todd Cunningham was standing on second with two outs. Andrelton Simmons hit a grounder to Dale Mollenhauer at third. He made a low throw to first that Flacco couldn’t pick out of the dirt. Cunningham scored to make it 9-5 and Simmons ended up on second. It was the fourth error of the game for the Keys, and the tenth error of the series.
The two teams exchanged home runs in the eighth inning. Bobby Stevens hit his second home run in as many nights to lead off the eighth. In the bottom half of the inning, Geraldo Rodriguez hit his ninth home run of the season to make it 10-6, and despite the Hillcats threatening in the ninth, that was the final score as the Hillcats saw their four-game winning streak end.
Chris Petrini (2-1) earned the win for the Keys, pitching the fifth and sixth innings without giving up an earned run. Ashur Tolliver pitched the last three innings of the game to earn the save, his first with the Keys. David Hale (3-6) gave up nine runs, eight earned in four and one-third innings to take the loss.
The Hillcats dropped to 24-31, and the Keys improved to 34-21.
The Keys and Hillcats finish their four-game series Sunday night at City Stadium. Caleb Brewer (0-0) will pitch for the Hillcats and Lefty Nathan Moreau (11-9) will pitch for the Keys. First pitch is at 6:05 pm and the gates will open at 5.
The Hillcats On-Deck Show presented by Honda/Suzuki of Lynchburg will go on the air at 5:40 pm. Tune in to 105.5 KD Country or go to lynchburg-hillcats.com to listen live to all the action.
Lynchburg cruises over Keys
The Hillcats led right from the start Wednesday night after scoring one in the top of the first inning. Joey Terdoslavich and Phil Gosselin once again led the offensive attack, combining for five RBI and two runs scored on the night. Chris Masters hardly needed the great support as he allowed just one run in six innings and the Hillcats went on to win 7-1.
Todd Cunningham kick started the Hillcats offense in the top of the first inning with a lead off double. A groundout moved Cunningham to third and a sacrifice fly from Phil Gosselin brought Cunningham home to put the Hillcats up 1-0 in the first.
Joey Terdoslavich extended his current six-game hitting streak in the fourth inning when he blasted his 15th home run of the season out to left field. The two-run shot gave Lynchburg a 3-0 lead.
Meanwhile, Masters was dealing on the mound. He held the Keys scoreless through the first five innings on just two hits. Then in the sixth, Manny Machado singled to left field to lead off the inning. Barrett Kleinknecht upon receiving the throw from the outfield attempted a back pick at first, but threw the ball into the first base dugout. Machado was awarded two bases on the error. One pitch later Machado would score on a sacrifice fly to left. Brian ward doubled later in the inning and the run would end up being earned but no more runs would score.
The Hillcats added two more runs in the eighth. With runners at second and third and nobody out, Gosselin and Terdoslavich hit back-to-back sacrifice flies to score Cunningham and Andrelton Simmons.
In the ninth, L.V. Ware doubled home Christian Bethancourt and Keenan Wiley and the Hillcats took a 7-1 advantage. That would be the final after a scoreless ninth inning of relief from LHP Ryan Buchter.
Masters (7-5) earned the win, allowing just one earned run on four hits through six innings. Nick Haughian (8-5) suffered the loss after seven plus innings, giving up five runs, three earned, on seven hits.
The Hillcats are now 14-24 in the second half, still 11.0 game s back of the Frederick Keys who are now 25-13 since the All-Star break.
With the series tied at 1-1, the rubber match is set for 7:00 pm at Harry Grove Stadium tomorrow night. RHP Gary Moran (0-0) will make his debut start for the HIllcats against RHP Jacob Pettit for the Keys. Listen live to all the action starting with the Hillcats On-Deck Show powered by Honda/Suzuki of Lynchburg on 105.5 KD Country and online at lynchburg-hillcats.com.
Errors, late homer costly for Lynchburg
The Hillcats out hit the Keys tonight 9-8 but committed three errors while Frederick played mistake free and fell 7-4. A late home run for Aaron Baker in his Keys debut put Frederick up for good 6-4 in the seventh.
The initial lead belonged to Lynchburg in the fourth. Joey Terdoslavich launched his 41st double of the season off the centerfield wall scoring Phil Gosselin from first. Terdoslavich would later score on a sacrifice fly hit by Christian Bethancourt and the Hillcats led 2-0.
Then while the Hillcats took the field in the bottom of the first, the infield sprinklers turned on trapping starting pitcher Blaine Sims on the mound and causing his infield to scatter. After that, things started to go the way of the Keys.
With the bases loaded and two outs, and one run already in, Kipp Schutz hit a ground ball to Andrelton Simmons at shortstop. Simmons bobbled the ball, and then threw to first while falling over. His throw came up short and went past Terdoslavich at first base. Two runs would score on the play and Simmons was charged with both a fielding and a throwing error. Frederick led 3-2.
Another error hurt the ‘Cats in the fifth. Sims walked the lead off man Dale Mollenhauer. Then an errant pick-off attempt sent Mollenhauer to third. Manny Machodo would single him home two batters later after a shallow fly to right field. The next two batters flew out as well and the run went unearned.
The Hillcats tied the game up with two runs in the sixth. Gosselin and Terdoslavich led the charge once again. Gosselin singled in front of yet another Terdoslavich double. Keys’ starter Ryohei Tanake was then relieved by lefty Will Startup. His first pitch went in the dirt past the catcher and Gosselin came in to score. Then, Joe Leonard hit a sacrifice fly to right field to bring home Terdoslavich and the game was tied 4-4.
Baker spoiled the Hillcats night with a two-run homer in the seventh, his 16th of the season and first as a Key. Baker was just acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates in a trade for Baltimore Orioles first baseman Derrek Lee.
Frederick added another run in the eighth to go up 7-4 heading into the ninth.
Closer Sean Gleason entered the game and retired the side in order to record his league leading 31st save of the season.
Kenny Moreland (2-0) earned the win in relief tossing one and one-third scoreless, finishing the seventh and eight innings. Mark Lamm (1-1) took the loss for Lynchburg after surrendering three earned runs in the seventh and eighth innings.
The Hillcats fell to 13-24 in the second half and remain in fourth place in the Carolina League Northern Division.
Frederick will host the ‘Cats again tomorrow night at 7:00 pm. LHP Chris Masters (6-5) will start for the Hillcats against LHP Nick Haughian (8-4) for the Keys. Listen live to all the action starting with the Hillcats On-Deck Show powered by Honda/Suzuki of Lynchburg on 105.5 KD Country and online at lynchburg-hillcats.com.
Rosenbaum pitches P-Nats to win
After yielding two runs on three hits in the first inning on Sunday, Danny Rosenbaum delivered one of the dominant performances of the 2011 season. The lefthander allowed no more hits in seven more innings, struck out a career high 11 and led the Nationals to a 5-2 victory over the Frederick Keys in the series finale at Pfitzner Stadium.
Rosenbaum (6-5) retired 22 of the last 25 hitters he faced; a walk, hit batter and an error were the only base runners he allowed. In the first inning, however, it did not look like this would be one of Rosenbaum’s finer days.
Steve Bumbry led off the game with a triple and scored on Jonathan Schoop’s single. Schoop stole second base before Manny Machado struck out, and scored on Miguel Abreu’s one out single. That would be the last hit for the Keys until the ninth inning, by which point Rosenbaum’s day was done.
After Rosenbaum retired the Keys in order in the top of the second inning, Potomac took back the lead in the bottom half. After Steven Souza’s one-out single, Sandy Leon hit his third home run of the year, a blast to left field that tied the game. J.R. Higley then singled, and started a tailspin for Keys’ starter Nathan Moreau (10-8). Moreau walked Cutter Dykstra, hit Eury Perez and walked Francisco Soriano to push the Nationals ahead, 3-2.
Rosenbaum then faced three more than the minimum over the next six innings. The Nats (50-55) padded their lead with single runs in the seventh and eighth frames.
In the seventh, Leon struck again. With one out and Destin Hood at second, Leon hit a ground ball that made it 4-2. In the next inning, Hood singled home Jose Lozada, who had hit an automatic double over the wall in the left.
Hector Nelo retired the Keys in the ninth for his 14th save.
After an off day, the Nationals hit the road for a six-game series in Salem and Myrtle Beach. Tuesday night, Sammy Solis takes the mound at 7 P.M. in Salem.
P-Nats shut out by Keys
A four-run first inning doomed the Potomac Nationals on Friday night against their division rivals Frederick Keys, and they were shut out 4-0.
The P-Nats starting pitcher Cameron Selik has struggled in the first inning all season long, and Friday night was no different. Just three pitches into his 13th start, Frederick’s leadoff hitter Steve Bumbry launched his sixth home run of the season.
Selik’s troubles continued when the Keys loaded the bases on back-to-back singles and a walk. The next batter, Miguel Abreu, smashed a first-pitch fastball deep to centerfield that fell just short of the wall and bounced up and over for a 2-run automatic double that increased the Keys’ lead to 3-0. They tacked on another run on a Brian Ward sacrifice fly and led 4-0 after half an inning.
Selik settled in after the first, though, and he retired 17 of the last 18 batters he faced, including four strikeouts. He exited the game after 6 innings; he allowed four runs, a walk and struck out four.
Selik’s counterpart, Bobby Bundy, came in to Friday night tied for the league lead with 10 wins. He lived up to the hype and dominated the Nationals, who failed to get a runner to second base in his seven innings. Bundy allowed just three hits, walked one and struck out three; he needed just 80 pitches to get 21 outs.
Shortly after Bundy left the game, Potomac showed a bit of life in the 8th, thanks to a one-out automatic double by J.R. Higley. Keys reliever Will Startup retired the next two hitters, Higley was stranded at second, and the score remained 4-0.
The P-Nats opened the ninth with a bunt single by Eury Perez. But Startup retired the next three hitters to close out the 4-0 victory.
Bundy (11-6) was credited with the win and is now in sole possession of the league lead in wins. Selik (4-7) was given the loss in the contest.
Game Two of the three-game series against the Keys is set for Saturday at 6:35. Potomac will send Adam Olbrychowski (3-5) to the hill against Frederick’s Nathan Moreau (10-7).
Salem suffers come-from-ahead defeat
Despite being no-hit through five innings, the Keys pitching staff kept their team in the game, which proved invaluable in a 3-2 come-from-behind Frederick victory over Salem on Thursday afternoon at Harry Grove Stadium. Miguel Abreu’s two-out, two-strike RBI double in the last of the eighth provided the difference for the Keys, who wrapped up the season series against Salem with 15 wins and just five losses.
The Keys offense did not muster a hit off Salem starter Ryan Pressly in the first five frames, unable to take advantage of four walks from the righthander, including three straight to start the game. The Texas native picked off Steve Bumbry, and got a groundout and a strikeout to wiggle his way out of the jam.
Pressly exited after 82 pitches in five innings, giving way to Pete Ruiz, who immediately yielded a leadoff single to Bumbry in the bottom of the sixth.
An inning later, Michael Flacco smashed his first Carolina League home run, a two-run shot with one out, tying the game at two apiece. In the eighth, Ruiz retired Jonathan Schoop and Manny Machado, but gave up a two-out single to Jacob Julius before allowing the game-winning double down the right field line to Abreu.
Salem got on the board in the fourth against Frederick starter Nick Haughian. With runners on the corner and two outs, Vladimir Frias and Shannon Wilkerson smacked back-to-back RBI singles to give the Sox a 2-0 lead. Salem left both Frias and Wilkerson on base, however, as Derrik Gibson struck out to end the threat.
From there on, though, Haughian, Justin Moore, and Sean Gleason retired 15 of the final 17 Salem hitters, including 10 straight to end the game. Moore picked up the win, tossing three scoreless frames, while Gleason picked up his league-leading 30th save of the season with a perfect ninth.
Offensively, Miles Head was the lone Red Sock to notch multiple hits, going 2-for-4 with two singles. Kolbrin Vitek extended his hitting streak to nine games with a fifth-inning single.
Finished with Frederick for the season, Salem’s attention now turns to the final series of the year with Lynchburg. The 460 rivals will play the first of three on Friday night at City Stadium at 7:05 PM. Stolmy Pimtentel gets the ball for the Sox against Hillcats’ southpaw Chris Masters.
Salem wins nailbiter
After struggling to find a big hit in the first two games of the series, the Red Sox received two clutch base knocks that proved to be the difference in a 2-1 victory over the Keys at Harry Grove Stadium on Wednesday. Peter Hissey’s RBI double tied things up in the sixth, setting the stage for Dan Butler’s two-out single that give the Red Sox the lead in the ninth.
Tied at one in the ninth, Kolbrin Vitek extended his hitting streak to eight games by lacing a one-out double down the right field line. With two outs and two strikes, Butler poked a single through the right side for his team-leading 62nd RBI of the season, scoring Vitek and giving the Red Sox their first lead of the game.salemsox.com and milb.com. The action will also be heard in the Roanoke Valley on tape delay on WFIR 960 AM at 5 PM.
Kendal Volz entered in the bottom of the ninth to slam the door on the Keys, striking out Steve Bumbry to end the contest. Volz’ 1-2-3 performance backed up Jeremiah Bayer’s phenomenal effort out of the bullpen in support of starter Chris Hernandez. Bayer emerged to get the final out in the fifth before setting down 10 of the next 12 he faced en route to picking up his sixth win of the season.
Hernandez labored through four and two-thirds frames, scattering six hits while striking out four and walking four. The lefty tossed 89 pitches in his outing, working around a bases loaded, nobody out jam in the first. Hernandez gave up his lone run on an RBI double by Dale Mollenhauer in the last of the fourth.
The Sox offense had mustered just one hit off Frederick starter Ryohei Tanaka through the first five frames before Zach Gentile gave Salem some life with a one-out single in the top of the sixth. After a groundout, Hissey strode to the plate and hammered a two-out RBI double down the right field line, tying the game at one.
The base knock was just Salem’s second hit with runners in scoring position in the series. Butler’s single in the ninth provided the Sox with their third knock in such situations.
The Red Sox look for a split of the four-game series in a 12 PM matinee on Thursday. Ryan Pressly will start for Salem against Frederick’s Nick Haughian.
