P-Nats clinch second half
The Potomac Nationals used a six-run eighth inning to defeat the Kinston Indians 8-4 and secure a tie for the second half title in the Carolina League’s Northern Division in Monday’s regular season finale. The Nationals wrapped up the second half with a 39-31 record and will face the Frederick Keys in the Divisional Playoffs beginning Wednesday at Harry Grove Stadium.
Season finales will often feature some bizarre sights, and the Labor Day contest at Pfitzner Stadium was no different. Relief pitcher Cody Allen drove in the go-ahead run in the sixth inning with his first professional hit and scored later in the inning to put Kinston ahead 4-2.
But a key error by Jose Flores – making his first appearance since returning from the disabled list – in the eighth inning led to six unearned Potomac runs that put the game away. After a leadoff double by Cutter Dykstra, Flores walked Francisco Soriano. Jeff Kobernus then sacrificed back to the mound; Flores bobbled, Kobernus was safe and the Nationals were in business. Destin Hood then hit a bullet to third that was caught by Adam Abraham, who doubled off Dykstra at third. Without the error, the inning would have been over.
But five straight hits, including three two-out doubles, plated six runs for Potomac and set the table for the series-salvaging win.
Kinston took a brief lead in the first inning. Bo Greenwell and Abraham singled with one out, and Jeremie Tice scored Greenwell with a sacrifice fly to right.
The Nats took the lead back in their half of the first. Brian Peaock’s single scored Jeff Kobernus, who had singled and stolen his 53rd base. Peacock then stole second base, and Roberto Perez’s throw sailed into center field to score Hood and put Potomac ahead.
Casey Frawley was removed from the game in the second inning. Abraham – the designated hitter – was moved to third, Tyler Cannon took over at second, and the Indians forfeited their D.H. spot.
Allen came on in relief of Mike Rayl in the fourth inning and overpowered Potomac on the mound. In three runs he allowed just one hit – and then did some damage with the bat. In the sixth, Tice doubled with one and moved to third on Cannon’s single.
Allen then came to the plate with two on and one out. Tice scored on a wild pitch to tie the game, and Allen’s single to center past a drawn-in infield pushed Kinston ahead. They held the lead until the fateful eighth.
Hector Nelo got the final three outs of the game to close down the regular season in front of 2,209 hearty fans at Pfitzner Stadium, who withstood sporadic drizzle throughout the ballgame.
On Wednesday, the P-Nats begin their quest to repeat as Mills Cup Champions in Frederick. Game One at Harry Grove Stadium begins at 7:05 P.M. The pregame show for the broadcast can be heard beginning at 6:20.
Back-to-back jacks win it for ‘Cats
In a pitchers duel, sometimes it comes down to a couple of hits in the game. For the Hillcats, the couple of hits came in the seventh inning, as Barrett Kleinknecht and Geraldo Rodriguez hit back-to-back home runs to lead Lynchburg to a 3-2 win over the Kinston Indians Sunday night.
The Hillcats took the lead in the bottom of the second. Barrett Kleinknecht led off the inning with a double. Two batters later, Marcus Lemon laced a double down the left field line, scoring Kleinknecht and giving the Hillcats an early 1-0 lead.
The Indians only managed two hits against against Hillcats starter Gary Moran, but made them count, with both coming in the top of the third. Delvi Cid started it off with a bouncer to the hole between short and third. Andrelton Simmons was able to field it deep in the hole, but had no play to first, so Cid reached with an infield single. He stole second, and Tyler Holt dropped a bunt down the third base line. He just beat the throw to first from Joe Leonard, and with two infield hits, runners were at the corners with no outs. Jordan Casas grounded into a 4-6-3 double play, but Cid scored to tie the game at one.
Jeremy Haynes entered the game in the seventh inning and ran into some trouble, he gave up a hit and walked two batters before a sacrifice fly before Doug Pickens hit a sacrifice fly to center to break the tie and put Kinston ahead 2-1. Haynes (2-1) was able to get out of the inning without any more damage.
Kinston went to the bullpen as well in the seventh inning. After Francisco Jimenez allowed just four hits, he left and Kyle Landis (8-2) entered the game. The leadoff batter, Kleinknecht, hit a shot to left that cleared the wall for his second home run in as many nights. Right after him, Geraldo Rodriguez hit a line drive that just hooked inside the foul pole for back-to-back home runs and gave the Hillcats the 3-2 lead.
Andrew Wilson worked a perfect eighth in his return to Lynchburg and Eliecer Cardenas pitched a perfect ninth to earn his seventh save of the year.
The Hillcats improved to 28-33. The Indians fell to 32-29.
Lynchburg continues their season-ending homestand on Tuesday as the Potomac Nationals come into town for a four-game series. Chris Masters (9-5) will take the mound for the Hillcats and face Evan Bronson (5-4) for the Nationals. First pitch is at 7:05 pm and gates will open at 6.
The Hillcats On-Deck Show presented by Honda/Suzuki of Lynchburg will go on the air at 6:40 pm. Tune in to 105.5 KD Country or go to lynchburg-hillcats.com to listen live to all the action.
‘Cats unable to weather storm
After Hurricane Irenetore through North Carolina, the series between Indians and Hillcatswas moved to Lynchburg. In the first game on Sunday night Kinston won 9-2 over Lynchburg.
Hillcats pitcher Caleb Brewer had a rough start to the game. He walked the first three batters he faced, then gave up a grand slam to Jeremie Tice. He walked two more batters in the inning, but was able to get out of the inning with Kinston leading 4-0.
Barrett Kleinknecht stepped up to the plate with two outs in the bottom of the second. He swung on the first pitch he saw, launching it over the left field wall for a solo home run to cut the lead to 4-1.
Over the next three innings, the Indians score four unanswered, all off of singles. One run scored in each of the third and fourth, and then Adam Abraham hit a two-run single in the fifth to put the Indians up 8-1.
The Hillcats got one back in the bottom of the eighth. With Todd Cunningham on first base, Christian Bethancourt doubled to center, scoring Cunningham and making the score 8-2.
Kinston scored one more in the ninth, to give the Indians a 9-2 victory over Lynchburg.
Brewer (1-1) took the loss, only pitching two and two-thirds innings and giving up five runs. The winning pitcher was Clayton Cook (8-8).
The Hillcats fell to 27-33 in the second half. The Indians improved to 32-28.
The final game this season between the Hillcats and Indians will be played Monday at 5:00 pm at CityStadium. Gary Moran (1-1) will pitch for the Hillcats and Francisco Jimenez (3-3) will take the mound for the Indians. Gates will open at 4 pm and admission will be free for all fans.
The Hillcats On-Deck Show presented byHonda/Suzuki of Lynchburg will go on the air at 4:40 pm. Tune in to105.5 KD Country or go to lynchburg-hillcats.comto listen live to all the action.
P-Nats win wacky one in Kinston
With two outs and Sandy Leon at second base in the top of the 11th inning on Tuesday night in Kinston, Francisco hit a harmless popup behind the pitchers’ mound. The Indians’ entire infield converged on the ball but let it fall to the grass, allowing Leon to score the eventual winning run in a Nationals 6-3 win at Grainger Stadium. It wwas just their third win in nine tries at the venerable ballpark. The good fortune helped erase what would have been another discouraging defeat at the home of the Indians, in which the P-Nats will play their final game ever on Wednesday night.
Potomac was two outs from victory in the ninth. With a 3-1 lead, Hector Nelo allowed consecutive singles to Tyler Cannon and Casey Frawley. Jeremie Tice then pinch hit for Justin Toole and delivered with a single to left field that pulled the Indians within a run. With runners at second and third and one out, Roberto Perez hit a ball to shortstop. It scored Frawley, but Zach Walters threw out Tice at third for the second out. Nelo got Argenis Martinez to ground out to send the game to extra innings.
The Nationals, who entered the game one for their previous 30 with runners in scoring position, broke through with four hits in clutch spots. Only two of them were conventional. Eury Perez got the Nats on the board with a two-out single in the fifth, after Jose Lozada doubled. Francisco Soriano then reached on an error by Clayton Cook to put runners at the corners. Jeff Kobernus then laid down the first of his two RBI safety squeeze bunts to make it 2-0 Potomac.
A pair of walks by Nats starter Erik Davis proved costly and led to the only damage done against him. Jordan Casas scored Perez to pull the Tribe within a run.
Kobernus’s second safety squeeze in the seventh scored Eury Perez and made it 3-1 Nats.
After Soriano’s popup fell safely in the 11th, Kobernus continued the Nationals’ good fortune. He hit a blooper just inside the right field line off the glove of Martinez that scored Soriano. Destin Hood then hit a double to the wall in left to score Kobernus and push Potomac ahead 6-3.
Josh Smoker pitched a pair of scoreless innings to earn his fifth win and level the three-game series. The clubs play the rubber match Wednesday at 6:30 P.M. Evan Bronson takes the mound for Potomac.
P-Nats K 18 times in loss to Kinston
The Potomac Nationals’ trouble making contact with runners in scoring position continued on Monday night in Kinston, as the Nationals went 0-for 11 with men at second or third in a 2-0 loss to the Indians. Potomac was struck out 18 times, including seven punchouts in clutch situations. Kinston, meantime, had just four chances with runners in scoring position, but the Indians got a pair of consecutive two-out singles in the third inning to score the game’s only runs.
Potomac had a bevy of chances early against Kinston starter Mike Rayl. The Nationals had a runner at second or third base with fewer than two outs in each of the first three innings – and failed to score.
In the first, Potomac got a one-out double from Jose Lozada. But a pair of strikeouts got Rayl out of trouble. Rayl, who tied a career high with 11 strikeouts, got more punchouts to escape another jam in the second. After Steven Souza walked to open the inning, Sandy Leon singled to right field. Cutter Dykstra then hit a ball right back to Rayl, who bobbled and could only make the throw to first. But Sean Nicol and Eury Perez fanned to end the threat.
The third inning was a frustrating microcosm of the last three games for Potomac. Potomac – who was 1-for-19 with me in scoring position in the final two games against Myrtle Beach – loaded the bases with no outs. Brian Peacock struck out for the inning’s first out. Then, ahead with a 2-0 count, Souza popped out in foul ground to first base. Francisco Soriano inexplicably tried to tag up from third base and was out by ten feet to end the inning.
From that point on, the Nationals got individual hits in every inning except the fourth and ninth. Their best chance came in the eighth, when they chased Toru Murata – who relieved Rayl and struck out five Nationals – with a one-out single by Brian Peacock. Souza then doubled to right field to put two more in scoring position. Preston Guilmet, the Indians closer, came on to face Sandy Leon. Leon hit a sharp line drive to right field that was caught by Doug Pickens to end the inning.
Nationals starter Adam Olbrychowski walked his third batter with one out in the third inning, and a wild pitch moved Argenis Martinez to second. Justin Toole grounded out to third for the second out, but consecutive RBI singles by Jordan Casas and Adam Abraham did all the damage the Indians would need.
Guilmet retired the Nats in order in the ninth for his 31st save.
Potomac and Kinston resume the series Tuesday evening at Grainger Stadium. Erik Davis will make his third start for the Nationals at 6:30 P.M.
Salem rolls in finale
Stolmy Pimentel continued his resurgence with six dominant innings, setting the tone to Salem’s 10-3 win on Sunday afternoon at LewisGale Field, halting the Red Sox losing streak at four games. Pimentel allowed just one hit, a third-inning bloop single by Doug Pickens, in his near flawless performance, while the Sox sticks supported him with 10 runs on 14 hits. Over his last five starts, Pimentel has permitted just three earned runs in 24 innings, an ERA of 1.13 for the 21-year old Dominican righthander.
Every member of the Red Sox lineup mustered at least one hit, and Salem wasted little time assuming an early advantage. After Kinston starter T.J. House walked Derrik Gibson on five pitches to begin the bottom of the first, Heiker Meneses tripled into the right-center field gap, bringing Gibson across to surge on top 1-0. Meneses scored easily on Jorge Padron’s ground-out to second, and the Sox held a 2-0 edge after one.
The lead increased thanks to David Mailman’s two-out RBI double in the second, driving in Josue Peley from second base. Up 3-0, the Red Sox had multiple baserunners in the third, fourth, and fifth, but could not score again against House, who left after surrendering three runs on eight hits and four walks over five frames.
While House wiggled his way out of jams, Pimentel avoided them completely. He retired the final 11 men he faced in his virtuoso performance, in which no Indian reached second base. Pimentel struck out five, including the final man he faced to complete his six shutout innings on the mound. The win improved him to 3-3 with Salem and shrunk his ERA to 3.81.
After Pimentel finished the top of the sixth, the Sox offense broke it open. Salem scored four times on two hits and three walks against Indians reliever Trey Haley, with Miles Head and Shannon Wilkerson each connecting for RBI singles that helped the Sox capitalize on Haley’s erraticness. With a 7-0 lead, Salem’s quest for a shutout was abruptly halted in the top of the seventh when the K-Tribe plated a pair against reliever Tom Ebert. But Salem added one more in the seventh and two more in the eighth, surging to a 10-2 lead into the ninth. And unlike Saturday night, Casey Frawley’s ninth-inning solo homer did little more that narrowly alter the final tally.
Salem was led offensively by Wilkerson, who recorded a team-high three hits. Meneses finished 2-2 with two walks and a sac fly, while Peley went 2-3 with a walk and a sac fly. Meneses has hit in all six games since joining Salem, while Peley extended his hitting streak to seven games. Bryce Brentz also contributed a multi-hit performance, singling and scoring twice from the cleanup spot. The Red Sox have pounded double-digit hits in five of the last six games, despite managing just a 2-4 record in that stretch.
With Kinston leaving town, the Sox welcome Myrtle Beach to the Roanoke Valley for the next three nights. Ryan Pressly is set to start the Monday night opener against Myrtle, while the Pelicans will counter with Chad Bell. First pitch is slated for 7:05.
Salem blows late lead, loses in extras
After twice being down to their final strike in the top of the ninth, the Indians rallied from four runs down to send the game into extras, prevailing 9-7 in 13 innings over the Red Sox on Saturday night at LewisGale Field. Casey Frawley’s pinch-hit double off Will Latimer plated two to even the score at seven, and the Sox squandered a glorious opportunity in the last of the ninth, losing a runner at home and then coming up empty with the bases loaded and one out. Kinston managed just one baserunner in the first three extra innings, but loaded the bases in the 13th, and Jesus Aguilar crossed on a wild pitch to give the K-Tribe their first lead of the night. Moments later, Roberto Perez’ sac fly made it 9-7, and the Sox stranded a pair, two of their season-high 14 left on base, in the last of the 13th inning.
The improbable comeback prevented Salem starter Chris Hernandez from earning his 11th victory. The Sox southpaw permitted an unearned run in the first, then held the Indians scoreless until Jeremie Tice clobbered a two-run homer in the seventh. But even after the dinger, Hernandez departed following six and a third excellent innings, surrendering just three runs (two earned), leaving with a 7-3 lead. The Salem bullpen could not hang on, however, as Michael Gleason was charged with three runs, Will Latimer allowed the game-tying double and was charged with one run, and newcomer T.J Hose took the loss, giving up the game-winning runs in the 13th, his second inning of work in his Red Sox debut.
The remarkable turnaround for the K-Tribe also muddied a worthy offensive performance for the Red Sox, who matched a season-high with 17 hits. Salem scored all seven of their runs in the first four innings, though, managing nothing over the final nine frames against a quintet of Kinston relievers. Toru Murata, Preston Guilmet, Jose Flores, and Kyle Landis each tossed two scoreless innings, with Landis earning the victory to improve his perfect record to 8-0.
Bryce Brentz and Miles Head delivered back-to-back homers for the Red Sox in a four-run first inning against Indians starter Marty Popham, in which six straight Salem batters recorded hits to begin the game. Popham lasted just two and a third, chased after another run crossed in the bottom of the third to give Salem a 5-1 lead. Nick Sarainades replaced Popham and the Sox bashed him for two more runs in the last of the fourth to obtain the 7-1 edge. But Sarainades dealt a scoreless fifth, starting a trend of shutdown innings for the Kinston pen.
Brentz finished 4-7 with three RBI, while Head and Peter Hissey each registered three-hit nights for the Red Sox. Four Indians managed two hit-games, including Frawley, who doubled as a pinch-hitter in the ninth and again in the 12th. Perez went 1-5 for Kinston, but led the Tribe with three RBI.
The 13-inning marathon matched Salem’s longest contest in terms of innings, equaling the July 16 loss to Myrtle Beach. The evening lasted four hours and 28 minutes from first pitch to final out, becoming Salem’s longest game of the season.
The Sox and Indians meet for the final time on Sunday afternoon at 4:05, with Ryan Pressly scheduled to face T.J. House in the series finale.
