P-Nats salvage finale
The Potomac Nationals supported a solid start from Cameron Selik with six runs on eleven hits on Sunday night in Winston-Salem to salvage the series finale 6-3. Jeff Kobernus and Destin Hood contributed three hits apiece, Steven Souza drove in a pair of runs and a pair of bullpen arms shut down the Dash to close down the victory.
For the first time in the series, the Nationals took a lead in the first inning. Francisco Soriano doubled to left field to open the game; Kobernus then singled before Hood walked to load the bases. After Dash starter Santos Rodriguez struck out Brian Peacock, Souza hit a sacrifice fly to center to put Potomac ahead 1-0. Rodriguez escaped further damage and the Nats stranded a pair.
Seilik allowed two-out doubles in each of the first two innings, but worked around them both to set an early tone. Rodriguez, meanwhile, had to leave the ballgame in the second inning with an apparent arm injury. Stephen Sauer held Potomac off the scoreboard for an inning and two thirds.
Potomac doubled their lead in the fourth when Jose Lozada hit a home run to right field – it was his second homer of the season and welcomed J.R. Ballinger, the third Dash pitcher, to the game.
Dash catcher Kevin Dubler shone throughout the middle innings to keep Winston-Salem within striking distance. In the third, he threw behind Souza at first base to pick him off and end the inning – and he did it again to end the fourth, nailing Soriano.
In the fifth the Nats doubled their lead, and Kobernus and Hood were the spark plugs. After Kobernus singled, he stole second and scored on Hood’s single to left. Souza then doubled to left field to score Hood and push Potomac ahead 4-0.
Dubler’s one-out walk in the bottom of the fifth sparked the only offense of the evening for Winston. Austin Yount then singled to left before Dan Wagner grounded out. With two outs, Tyler Saladino continued his mastery of Potomac with a two-run single that made it 4-2. Saladino has five of his 14 home runs in 2011 against the Nationals and 14 of his 35 RBI against Potomac.
Splendid defense kept it a 4-2 game. In the seventh inning, Potomac put runners at the corners with one out. Souza hit a fly ball to right field, and Kobernus tagged from third. Juan Silverio fired a bullet home and Dubler lunged to the plate to tag out the Nats’ second baseman.
In the bottom half of the inning, Yount doubled with one out. After Wagner grounded out, Saladino again came to the plate. He hit a hard grounder over the third base bag. Lozada made a headlong dive, sprung to his feet and gunned out Saladino to preserve the two-run edge.
Joe Testa relieved Selik in the sixth and got two quick outs, then retired the Dash in the seventh. In the eighth, he allowed a one-out walk to Andy Wilkins. Hector Nelo was brought on, and his wild pitch moved Wilkins to third. Ian Gac hit a sacrifice fly to right field that trimmed the lead to one at 4-3.
The Nationals benefited from three Winston-Salem errors in the top of the ninth and plated two unearned runs that made it 6-3. Nelo then worked around a one-out walk to earn his 13th save.
Potomac heads to Wilmington and opens a four-game set on Monday night. Adam Olbrychowski takes the mound against Michael Mariot at 7 P.M.
P-Nats rally falls short at Winston-Salem
The Potomac Nationals scored six unanswered runs to nearly overcome a 9-2 deficit, but their rally stalled one run short in a 9-8 defeat Saturday night in Winston-Salem. The Nationals blasted four home runs and had more than twice as many hits as the Dash in the ballgame, but three decisive hits were the Key for Winston-Salem in the victory that locked up a series win at BB&T Ballpark.
Both starting pitchers – Paul Demny for the Nationals and Joe Serafin for the Dash – got rocked. Demny lasted just four innings, allowing nine runs on five hits, two of which were massive home runs. Serafin, meanwhile, was staked to a 9-2 lead by the 4th inning but could not make it out of the sixth. He allowed seven earned runs on nine hits (including four homers), walked two and struck out none.
Three hits proved the difference in the game for Winston-Salem. In the first inning, Juan Silerio’s one-out, bases-loaded triple pushed the Dash in front 4-0. They had scored their first run on Ian Gac’s double to left field . Silverio scored on Nick Ciolli’s sacrifice fly one pitch later and Winston was ahead 5-0 after the first.
In the third, Gac hit a mammoth two-run home run to center field that made it 7-1. Potomac had nabbed a run back in the top of the inning when Jeff Kobernus hit a home run to left field.
After the Nationals got a run in the top of the fourth on Cutter Dykstra’s RBI single to right field – which was the Nats’ third straight two-out single – Winston got what would proved to be the winning hit in the bottom half. With one out and Dan Wagner at first, Tyler Saladino hit a bomb to left that gave Winston-Salem a 9-2 edge. It was Saladino’s 14th homer of the season, 5 of which have come against Potomac.
From then on, the Nationals began to chip away – and used the big fly to do it. In the fifth, Kobernus hit another deep blast to left field that trimmed the lead to five. Destin Hood then rocked the next pitch nearly out of the stadium in left field to make it 9-5.
Steven Souza led off the sixth inning with a home run to right-center, his first homer since May 24. Souza had two hits earlier in the game, and was retired just once in five trips to the plate.
After Cutter Dykstra walked, Serafin was lifted from the game. Eury Perez singled on a chopper over the mound to put runners at first and second with no outs. Francisco Soriano sacrificed them into scoring position, and Dykstra scored on a wild pitch by Orlando Santos, who had relieved Serafin. After Santos walked Kobernus, he struck out hood to end the threat and keep the Dash ahead 9-7.
Things got interesting in the seventh inning. Santos threw behind the head of Souza and was immediately ejected by home plate umpire Matt Jones. Jones had not issued a warning in the fourth when Demny threw behind Mitchell just one pitch after Saladino’s home run. Dash manager Julio Vinas was incensed, argued vehemently and was ejected.
Potomac drew within a run in the eighth. Dykstra and Perez singled to open the inning and put runners at the corners. Soriano then bunted beautilly down the first base side to score Dykstra and move Perez to second. But Ryan Kussmaul – brought on when Santos was ejected – struck out Kobernus and got Hood to ground out to end the threat. On the night, the Nationals were just 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left nine men on base.
The Nats rallied again with two outs in the ninth. Sandy Leon singled to center and Souza walked, but Taylor Thompson got a groundout from Dykstra and earned his tenth save.
Potomac looks to snap a three-game slide and salvage the series finale on Sunday at 5 P.M. Cameron Selik takes the mound for the Nationals against Santos Rodriguez.
P-Nats hammered in opener with Dash
Friday night’s game in Winston-Salem was a study in opposites. Sammy Solis, the Nationals’ second-round pick and starting pitcher, had won all three of his Carolina League starts. Jake Petricka, the White Sox second rounder and Dash starter, had not won any of his four C.L. starts. The trend was reversed in the series opener: Solis struggled while Petricka cruised and the Dash pummeled the P-Nats 10-3.
Petricka (1-4) was the beneficiary of 20 Winston-Salem hits, the second most surrendered by the Nationals in 2011. Solis (3-1), meanwhile, got just two hits and one run of support in his four innings of work and allowed nine Dash hits, the most he has yielded with Potomac.
The Dash (45-53, 13-14) got to work early against Solis. A leadoff walk haunted the lefthander, who then allowed consecutive doubles to Jared Mitchell and Andy Wilkins that scored a pair of runs. Wilkins scored on Mike Blanke’s double and the Dash led 3-0 after the first.
Winston-Salem added a run in the second with a two-out rally. Tyler Saladino opened a string of three straight singles that scored Saladino and pushed the Dash lead to four.
The Nationals got on the board in the fourth, and did so in style. J.R. Higley launched a massive home run to deep left field that made it 4-1.
Solis allowed baserunners in both the third and fourth innings but kept the Dash at bay; he was lifted before the fifth for Mitchell Clegg.
Clegg was rocked for six runs on ten hits in a pair of innings, which put the game away for the Dash. Winston opened the fifth with six straight hits; the big blast was Saladino’s two-run single. In the sixth, three more consecutive hits opened the inning and became a pair of runs on a Dan Wagner groundout and a Saladino sacrifice fly.
On the night, Saladino was 3-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored, while Mitchell finished 4-for-5 with an RBI. Wilkins was 3-for-5 with the first three RBIs of the game.
The bottom four hitters in the Dash lineup – Juan Silverio, Nick Ciolli, Kyle Colligan and Wagner – were 0-for-8 with four strikeouts against Solis. Against Clegg, they were 8-for-8 with six runs scored and two driven in.
The Nationals got a pair of runs back in the eighth. Francisco Soriano led off the frame with a walk and moved to third on a Jeff Kobernus double. They would both score on consecutive groundouts by Destin Hood and Brian Peacock.
The Nats look to get back on track on Saturday night with Paul Demny on the mound at 7 P.M. The broadcast can be heard at www.potomacnationals.com beginning at 6:40.
Dash takes series finale with P-Nats
The P-Nats dropped the series finale with the Dash 7-2 on Friday night at Pfitnzer Stadium. Despite the loss, Potomac took two out of three from Winston-Salem to win the set.
Nationals starter Cameron Selik had a bookend type of night. The righty struggled early and late during his outing, but was able to throw well in between. From the second through fifth inning, Selik didn’t give up a run and only allowed three hits.
Meanwhile, the P-Nats played tremendous defense behind the San Diego native. Jeff Kobernus made the highlight play of the evening. In the top of the third with nobody out and a runner a at first base, Dash right fielder Jose Martinez slapped a ground ball to the hole between second and first. Kobernus glided to his left, dove to the ground, and gloved the ball. Then Kobernus rolled to a seated position and threw to shortstop Francisco Soriano at second for one out. Soriano made the quick turn and threw to first for the double-play.
On the mound, Selik’s best inning came in the top of the fifth when he retired the Dash one-two-three. His troubles came in the top of the first and in the top of the sixth. In the first, Tyler Saladino led off the game with a home run. In the sixth, the first four batters reached base before he was removed in favor of Marcos Frias. Ultimately, the Dash scored five runs in the sixth and led 6-0. Selik’s final line was five-plus innings pitched, nine hits, five earned runs, one walk, and two strikeouts.
Offensively, Potomac was held in check by Joe Serafin. The lefty from Connecticut tossed seven innings of two-run baseball and won his first game of the year. Serafin didn’t give up those two runs until the bottom of the eighth. Cutter Dykstra, Brian Peacock, and Francisco Soriano strung together a walk and back-to-back singles to open the eighth and put the P-Nats on the board for the first time. Serafin was then pulled for Leroy Hunt. Hunt eventually gave up an RBI single to third baseman Justin Bloxom, which scored Brian Peacock. The run was charged to Serafin because he allowed Peacock to reach base. The game was 6-2 at that point.
The Dash tacked on one more run in the top of the ninth when first baseman Andy Wilkins demolished a pitch down the right field line to make it 7-2. It was the lefty’s 13th home run of the season and puts him in second place in the Carolina League, behind only his teammate Ian Gac, who has 19.
Joe Testa had a strong performance out of the bullpen tonight for Potomac. The New Jersey native came on in the eighth and struck out the side. He now has 17 strikeouts on the season and owns a 1.33 ERA.
Potomac starts a four-game series with Wilmington tomorrow night at the Pfitz. First pitch is at 6:35. It’s our Food, Fun, and Fireworks weekend. Click here to find out what we have going on for the best weekend of baseball all year long!
P-Nats clinch series with Dash
The Potomac Nationals rode a dominant start from Paul Demny and a two-hit, two-run effort from series-clinching 4-2 win over the Winston-Salem Dash on a gorgeous Thursday night at Pfitzner Stadium. With the win, the Nationals improved to 4-4 in the second half and set up a chance to earn their third series sweep of the season on Friday.
Demny (5-7) was outstanding for seven innings, striking out a career-high eight and allowing just one run on five hits without a walk.
After Potomac scored the first run of the game in the opening inning, the Dash did the only damage against Demny in the second. A one-out single by Nick Ciolli became a run when Austin Yount doubled to left field. The Nationals had surged ahead on Justin Bloxom’s RBI single in the first, which scored J.R. Higley, who walked with one out.
Souza led off the fourth with a walk. After Sandy Leon popped out, J.P. Ramirez singled to right to put runners at the corners. Eury Perez then grounded to short to score Souza and push the Nats ahead 2-1.
They added two more runs in the sixth, and again Souza was involved. A leadoff double by Thursday’s designated hitter was cashed in when Ramirez doubled with one out. After Perez struck out, Francisco Soriano singled to center to make it 4-1 for Potomac.
The Dash got a run back in the eighth inning: Tyler Saladino hit his eighth home run of the season off Josh Smoker to draw the Dash within two.
But Hector Nelo got the last out of the eighth and retired Winston-Salem in the ninth for his sixth save. The three Nationals pitchers struck out 12 Dash hitters.
Jake Petricka (0-1) made his Carolina League debut and lasted three and a third innings, allowing two runs on four hits with a strikeout and a costly three walks (two of them would score).
Potomac will look to open the month of July with a series sweep Friday at 7:05. Cameron Selik takes the mound for the Nats against lefty Joe Serafin.
P-Nats win in 10
Destin Hood’s single to left field in the bottom of the 10th inning sent the Potomac Nationals to a 4-3 win over the Winston-Salem Dash on Wednesday in Woodbridge. Eury Perez, who walked to open the inning, scored the winning run for the Nationals, who have played three consecutive extra-inning games.
A briskly played contest saw the Nationals surrender a pair of leads before surging ahead for good in the tenth. Evan Bronson and Justin Collop were both incredibly efficient and breezed through the early innings, and a ten-inning affair was completed in two hours and 19 minutes.
Potomac drew first blood in the second inning. Steven Souza doubled to deep left-center field with one out to score Justin Bloxom, who had singled to open the inning. The Dash leveled the score with a two-out rally in the third. After a pair of one-out singles, Sandy Leon threw out Daniel Wagner as he tried to steal third. One pitch later, Jared Mitchell blooped a single into left to score Tyler Saladino.
The Dash went ahead in the fifth, and again Wagner was involved. His two-out single became a run when Saladino tripled off the wall in right.
Potomac took its second lead in the sixth inning. A leadoff walked to Francisco Soriano sparked the rally. After a Jeff Kobernus single, Hood was retired on the infield fly rule. Bloxom then singled home Kobernus and scored when Justino Cuevas doubled to left.
The Nationals had the lead for exactly one pitch in the seventh. Bronson gave up a home run to Dash catcher Mike Blanke to open the inning, but then got the next three outs.
Neil Holland then made his Potomac debut and dazzled. The righthander, promoted today from Hagerstown, struck out all three Dash batters in the eighth and retired Winston in order in the ninth.
The P-Nats had base runners in both the eighth and ninth innings, but double play balls ended both threats.
J.R. Ballinger (4-1) pitched the ninth and tenth for Winston-Salem and was saddled with his first loss. Rob Wort (1-2) threw a perfect tenth inning and earned his first win.
The clubs continue the series Thursday night in Woodbridge. Paul Demny takes the ball for Potomac at 7:05 P.M.
Tribe rallies to knock off P-Nats
Two outs from a 3-1 victory on Tuesday night that would have earned a series win in Kinston, Marcos Frias gave up consecutive solo home runs that tied the ballgame and sent it to extra innings. In the 12th, a critical P-Nats error extended the inning and set the stage for Anthony Gallas’s single into left field that lifted the K-Tribe to a 4-3 win.
The Nationals, plagued by errors in the series, had played a sparkling defensive game until the 12th. But Justino Cuevas saw a tough chopper clip off his glove at third and into left field; two batters later with two outs, Gallas drilled a 1-2 pitch to deep left center field that won the game for the Indians and pushed their second half record to 5-1. Potomac falls to 2-4 with the defeat.
The late inning troubles spoiled a fantastic start by Adam Olbrychowski, the best offensive night of J.P. Ramirez’s season, and otherwise sterling defense by the P-Nats. Olbrychowski outdueled Kinston knuckleballer Steve Wright and allowed just one earned run in six and two thirds innings. The Indians got just four hits against Olbrychowski, who struck out four and had an overwhelming curveball.
The Nationals spotted the righthander a lead with single runs in the first two innings. Each time, a lead off single (by Francisco Soriano in the first and Ramirez in the second) became a run on RBI groundouts. Justin Bloxom plated the first run and Eury Perex made it 2-0 with a chopper to third in the second.
The Indians cut the lead in half with consecutive two-out doubles in the fourth by Jeremie Tice and Adam Abraham.
Ramirez pushed the lead back to a pair with his sixth home run of the season, a deep blast to right field in the sixth that made it 3-1.
Josh Smoker relieved Olbrychowski, who walked the last two batters he faced, with two outs in the seventh. He struck out Delvi Cid and retired the Indians in the eighth to give way to Frias.
After Frias struck out Abraham to open the inning, he gave up a homer to Chase Burnette that drew the Indians within one. It was Burnette’s first home run since May 7. The next batter, Tyler Cannon, tied the game with a blast to deep left.
Potomac mounted virtually no threats in extra innings: their only hit was a one-out single by Sandy Leon that was erased on the next pitch by a double play.
The Nationals head home having dropped four of six in the second half’s first road trip. The Winston-Salem Dash come to Woodbridge for a three-game set that begins Wednesday night at 7:05 P.M.
P-Nats prevail in extras
The Potomac Nationals and Kinston Indians decided to spend some extra time at Grainger Stadium on Monday night. Thunderstorms delayed the start of the ballgame by nearly 90 minutes, and the clubs needed 11 innings to decide a back-and-forth affair that saw the P-Nats surrender the lead in the ninth, score three in the 11th, walk the bases full of Indians in the bottom half but escape with a 5-2 win on Rob Wort’s strikeout of Casey Frawley. The win snapped a three-game slide for Potomac, and ended a six-game Kinston winning streak.
After Potomac manufactured the go-ahead run in the eighth, they were two outs from a 2-1 victory in the bottom of the ninth. But Tyler Cannon ripped a double inside the bag to score Adam Abraham, who had singled to open the inning against Hector Nelo. Nelo got the next two outs to send the game to extras.
In the 11th, the Nationals (31-43) used some shaky Kinston (42-32) defense and aggressive base running to score the decisive runs. Cutter Dykstra laid down a bunt to the mound on the inning’s first pitch. But the Tribe’s All Star closer Preston Guilmet yielded to Roberto Perez on a ball well out past home plate. Perez’s throw was not in time at first and Dykstra was aboard with an infield hit. Eury Perez then hit a high chopper to first; rather than step on the bag to get the speedy Perez, first baseman Jeremie Tice flipped late to Guilmet and the P-Nats had two aboard.
After a failed bunt attempt by Francisco Soriano, Matt LeCroy put on the double steal. The catcher Perez’s throw ricocheted off the glove of Frawley, who was covering from short on the wheel play. Dykstra scored and Perez moved to third. LeCroy then dialed up he safety squeeze, and J.R. Higley’s bunt on the first base side made it 4-2 Nats.
With two outs, Justin Bloxom singled to right to score Soriano and give the Nationals a three-run edge. In the bottom of the inning, the insurance runs proved critical.
Joe Testa led off the inning with a walk to Abner Abreu. After he struck out Cannon, he walked Perez and was lifted from the game. Wort fanned Doug Pickens to get the second out before he, too, walked Tyler Holt. But he punched out Frawley to secure the Nationals’ second win in nine games with the Indians.
Danny Rosenbaum was solid for six innings for Potomac. He allowed only one earned run on three Kinston hits with six strikeouts and two walks. Clayton Cook matched wits with the lefthander; he too tossed six one-run innings with four punchouts.
The clubs decide the series on Tuesday evening at 6:30 P.M. Adam Olbrychowski takes the ball for the Nationals. The broadcast can be heard beginning at 6:00.
Defensive miscues cost P-Nats
Three errors doomed the Potomac Nationals on Sunday in Kinston, contributing to three unearned runs in a 5-4 series-opening victory for the Indians. With the loss – in which the Nationals committed multiple errors for the 11th time in their last 18 games – Potomac has dropped three straight games, while the Indians notched their sixth consecutive win. The P-Nats have now lost seven of the first eight games with the Indians in 2011.
The Nationals (30-43) surged out in front with a helping hand from the Indians’ defense in the second inning. After K-Tribe (42-31) starter T.J. House walked Steven Souza to open the inning (he would walk four batters for the third time in four starts), House retired J.P. Ramirez and then hit Sandy Leon. After Souza stole third, J.R. Higley hit a bouncing ball to third that scooted under the glove of Adam Abraham and all the way into the left field corner, scoring Souza and putting runners at second and third. Justino Cuevas then roped a double to deep left field that put Potomac ahead 3-0.
The lead was short-lived. Cameron Selik never looked comfortable on Sunday afternoon, and gave three runs back in the Kinston second. After Abner Abreu led off the frame with a single, Chase Burnette hit a chopper to second base. Jeff Kobernus ranged to his left to glove it, but his throw drew Cuevas off the second base bag. The throwing error would bite the Nats: after Tyler Cannon flied to right, Doug Pickens singled to left field to score Abreu. After a wild pitch moved the runners to second and third, Delvi Cid singled to pull the Tribe within one. Casey Frawley’s sacrifice fly scored a third, unearned run to tie the game at three.
Potomac took back the lead in the fourth when J.R. Higley homered to deep left field.
Casey Frawley hit a blooper to shallow center field to open the fifth. Jeff Kobernus raced back on it but the ball kicked off his glove. After Anthony Gallas flied out to right, Adam Abraham hit what appeared to be a double play ball to short. The ball skipped through the legs of Cuevas and put runners at first and second. Abreu then tripled to right to plate two runs and give the Tribe a lead they would never relinquish.
Kyle Landis and Rob Bryson kept the Nationals’ offense at bay for four and two thirds innings of relief; Potomac mustered just two hits off the relievers.
The Nationals look to snap their three-game slide on Monday in Kinston with Danny Rosenbaum on the mound against Clayton Cook at 6:30 P.M.
P-Nats drop finale in Myrtle Beach
Four unearned runs in the first inning set the tone for a disheartening 11-3 loss in Myrtle Beach on Saturday night that gave the Pelicans a victory in the first series of the second half. The Pelicans rode 18 hits, a strong outing from Barret Loux and a trio of big innings to victory in the rubber match with the Potomac Nationals.
The Nationals (30-42) made their biggest noise of the evening before the first pitch was even thrown: manager Matt LeCroy was ejected before the game after a prolonged argument with home plate umpire John Bacon as the lineup cards were exchanged. Bacon had gifted the Pelicans (42-30) a victory in the 14th inning on Friday night by ruling that Eury Perez did not make a game-saving catch in the left-center field gap, even though replays proved Perez clearly did. The P-Nats applauded their skipper from the dugout, but the first inning appeared to take the wind from their sails.
After a leadoff single by Larry Garcia off starter Paul Demny and a walk to Jared Prince, Demny got Ryan Strausborger to fly out to right field for the inning’s first out. He then induced a ground ball to first off the bat of Chris McGuinness. Steven Souza fielded the three-hopper but fired the throw into left field, allowing Garcia to score. After Vinny DiFazio popped out, the Pelicans rattled off three consecutive two-out hits and plated three more unearned runs.
With the way Barret Loux pitched, the 4-0 lead would prove enough for the Pelicans. The righthander allowed two runs over six strong innings with six strikeouts and just one walk, earning his seventh victory of the season – and third over the P-Nats.
His only trouble came in the Potomac fifth. A leadoff walk to Justino Cuevas was cashed in when Jeff Kobernus roped a two-out single to right. Destin Hood then hit a line drive toward the gap in left field. Racing to cut it off, Pelicans centerfielder Ryan Strausborger kicked the ball into the left field corner, allowing Kobernus to score from first. Hood was credited with triple and an RBI, and the P-Nats were back in it at 6-2.
They tacked on another run in the seventh. Kobernus launched a deep home run to left field off Trevor Hurley that pulled Potomac within three. Evan Bronson relieved Demny and breezed through the seventh, retiring the Pelicans with just five pitches. The eighth was not nearly as smooth.
The first five batters reached base in the Myrtle eighth: three singles, a walk and a hit batter plated a pair of runs and kept the bases loaded before DiFazio finally flied out for the first out. After Potomac gunned down Prince at the plate for the second out, three more hits put the game out of reach and put Myrtle Beach ahead 11-3.
Ryan Kelly pitched a perfect ninth to wrap up the win for Myrtle Beach, who inched ahead in the season series with Potomac with their seventh win in 13 contests with the P-Nats.
Potomac opens a three-game series in Kinston Sunday afternoon at 4:30 P.M. Righthander Cameron Selik takes the mound for Potomac in the stadium where he made his Carolina League debut. The broadcast can be heard online at www.potomacnationals.com beginning at 4:05.
Blown call costs P-Nats
In the bottom of the 13th inning of a seesaw affair in Myrtle Beach, Eury Perez made a sensational diving catch in the left center field gap that appeared to send the game to another inning. But field umpire John Bacon ruled that Perez did not catch the ball, and in a wave of confusion, Leury Garcia sprinted home for the winning run. In-house replays later showed that Perez clearly caught the ball. The Nationals argued passionately on the field, Bacon conferred with home-plate umpire Asa Gaddy, but the call stood and the Pelicans were handed a 5-4 win.
The controversy overshadowed a wildly entertaining game that saw multiple lead changes, bizarre plays and missed opportunities. Rob Wort worked out of a self-created, bases-loaded jam in the tenth but surrendered the lead on a two-out single by Jared Bolden in the 11th. In the twelfth, Steven Souza appeared to give the Nats another lead, but his line drive headed for left field hit Jeff Kobernus, the runner at second, to end the inning.
Myrtle (41-30) took the early lead for the second straight night. In the first inning, back-to-back singles off Trevor Holder were cashed in by Chris McGuiness’s RBI ground ball. The Pelicans doubled their lead in the fourth: a leadoff double by Zach Zaneski became a run when Jared Hoying tripled to left and it was 2-0.
Potomac (30-41) tied the game in the fifth. Three straight hits keyed the rally, the first of which was a double by Souza. The first baseman had four hits on the night and scored the first Potomac run when Sandy Leon singled. J.P. Ramirez, who had reached on a ground-ball single to left, scored on J.R. Higley’s groundout.
The Nats surged ahead in the sixth inning. After consecutive one-out singles, Leon, again roped a base hit to center than scored Justin Bloxom and gave Potomac a 3-2 lead.
Bloxom’s glove helped Myrtle tie it in their half of the sixth. A leadoff error put Ryan Strausborger aboard and he scored on Mitch Hilligoss’s double to left off Josh Smoker, who had relieved Holder.
It would stay that way until the eleventh, which featured more clutch hitting from Higley and more controversy involving the umpires. After Souza led off with his third hit, Ramirez squared to bunt. Pelicans pitcher Joseph Ortiz tried to throw to second but zipped the ball into center field, and both runners were safe. Leon then laid down a bunt to third. Myrtle Beach put the wheel play on: Hilligoss charged, threw to a covering Garcia at third, who then tossed across to get Leon at first for a double play. Nats’ manager Matt LeCroy argued the call at third and was ejected from the game. On a 1-2 pitch with Ramirez at second, Higley delivered a hit to left that put Potomac ahead.
The two clubs will play the rubber match Saturday evening at 7:05 P.M. The broadcast can be heard beginning at 6:40.
P-Nats open second half with win
In a driving rainstorm that had settled in over BB&T Coastal Field, Hector Nelo struck out Jared Hoying to strand the winning runs on base and lock up a 6-5 P-Nats win in Myrtle Beach. In a game that was delayed 40 minutes because of heavy rains, the Nationals had one big inning and held on for a waterlogged win to open the second half of the Carolina League schedule.
In between the downpours, the Nationals (30-40, 1-0) had their biggest inning of the year. Six consecutive hits to open the third spurred a six-run outburst, the Nats’ biggest production in a single inning all season long.
Sandy Leon opened the frame with a double off Wilfredo Boscan, the Pelicans starter. J.R. Higley then singled; both scored when Cutter Dykstra hit a single to left field. Eury Perez doubled to score Dykstra and scored when Jose Lozada singled to right; Lozada moved to third on Jeff Kobernus’s double. With one out and an 0-2 count, Steven Souza roped a two-run single into center field to make it 6-1.
Myrtle Beach (40-30, 0-1) had taken the lead in the second – and it could have been larger were it not for Higley’s arm. After a one-out Jared Hoying double scored Vinny Difazio, Santiago Chirino singled to right field with two outs. Hoying tried to score from second and was gunned down by a perfect Higley throw to end the inning.
Adam Olbrychowski was solid over five innings; he allowed three runs on six hits and struck out a season-high seven. He did walk two and threw two wild pitches, but earned his second win of the season.
The Pelicans kept chipping away at the Nationals’ lead against a trio of bullpen arms, while the Myrtle ‘pen stymied the Potomac offense.
In the sixth, Souza’s throwing error allowed DiFazio to score and trim the lead to two, at 6-4. Joe Testa hit the first batter in both the seventh and eight innings, but worked around both. In the eight, he had a hand from Hector Nelo, who came on with one out and got a strikeout and groundout to end the threat.
As the eighth turned to the ninth innings, the rain really picked up. By the time Nelo took the mound for the last half inning, a downpour had caused the grounds crew to dump drying materials on the mound and area around home plate.
Through the driving rain, Nelo walked the leadoff man Leury Garcia. He then struck out Jared Prince, but Garcia, who had stolen second and third bases, scored on Chris McGuinness’s one-out single. Mitch Hilligoss then blooped a ball over the head of Justin Bloxom at third to put the winning run on base. Nelo then struck out DiFazio, at which point the grounds crew was again summoned to tend to the mound. After a furious dumping of dirt and drying agent, Nelo was allowed to continue. On his fifth pitch, he struck out Hoying to end the ballgame.
