In a battle of what is likely going to be a first round playoff matchup, the Potomac Nationals (67-58, 30-28) picked up a 4-2 win over the Lynchburg Hillcats (36-23, 65-61) at Northwest Federal Field. Friday night’s matchup was the series opener of the back half of a home-and-home series between the two teams.
The night got off to a tough start for Potomac, as the first two Lynchburg hitters picked up a hit against RHP Joan Baez (W, 8-9). DH Dillon Persinger led off the game with a double, and then scored on an RBI single from RF Trenton Brooks. Baez then walked 3B Nolan Jones and gave up a single to C Gavin Collins, as Lynchburg had the bases loaded with no outs. Baez buckled down however, and retired the next three in order, as the Hillcats took just a 1-0 lead after half an inning and left the bases loaded.
Potomac responded immediately against LHP Kirk McCarty (L, 1-1), as 3B Ian Sagdal tied the game with a two-out home run tucked just inside the left field foul pole. McCarty then worked a perfect second inning, but with a runner on and two outs in the home half of the third inning, gave up consecutive two-out RBI hits to SS Luis Garcia and Sagdal. Garcia’s RBI single gave Potomac a 2-1 lead, while Sagdal’s RBI double made it 3-1 in favor of Potomac.
Baez walked the tightrope through much of his outing, as he stranded men at first and second base in the second inning, walked three straight with two outs in a scoreless fourth frame, and worked around another walk in the fifth inning. The right-handed starter walked six but surrendered just one run on four hits over five innings. Baez is now 3-1 with a 1.52 ERA in his last six starts.
After five frames from Baez, Potomac got solid work out of the bullpen, as both LHP Taylor Guilbeau and RHP Jacob Condra-Bogan (SV, 2) each worked two innings. Condra-Bogan gave up a two-out RBI single to RF Trenton Brooks in the ninth inning, but struck out Collins as the potential tying run to end the game and secure Potomac’s 4-2 victory.
2B Bryan Mejia homered off of RHP Luis Jimenez to begin the bottom of the eighth inning. The Hillcats went 3-9 with RISP and left 11 men on base in the loss. The Hillcats are six games ahead of the Wilmington Blue Rocks with 11 games to play in the Second Half Northern Division playoff race.
The middle game of the weekend set is scheduled for Saturday night. LHP Matthew Crownover (4-8, 4.85) is set to start for Potomac. Crownover has allowed just three total runs over his last three starts, but is 0-2 this season in two starts vs. Lynchburg. For the Hillcats, RHP Zach Plesac (8-4, 4.17) will take the mound in an effort to level the series. Plesac hasn’t factored in the decision in any of his last three starts, and hasn’t picked up a loss since 6/28.
First pitch at Northwest Federal Field on Saturday is set for 6:35pm. The Potomac broadcast will get underway at 6:20pm with the P-Nats Leadoff Show. You can listen to the Potomac broadcast at potomacnationals.com, at http://bit.ly/P-NatsBroadcast, or on the TuneIn Radio App.
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Chris Graham
