P-Nats win 4-3 thriller over Winston-Salem

The Potomac Nationals (29-26, 59-63) emerged victorious in a nail-biting contest over the Winston-Salem Dash (26-28, 64-54) on Saturday night, taking a 4-3 lead in the top of the ninth inning and ending the game with a close play at the plate.

DH Aldrem Corredor delivered the game-winning hit, stroking an RBI single with two outs in the top of the ninth inning to put the P-Nats on top. It extended Corredor’s hitting streak to 17 games, a team-best in 2019, and enabled Potomac to climb to within 3.0 games of first place in the Northern Division.

LHP Carson Teel completed 7.0 innings for the second time in his career, spinning his second consecutive start by allowing only two runs. The lefty fanned four and walked only one, earning his third quality start.

For the second straight night, Potomac jumped out to an early 2-0 lead over the Dash. C Alex Dunlap blasted his third home run of the season off rehabbing White Sox LHP Manny Bañuelos in the second to score the first run, and doubled home a run in the fourth for his second RBI.

Winston-Salem would tie the game up in the fifth with a pair of two-out hits, as 2B Tate Blackman singled and CF Steele Walker doubled to bring the score to 2-2. Teel escaped further damage, and left men in scoring position in the sixth and seventh.

The P-Nats manufactured a run in the seventh, getting a leadoff walk from 3B Omar Meregildo and a sacrifice bunt from LF Jack Sundberg before CF Cole Freeman hit a sacrifice fly to right field to take a 3-2 lead.

LHP Hayden Howard relieved Teel in the eighth, but departed with two runners on base and two outs. RHP Frankie Bartow (W, 2-2) allowed a game-tying RBI single to 3B Mitch Roman, his fourth hit of the game, but Roman was thrown out trying to advance to second to end the inning.

In the ninth, SS Gilbert Lara coaxed a leadoff walk and was sacrificed to second before Freeman laced a base hit to left field. Lara was thrown out at the plate by LF Craig Dedelow, but with two outs and two strikes Corredor delivered with his game-winning hit to score Freeman from second base.

Bartow quickly got the first two outs in the bottom of the ninth, but Walker chopped an infield single to prolong the game before RF Tyler Frost singled to right-center field. Walker cruised easily to third and was waved home after Freeman briefly bobbled the ball in the outfield, but a relay beat him to the plate and Dunlap completed the tag to end the game.

The P-Nats go for the series win over the Dash on Sunday afternoon as RHP Jackson Tetreault faces off against LHP Taylor Varnell. First pitch at BB&T Ballpark is set for 2:00 pm, with the P-Nats Leadoff Show starting at 1:45. Fans can listen to the Potomac broadcast at potomacnationals.com or on the TuneIn Radio App.