Three big blasts accounted for 10 of Potomac’s 12 runs, catapulting the Nationals to a comfortable 12-4 victory over the Salem Red Sox on Tuesday evening at Pfitzner Stadium. Jason Martinson and Caleb Ramsey each clubbed three-run shots, while nine-hole hitter Randolph Oduber launched a towering grand slam in the bottom of the third that chased Salem’s starter and paved the way for Potomac’s rout.
After splitting the first pair in the three-game set, the series rubber match will unfold on Wednesday morning, with the first pitch scheduled for 10:35 AM.
The Sox actually scored first and last in the ballgame, but the Nationals pounded 12 runs on 17 hits to support their starter Taylor Hill, who survived five innings to earn the victory. Keury De La Cruz recorded an RBI double in the first, while Blake Swihart pounded an RBI triple in the second, lifting the Sox to a short-lived 2-0 lead.
Potomac got one run back on Blake Kelso’s RBI single in the last of the second, but the floodgates opened with a couple multi-run shots in the third. Following a walk and a single, Martinson crushed his third homer in five games to give Potomac a 4-2 lead. Later in the inning, three straight singles loaded the bases, and Oduber cleared them on a first-pitch, two-out drive over the fence in left that made it 8-2.
Sox starter William Cuevas tossed a perfect first and allowed just one run in the second, but yielded seven runs in the third and was pulled after Oduber’s slam. Cuevas, who allowed just 12 runs in 77.1 innings last year with Lowell for a 1.40 ERA, permitted eight runs on nine hits in two and two-thirds, suffering the setback.
In the last of the sixth with the score 9-3, Ramsey crushed a Robby Scott pitch over the fence for another three-run bomb, giving Potomac a nine-run edge. Salem inched one run closer, but never seriously threatened a comeback in the eight-run loss.
Garin Cecchini led Salem with two hits and is now 8-for-12 in his last three games after starting the year 0-for-7. Sean Coyle tripled in the seventh to extend his hitting streak to five games, while Deven Marrero went 0-for-5, enduring his first hitless effort of the season.
The Sox will have Opening Day starter Mickey Pena on the mound on Wednesday morning, while the Nationals will counter with Robbie Ray. The battle of southpaws will commence at 10:35 AM, and after Salem’s day off on Thursday, the Sox will return to LewisGale Field for the 2013 home opener against the Myrtle Beach Pelicans at 7:05 on Friday.
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Chris Graham
