Wilmington (56-66-Overall, 34-25-Home, 18-34-Second Half) plated the eventual game winning tally in the bottom of the eighth, snapping a tie ballgame and giving the Blue Rocks a 7-6 win over the Potomac Nationals (57-65-Overall, 28-34-Road, 24-27-Second Half) at Frawley Stadium on Wednesday night.
A back-and-forth affair that featured five lead changes and four ties between the Northern Division rivals had Washington Nationals RHP David Carpenter make a rehab start for Potomac against RHP Pedro Fernandez, whom the Nationals just defeated on August 14th at Pfitzner Stadium.
Carpenter pitched one inning and DH Carlos Garcia led-off in the bottom of the first with a triple before scoring on SS Jack Lopez’s sacrifice fly for a 1-0 advantage to the Blue Rocks.
RHP Ian Dickson entered the game in the bottom of the second and pitched two-plus frames, including a scoreless second and third, but allowed two runs (earned) on two hits, a walk and two strikeouts.
Potomac, in the top of the third against Fernandez, scored four times to take a three run lead. With one out 2B Khayyan Norfork, who went three-for-four with two doubles and three runs in the game, picked up his first double. CF Rafael Bautista laid down a bunt up the third base line that he beat out, moving Norfork to third base. RF Narciso Mesa drove in Norfork with a single into left field that tied the game at 1-1. The big leaguer, Washington Nationals OF Reed Johnsonwas the next man to the plate and got ahold of the Fernandez pitch, sending it over the left field wall for a three run home run, his second home run in five games with Potomac and it gave the Nationals a 4-1 lead.
Johnson finished the game one-for-four with four RBIs and a run, adding one strikeout. He was replaced defensively in the bottom of the eighth by LF Alec Keller.
The score remained 4-1 Potomac until a wild bottom of the fourth that saw Dickson get tossed from the game and Wilmington score four times to take a 5-4 lead.
C Cam Gallagher hit his fifth home run of the season, a solo shot to start off the fourth frame for the Blue Rocks. Dickson then fired a first pitch up and in that hit 2B Humberto Arteaga and was immediately thrown out of the game. LHP Justin Thomas entered in an emergency call to the bullpen in the fourth. He immediately walked LF Logan Moon and then CF Dominique Taylor laid down a sacrifice bunt. With two outs Lopez lined a two-run double that stayed fair inside the third base bag that brought home both Arteaga and Moon to tie the game at 4-4. 3B Robert Pehl then hit a loopy pop-up to shallow centerfield that saw Bautista go into a dive but he was unable to make the catch. On the single Lopez scored for a 5-4 Wilmington lead.
It was another double by Norfork that got the tying rally started in the fifth for the Nationals. Another infield bunt single for Bautista led to a Johnson RBI groundout that tied the game 5-5.
Thomas hurled three innings and gave up two runs himself (earned) on three hits, three walks and one strikeout.
In the top of the seventh, Potomac, thanks to Norfork leading off with a single, tied the game. Bautista laid down a sacrifice bunt and then a Mesa groundout moved Norfork to third base and he came home to score on a wild pitch by the new man on the mound for the Blue Rocks, RHP Yender Caramo (5-7, 2.86), giving the Nationals a 6-5 lead.
Fernandez pitched six innings, a season high with Wilmington, and he allowed eight hits and five runs (all earned), recording four strikeouts while not issuing a walk and not earning a decision.
RHP Jake Johansen (1-6, 5.75) entered in the bottom of the seventh and gave up a solo home run to 1B Ryan O’Hearn, who has now homered four times and driven in ten runs in six games against Potomac to tie the ballgame again at 6-6.
In the bottom of the eighth, after Potomac went one, two, three in the eighth, Johansen remained in the game and walked Arteaga to begin the inning. Moon, who was trying to sacrifice, ended up reaching on the infield single to put runners at first and second. Taylor then did lay the sacrifice bunt down moving everybody up a bag, putting runners on second and third. The fifth pitcher of the night came into the game for Potomac, LHP R.C Orlan in relief of Johansen. Orlan fired a wild pitch that brought Arteaga home for the 7-6 lead for Wilmington, the eventual final score.
Johansen took the loss, pitching one and third innings and he gave up two runs on two hits, one walk and he struck out two, taking the loss.
Caramo, to earn the win, retired the Nationals one, two, three again in the ninth to close out the 7-6 win for the Blue Rocks.
The Nationals are now 17-23 in one run affairs and drop to 11-12 against the Blue Rocks.
The series continues tomorrow night with the finale from Frawley Stadium with a 6:35 pm first pitch and RHP Austin Williams (4-3, 2.09) will make the start for the Nationals against RHP Alec Mills (6-6, 3.04) for Wilmington.
The tune in to live coverage of Potomac Nationals baseball starting a 6:20 pm with “P-Nats Lead-Off Show” kicking the broadcast off.
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