Though they had scored 25 runs in their past three games, the Fredericksburg Nationals couldn’t keep the offense going in a 9-2 loss to the Salem Red Sox on Saturday night.
Salem scored three runs in the first off Rodney Theophile (L, 0-5), which proved to be enough support for a strong Red Sox pitching effort led by Shane Drohan (W, 2-1). The loss snapped Fredericksburg’s two-game winning streak, and sets up a series finale on Sunday afternoon in which they will try to salvage a split.
Stephen Scott opened the scoring with a two-run homer in the first, and Alex Erro followed with an RBI single to put the Red Sox ahead 3-0. The FredNats got a run back in the third on a Jake Randa RBI single, but Salem would score the next six runs of the ballgame to keep their lead safe.
Theophile allowed four runs in the fourth, though three were unearned after a Kevin Strohschein error prolonged the inning. Nick Yorke hit an RBI double, Scott added an RBI single, and reliever Matt Merrill uncorked a wild pitch to allow another run to score.
The Red Sox added two more in the top of the eighth, as Trey Turner walked the bases full and Tomás Alastre allowed a two-run single to Joe Davis. The Salem first baseman went 4-for-4 on the night, and added a walk for good measure.
With a comfortable lead throughout, the Red Sox let Drohan complete 5.0 innings for just the second time this season to qualify for the win. Aaron Perry and Ryan Fernandez (S, 2) worked the remainder of the ballgame in relief, allowing only a José Sánchez RBI single in the eighth as the FredNats went quietly.
The FredNats wrap up their series against the Red Sox on Sunday afternoon. First pitch from FredNats Ballpark is scheduled for 4:05, with FredNats On Deck beginning at 3:50 on the FredNats Baseball Network.
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Chris Graham
