After a pair of tough losses that capped off the series vs. the Winston-Salem Dash, the Potomac Nationals (48-41, 14-7) fell into an early hole Saturday night, but mounted their largest comeback of the season in a 5-4 victory over the hometown Salem Red Sox (54-37, 11-11).
The P-Nats fell behind 4-0 after four innings and did not tally a hit until the fifth, but then scored the final five runs of the game. A four-run deficit was the largest that Potomac has overcome in 2016.
Salem got off to a brisk start in the first inning against RHP Whit Mayberry (W, 2-1). Mayberry walked 2B Reed Gragnani while 3B Rafael Devers and 1B Nick Longhi each singled. With the bases loaded and one out, DH Mike Meyers made it 1-0 Salem with an RBI groundout, while RF Danny Mars followed with a two-out RBI single. The Red Sox led 2-0 after one inning.
The Red Sox extended their lead with a run in the second inning and another in the fourth against Mayberry. Gragnani had a two-out RBI triple in the second frame, his first extra-base hit of the season, while SS Jose Sermo tripled in the fourth inning and scored on a wild pitch, as Salem led 4-0 after four innings.
No-hit by LHP Daniel McGrath (L, 3-4) through the first four frames, the Potomac offense came alive in the fifth. DH Jose Marmolejos led off the inning with his league leading 33rd double, while C Raudy Read plated Marmolejos with a double of his own. LF Alec Keller followed with a single, which extended his hit streak to six games and moved Read to third base. With men on the corners, McGrath’s failed pickoff throw to first base resulted in an error and allowed Read to score, as Potomac cut the deficit to two after the top of the fifth.
McGrath remained in the game for the sixth inning and was one strike away from a quality start and departing with the lead. 3B Bryan Mejia lengthened his on-base streak to 17 games with a leadoff single in the inning, while SS Osvaldo Abreu made it a one run game with an RBI double. Marmolejos drew a walk before Read flied out to centerfield for the second out of the inning. Both Abreu and Marmolejos advanced on Read’s deep fly out, which proved beneficial for Potomac. Down in the count 1-2, Keller lined a single to right field, which plated both runners and put Potomac ahead 5-4, the eventual final.
Out of the Salem bullpen, Anyelo Leclerc provided three shutout innings, as he allowed only one man to reach base, but the Potomac bullpen was just as good, as LHP Justin Thomas and RHP Gilberto Mendez (SV, 3) sealed the victory for Potomac. Thomas stranded a man at first base in both the seventh and eighth innings, while Mendez stranded the tying man at second base in the ninth. Thomas has not allowed a run in six straight outings, while Mendez has not allowed an earned run in 11 straight appearances. In the win, Mayberry allowed four runs on seven hits over six innings, while McGrath allowed five runs, four earned, on six hits over six innings in the loss.
In an effort to make it two consecutive wins against the Red Sox, Potomac will turn to RHP Austen Williams(0-3, 4.00) Sunday afternoon. Despite a quality start in five of his six outings, Williams remains winless, though the righty has given up just four total earned runs over his last two outings. For Salem, LHP Trey Ball (5-4, 3.71) will make his first start of the season against the P-Nats. The seventh overall pick in the 2013 draft has been inconsistent through much of the season and has given up at least four earned runs in each of his last three starts. First pitch is set for 4:05pm at LewisGale Field.
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