The Potomac Nationals (3-0 Overall, 3-0 Road) swept the Wilmington Blue Rocks (0-3 Overall, 0-3 Home) on a chilly day in the clubs’ 2016 season opening series courtesy of a 9-4 Red, White, and Blue victory on Sunday afternoon at Daniel S. Frawley Stadium.
After rain and light snow postponed last night’s contest, the Game Three series finale of what was supposed to be a four-game set featured three home runs off P-Nats’ sticks and the Carolina League debut for NationalsRHP Erick Fedde.
Nationals 3B Drew Ward, 1B Jose Marmolejos, and SS Osvaldo Abreu all slugged round-trippers in the clash.
Fedde, who received a no decision, peppered the strike zone throughout his first career P-Nats’ outing. Fedde threw 86 pitches and 61 strikes over the course of 4.1 innings in which he allowed three runs (two earned) on seven singles and one double.
The Washington Nationals’ 2014 1st round draft pick (#18 overall selection) fanned seven hitters and walked just one while showcasing his electric fastball, low 80s slider, and developing changeup. Fedde’s fastball, slider, and off-speed pitch were consistently located at the bottom of the strike zone throughout his debut.
The P-Nats jumped on the scoreboard in the 2nd inning against Wilmington starter, LHP Matt Tenuta as Ward crushed a long solo dinger, his second of the young campaign, over both tiers of signage in right-center field.
Tenuta, like Fedde, did not factor into a decision after he threw 4.2 innings and surrendered three earned runs on three hits including a pair of homers and four walks.
Wilmington answered in the 3rd frame with one run via an RBI single off the bat of Blue Rocks RF Elier Hernandez.
Potomac took a 3-1 lead in the 4th when Marmolejos visited the same area of the ballpark that Ward’s home run ball surmounted. With one man on board, Marmolejos cranked his two-run shot over the right-center field wall for his first longball of the season.
Nationals RHP Jake Johansen (1-0), the winning pitcher of record, relieved Fedde in the 5th and went on to allow just one earned run on two hits in 1.2 innings of bullpen work.
Johansen walked two, hit a batter, unleashed one wild pitch, and struck out one.
The Blue Rocks tied the game at 3-3 with two runs in the 5th on a run-scoring double to the left field wall belted by Wilmington 1B Ryan O’Hearn off Fedde which marked the top prospect’s exit from the mound and an RBI single lined into center field by LF Alfredo Escalera on an offering from Johansen.
A four-run 6th inning for the Nationals off the eventual losing pitcher, Blue Rocks LHP Mark McCoy (0-1) made the series finale a 7-3 game. An error by Blue Rocks 2B Corey Toups sent Abreu, who walked, to the plate. P-Nats 2B Bryan Mejia gashed a two-run two-bagger to the left field barrier before DH Khayyan Norfork added an RBI single to cap the scoring in the half-stanza.
McCoy’s line included four runs (two earned), one hit, two walks, one strikeout, and one hit batter.
The Blue Rocks plated their final run of the game in the bottom of the 6th as SS Humberto Arteaga swept a run-scoring groundout to Abreu at shortstop to bring home DH Roman Callins who reached on a base-on-balls.
The P-Nats tallied individual runs in the 7th and 8th innings thanks to Abreu’s four-bagger which traveled to the Wilmington bullpen in left field off Blue Rocks LHP Tim Hill and an RBI triple ripped to the right field corner by Nationals CF Andrew Stevenson vs. RHP Evan Beal, respectively.
Hill and Beal both allowed one earned run in a combined 4.0 relief innings.
Nationals RHP Derek Self worked two scoreless, no-hit innings in the 7th and 8th before LHP Justin Thomas finished the game in a non-save situation.
Thomas stranded Arteaga’s infield single and Hernandez’s true single by inducing Blue Rocks 3B Wander Franco into a lineout to Stevenson in left-center field to end the affair.
Tonight, the P-Nats travel to Lynchburg, VA to prepare for a three-game series with the Lynchburg Hillcats (Cleveland Indians) which serves as the backend of the current road trip before Potomac Nationals Opening Day 2016 on Thursday, April 14th at Pfitzner Stadium when the Nationals host Wilmington for a 7:05pm standoff.
Game One at Lynchburg City Stadium tomorrow night will feature a 6:30pm first pitch.
The Nationals will send RHP Boone Whiting (0-0, 0.00) to the mound to hurl against Hillcats LHP Sean Brady (0-0, 0.00) in the set opener.
The Potomac Nationals Baseball Network will carry live coverage of the game beginning with the “P-Nats Lead-Off Show” at 6:15pm before the live play-by-play at 6:30pm. P-Nats Gameday Audio on the Potomac Nationals Baseball Network is accessible at www.potomacnationals.com or with the TuneIn Radio App.
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