In his second start this season for the Potomac Nationals (47-39, 13-5), RHP Mark Blackmar (W, 2-0) tallied his second straight seven-inning, one-run performance. At one point, Blackmar retired 13 in a row, as the righty gave up just five hits in a victory over the Winston-Salem Dash (36-53, 8-11).
Following the longest homestand of the season, Potomac scored first at BB&T Ballpark. The P-Nats sent nine men to the plate in a four-run fourth inning against LHP Tanner Banks (L, 4-1). Singles by 1B Jose Marmolejos and C Raudy Read, paired with a walk drawn by LF Alec Keller loaded the bases with no outs. After 3B Bryan Mejia flied out to shallow centerfield, not deep enough to plate Marmolejos from third base, RF Dale Carey hit a ball that one-hopped the short wall in right field. Carey’s double plated two runs and made it 2-0. 2B David Masters followed with a sacrifice fly to centerfield, which scored Keller. On the relay throw, SS Cleuluis Rondon flipped the ball behind his back with his glove to third base, where no Dash defender was. The error on the shortstop allowed Carey to score, as the P-Nats led 4-0 after 3.5 innings.
Potomac put the game away with a two-run fifth. Read drew a one-out walk, while Keller tallied his second hit of the night. Mejia followed with an RBI double, which ended Banks’ night. RHP Drew Hasler came out of the Winston-Salem pen and allowed a sacrifice fly to Carey. Carey’s third RBI of the night made it 6-0 Potomac halfway through the game.
Blackmar allowed a single to 2B Toby Thomas in the second inning, but then retired 13 straight Dash hitters. With two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning, Blackmar allowed three straight hits, as DH Marcus Davis’ single plated RF Mason Robbins and made it 6-1. Blackmar escaped and stranded the bases loaded, then tallied two strikeouts in the seventh, which capped off his outing.
The P-Nats added a run in the top of the ninth inning vs. RHP Jacob Morris. SS Osvaldo Abreu drew a one-out walk and scored on Marmolejos’ league leading 31st double of the season. Ahead 7-1, RHP Mario Sanchez, who pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning, returned for the ninth, but recorded just one out. Sanchez struck out 1B Telvin Nash, but then gave up two singles and walked Rondon. With the bases loaded and one out, CF Hunter Jones drove a ball through the left side of the infield for an RBI single, which made it 7-2. Potomac went back to the bullpen, as RHP Gilberto Mendez (SV, 2) came in with the bases loaded and got 3B Gerson Montilla to pop out to second base and Robbins to ground out to third base. It was the 10th consecutive outing for Mendez in which he did not allow an earned run, as Potomac won 7-2.
With a single in the third inning, and then another one in the fourth frame, 2B Max Schrock extended his hit streak to 15 games and picked up his 13th multi-hit game over that stretch. Schrock has the longest active hit streak in the Carolina League and is tied for the longest hit streak of the season for a Potomac player, as Read had a 15-game hit streak in the first half. CF Victor Robles also had two hits on the night for Potomac.
Thursday night, the P-Nats will look for a series victory, as they turn to RHP Erick Fedde (5-3, 4.13). Fedde is 3-0 with a 1.00 ERA over his last six outings, which span 27.0 innings. The righty is 2-0 with a 4.09 ERA in two starts vs. Winston-Salem. For the Dash, RHP Thad Lowry (6-6, 4.13) will make his second start of the season vs. Potomac. Lowry allowed five runs over four innings in a loss at Pfitzner Stadium on May 28th. First pitch is set for 7:00pm Wednesday night at BB&T Ballpark.
The Potomac Nationals Baseball Network will carry live coverage beginning with the “P-Nats Leadoff Show” at6:45pm. P-Nats Gameday Audio on the Potomac Nationals Baseball Network is available atwww.potomacnationals.com or via the TuneIn Radio App.
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