The Fredericksburg Nationals pulled out a wild come-from-behind victory over the Lynchburg Hillcats, 10-9, in 11 innings, on Friday night.
The FredNats got on the board first. Robert Hassell III, the #2 prospect in the Washington Nationals farm system, worked a leadoff walk, then worked his way around to third base on a pair of groundouts. He came in to score on a wild pitch by Yorman Gomez.
Nats starter Jose Atencio held Lynchburg scoreless through three innings, but struggled in the fourth. Guy Lipscomb doubled with one away, then Maick Collado laced his own double to score Lipscomb, making it 1-1.
A wild pitch allowed Collado to take third, where he scored from on a fielder’s choice that Lexer Saduy managed to reach base on. Manuel Mejias kept the inning rolling with an RBI double, and the Hillcats pulled ahead 3-1.
Lynchburg kept on coming in the fifth inning, working a pair of early walks. Later, Collado reached base on an E4 that also allowed Jose Pastrano to score. A walk to Saduy loaded the bases, and Mejias promptly unloaded them with a bases-clearing double to make it a 7-1 edge for the Hillcats.
But right away in the next half inning, Armando Cruz, the Nats’ #14 prospect, singled and moved to second on a wild pitch, before Elijah Green, the third-rated prospect in the organization, drove him in with an infield single.
After a groundout, Paul Witt walked and Cortland Lawson got plunked, which loaded the bases. Murphy Stehly came up next, fell behind 0-2, before clearing the bases with a single to right, cutting into the Lynchburg lead at 7-5.
The Hillcats added one run in the seventh, and led 8-5 going into the top of the ninth. With the Freddies down three, Cruz reached on a fielder’s choice with one out. Daylen Lile, the #16 prospect in the Nats’ system, then swung first-pitch and drove Cruz home from first, with the help of an E7.
A wild pitch pushed Lile up to third base, before Green reached on an E5 with Lile crossing the plate. Green took second on a wild pitch, and Branden Boissiere came up clutch with a game-tying single into left field to tie the game at 8-8.
Juan Abreu struck out the side in the bottom of the ninth, to send it to extra innings.
With Cortland Lawson placed at second base, Muphy Stehly immediately drove him home with a single to go ahead 9-8, although Stehly was stranded at third base. The Hillcats matched that run in the bottom of the 10th, thanks to an Angel Zarate knock that plated pinch-runner Tyresse Turner.
On to the top of the 11th inning, where Cruz quickly moved from second to third base on a wild pitch. It was then Lile once again who drove Cruz in with another go-ahead run, pushing the FredNats up 10-9.
Down to their last licks, Lynchburg could not plate the runner from second against Miguel Gomez, who shut the door on a 10-9 Nationals win.
Gomez got the win, with Magnus Ellerts suffering the loss.
In Game 5 of the series on Saturday, Pablo Aldonis goes for Fredericksburg against Alonzo Richardson for the ‘Cats, in a 6:30 start.
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Chris Graham
