The Dash (40-46-Overall, 21-22-Home, 10-6-Second Half) turned a one-run ballgame into a 7-3 rout with three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning and cruised to the victory in Game Two of the series against the Potomac Nationals (43-43-Overall, 18-24-Road, 10-6-Second Half) at BB&T Ballpark on Saturday night.
RHP Ian Dickson (0-0, 3.68) made his first start in 2015 for the Potomac Nationals after spending all of last season with the P-Nats in 2014. Dickson did make two starts with the GCL Nationals earlier in 2015 and appeared once out of the bullpen for Potomac prior to this start. Dickson lasted 4.1 innings, giving up three runs (earned) on six hits with a walk and a strikeout and he did not factor into the decision.
Dickson was gifted a two-run lead in the top of the second when DH John Wooten walked to begin the inning against LHP Jordan Guerrero (2-1, 4.79), who started for the Dash. 3B Drew Ward then lined an RBI triple down the right field line, scoring Wooten for a 1-0 Potomac lead. 1B Grant DeBruin next hit a sacrifice fly scoring Ward for a 2-0 lead.
In the bottom of the second against Dickson, Winston-Salem snapped a streak of 98 consecutive frames without a home run when DH TJ Williams lined one over the right field wall, his first of the season and the lead was 2-1 Potomac.
C Adderling Ruiz, the backup catcher making his Carolina League debut, came up in the top of the third and mashed a ball out to left field for his first full season career long ball and a 3-1 Potomac lead.
In the fourth frame against the righty Dickson allowed three straight singles that led a run. RF Nolan Earley led-off the inning with a single and two batters later SS Clueluis Rondon singled him home to cut the lead 3-2.
Dickson didn’t last the fifth inning, being lifted with one out after a 2B Jake Peter double. LHP Justin Thomas came in and provided no relief. Thomas was greeted rudely with an RBI double by 3B Trey Michalczewski, scoring Peter and tying the game at 3-3. Two batters later, with two outs, C Jeremy Dowdy singled home Michalczewski and that gave Winston-Salem a 4-3 lead.
Guerrero, for the Dash, pitched six innings and allowed three runs on four hits, walking three and striking out four in the win.
The score remained 4-3 Dash until the bottom of the eighth. Thomas was still in the game for Potomac when things fell apart and all with two outs. Williams singled, moved to second on a wild pitch, before Rondon singled home Williams for a 5-3 lead. LF Michael Suiter followed with a base knock and that chased Thomas from the ballgame. RHP Derek Selfentered the game and after issuing a walk to CF Adam Engel was clipped for two-run Peter single and a 7-3 Dash lead.
Potomac against RHP Jake Cose mounted nothing in his two scoreless innings of work. Cose allowed three hits but no runs with a strikeout and RHP Peter Tago entered and pitched a scoreless, one, two, three top of the ninth to close out the 7-3 win.
The P-Nats stranded two men on in each of the sixth, seventh, and eighth frames and finished the game 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position.
The 7-3 loss drops Potomac back to .500 and evens the best-of-four-series at one win apiece heading into Game Three tomorrow evening.
Tomorrow’s Game Three features RHP Reynaldo Lopez (4-5, 4.57) for Potomac against RHP Brandon Brennan (0-2, 4.34) for the Winston-Salem Dash.
Game Three of the series is set for a 5:00 pm first pitch from downtown Winston-Salem and Potomac Nationals baseball will be on the air starting at 4:45 pm. You can listen live via the TuneIn Radio App as well as atwww.potomacnationals.com starting with the “P-Nats Lead-Off Show.”
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Chris Graham
