The Potomac Nationals (26-33 Overall, 12-19 Road) were clobbered by the Carolina Mudcats (29-29 Overall, 19-13 Home) in series Game Three on Wednesday night at Five County Stadium losing 11-3 as the home club pounded out 18 hits.
Carolina leads the four-game series two games to one with their 29th victory in 2015.
In their last two games, the Mudcats have scored a total of 25 runs on 37 hits.
Nationals starter, RHP Reynaldo Lopez (3-3) suffered his third loss of the ‘15 season in the shortest outing of his P-Nats career as the righty flamethrower went just 2.0 plus innings and allowed a season-high seven runs (six earned runs) on eight hits and two walks.
Lopez touched 101 miles per hour on the radar gun at “The Tackle Box” but also hit a batter with his heat.
Lopez threw only 35 strikes out of his 60 offerings and allowed the Mudcats to bring 10 men to the plate in the 2nd inning and 11 batters to the dish in the 3rd frame.
The four runs came home in the 2nd for Carolina on an error charged to Potomac 3B Drew Ward on a ball hit by CF Connor Lien, an RBI single off the bat of C Joe Odom, a run-scoring single into right-center field for RF Sean Godfrey, and an RBI single into right field lashed by LF Dustin Peterson.
The five runs in the 3rd were plated against Lopez and RHP Kevin Perez via a two-run single to right field by SS Johan Camargo, an RBI walk by 2B Keith Curcio, and a two-run double blasted to left field by Peterson, who went 3-for-5 with three RBIs in the contest.
Perez allowed four runs (all earned runs) on seven hits and two walks but did strike out four Mudcats swingers.
The Nationals got two runs off the winning pitcher, Mudcats RHP Andrew Waszak (3-4), in the 4th when P-Nats SS Stephen Perez walked with the bases loaded and CF Isaac Ballou chopped an RBI infield single.
Waszak dealt a quality start using 6.0 innings on the mound in which he allowed just two earned runs on eight hits to earn his third win in 2015. Waszak walked three men, hit a batter, and fanned three P-Nats.
With a 9-2 advantage for his club, Waszak witnessed from the Third Base Home Dugout his teammate Lien blast his third home run of the season, a two-run shot in the 5th off Perez that traveled into the video board in left-center field giving the Muddys an 11-2 edge.
The Carolina bullpen trio of RHP Caleb Dirks, RHP Cole Brocker, and LHP Andy Otero combined for 3.0 innings of work in which they served up four base hits but only one unearned run without walking a hitter. The three arms struck out four members of the Nationals.
The P-Nats sent RF Brandon Miller to the plate in the 8th on a ball struck by 2B Christopher Bostick that got through Carolina 3B Carlos Franco. This play resulted in Franco’s second fielding error of the night.
Bostick snapped a Carolina League-long 13-game hitting streak despite reaching base three times on two walks and a hit by pitch.
Potomac LHP Justin Thomas pitched 3.0 scoreless frames in relief of Perez and gave up three hits but no walks and struck out a pair.
The Nationals stranded two runners aboard in the 9th inning as Otero fanned DH Jimmy Yezzo swinging to ink the Mudcats’ eight-run win.
The Red, White, and Blue will look to salvage both their four-game series vs. the Mudcats and their longest road trip of the 2015 season (eight games) with a victory in the Game Four series finale.
Tomorrow evening in the series finale it will be Potomac RHP Nick Pivetta (4-4, 2.39) hurling against Carolina RHP Seth Webster (2-1, 1.71) in a 7:00pmfirst pitch before the Nationals head home to open up a three-game homestand against the Frederick Keys (Baltimore Orioles).
The Potomac Nationals Baseball Network will carry live coverage of the game beginning with the “P-Nats Lead-Off Show” at 6:45pm before the live play-by-play at 7:00pm. 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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