P-Nats come up short in 2-1 loss to Keys

The Potomac Nationals (11-19) fell 2-1 in the opener of their six-game road trip on Tuesday night, taking a brief lead in the middle innings but allowing a comeback to the Frederick Keys (14-16). LHP Nick Raquet turned in a solid outing, recording outs in the sixth inning for the first time this season, but ultimately received the loss.

Potomac took the field for the first time since Friday night, with weather cancellations on both Saturday and Sunday and a scheduled off day on Monday. The loss was their second straight, and ended a stretch of two consecutive wins away from Woodbridge.

While it took some time for the bats to wake up against Frederick RHP Brenan Hanifee, Raquet (L, 1-5) was sharp from his first inning onwards. The lefty didn’t allow a hit until CF Kervin Moesquit’s double to start the third inning, and stranded the speedy runner at third thanks to a well-timed double play and strikeout.

The P-Nats had plenty of opportunities in the early innings, stranding two runners on base in four consecutive innings against Hanifee. Their best chance came in the fifth, when RF Nick Banks led off the inning with a single and found his way to third with the bases loaded and no outs. DH Aldrem Corredor lifted a fly ball to left that was deep enough to score the run, but Banks tagged from third early and was called out on appeal. Hanifee worked out of the jam, and kept the game scoreless heading to the sixth.

Rehabbing Orioles reliever LHP Richard Bleier (W, 1-0) made his first Keys appearance in the sixth, allowing a double to C Jakson Reetz on the first pitch of the inning. The veteran almost escaped the predicament, but allowed a two-out RBI single to CF Gage Canning to put Potomac ahead 1-0.

Pitching with a lead for the first time all night, Raquet’s sixth inning began with a pair of strikeouts. But after getting ahead 0-2 to 3B Jomar Reyes, Raquet allowed a walk and then hit 1B JC Escarra with a pitch to put two men aboard. LF Trevor Craport then lined an RBI double down the right field line to tie the game, ending Raquet’s night.

LHP Carson Teel entered from the bullpen, and walked DH Will Robertson and C Stuart Levy to put the Keys in front. Teel would settle down after that, turning in 2.1 innings of scoreless relief, but the offense couldn’t tie the game back up. LHP Travis Seabrooke pitched 2.0 scoreless frames of relief for Frederick, and RHP Diógenes Almengo (S, 2) worked around a two-out walk to shut the door.

The P-Nats will look to even the series on Wednesday night as they send RHP Andrew Lee to the mound against Keys RHP Mike Baumann. First pitch from Nymeo Field at Herry Grove Stadium is set for 7:00 pm, with the P-Nats Leadoff Show beginning at 6:45 on the Potomac Nationals Baseball Network. Fans can listen to the Potomac broadcast at potomacnationals.com or on the TuneIn Radio App.