The Potomac Nationals (27-33 Overall, 13-19 Road) doubled up the Carolina Mudcats (29-30 Overall, 19-14 Home) winning 6-3 in the series finale of a four-game road set to cap their longest bus journey of the 2015 season (two cities and eight contests) on Thursday night at Five County Stadium.
Potomac split the four-gamer with Carolina after doing the same against the Salem Red Sox (Boston) on the frontend of the road trip.
Nationals starting slinger, RHP Nick Pivetta (5-4), on the same day he was announced as one of two P-Nats to represent the club in the 2015 California League vs. Carolina League All-Star Game on June 23rd in Rancho Cucamonga, CA (along with C Spencer Kieboom), hurled his seventh quality start of the 2015 season in his 12th appearance on the mound this year en route to his fifth win.
Pivetta dealt 6.0 innings and allowed just three earned runs on seven hits while overcoming five walks and striking out four Mudcats. The Canadian-born dealer threw exactly 100 pitches and 57 of his pitches went for strikes.
Pivetta allowed the ballgame’s first run as Carolina 3B Carlos Franco led off the 2nd inning with a triple ripped to the right-center field wall before Mudcats RF Connor Lien deadened an RBI bunt single to the right of the pitcher’s mound.
The Nationals tied the game at 1-1 in the 4th frame using a solo home run off the lumber of 1B John Wooten on an offering from the losing pitcher, RHP Seth Webster (2-2). Wooten, a native of nearby Goldsboro, NC, gashed the ball over the fence in the left field corner. The bomb was Wooten’s third homer of the series and fourth of the 2015 campaign.
Webster lost his second decision this year after giving up five runs (all earned) on nine base hits including Wooten’s deep fly in 6.0 innings. Webster, a side-armer, walked one batter, unleashed one wild pitch, and fanned four.
The Mudcats recaptured the lead with one run tally in the 5th as Franco cranked an RBI double to the barrier in left-center to deliver the leadoff walk issued to Carolina CF Keith Curcio, who received three free passes in the contest.
Potomac exploded four a quartet of runs off Webster in the top of the 6th stanza. P-Nats LF Isaac Ballou blasted a low line drive off the leg of Carolina 2B Reed Harper that caromed into right field. Ballou scored the tying run on a two-bagger swept into the right field corner by 3B Drew Ward. Potomac C Craig Manuel delivered the go-ahead RBI single on a groundball into right field which plated Ward. Nationals RF Estarlin Martinez worked a walk on a 3-2 pitch to make Webster face CF Narciso Mesa. A wild pitch put two runners into scoring position before Mesa zipped a two-run single into center field giving the Nationals a 5-2 edge. Mesa was thrown out 8-3-4 at second base as the throw from Curcio in center field was cut off by Mudcats 1B Joey Meneses and dealt to Harper who applied the tag.
Carolina responded with their last run off Pivetta in the home half of the 6th. 2015 Carolina League All-Star SS Johan Camargo raked a triple into the alleyway in right-center field and scored when Harper lifted an RBI sacrifice fly into center field making it a 5-3 affair.
The P-Nats received an insurance run that yielded a three-run advantage for the visiting club when 2B Christopher Bostick launched a solo homer off Carolina RHP Dave Peterson in the 7th that crashed into the video board in left-center field. The clout was Bostick’s second home run of the road trip and fourth four-bagger of the ’15 ledger. Bostick extended his on-base streak to 15 games with a three-hit night (his fourth three-hit game on the bus trip).
Peterson went 2.0 innings behind Webster and allowed just that one earned run on three hits.
Mudcats RHP Jorge Zavala improved his scoreless innings streak to 10.1 frames with 1.0 scoreless relief inning (9th) in which the hard-thrower allowed just an infield single to Bostick.
Potomac RHP Wander Suero (SV 2) was stellar in his second save of the season. Suero gunned through 3.0 scoreless innings in which he allowed three hits but no walks and struck out a trio. Suero saw Curcio serve a double up the left field line in the bottom of the 9th with one out after he struck out DH Sean Godrey swinging. Mudcats LF Dustin Peterson fanned looking for the second out. Then, Meneses sprayed a line out to Martinez in right field to seal the series split for the Red, White, and Blue.
Suero is now two-for-two in save opportunities with the Nationals this year.
Tomorrow night the Nationals open up a three-game weekend homestand against their Northern Division rivals, the Frederick Keys (Baltimore Orioles) at Pfitzner Stadium.
Potomac sends Washington Nationals unanimous number one overall prospect, RHP Lucas Giolito (1-4, 4.59) to the mound to battle against Frederick LHP Mitch Horacek (4-5, 3.86) in the 7:05pm Friday evening clash.
The Potomac Nationals Baseball Network will carry live coverage of the game beginning with the “P-Nats Lead-Off Show” at 6:50pmbefore the live play-by-play at 7:05pm. P-Nats Gameday Audio on the Potomac Nationals Baseball Network is accessible atwww.potomacnationals.com or with the TuneIn Radio App.
Gates to The Pfitz open at 6:00pm on Friday evening as the P-Nats will host a pre-game beer tasting courtesy of Flying Dog Brewery (Frederick, MD). Kids will race the bases after the game presented by Glory Days Grill. In addition, another Scout Night will take place post-game in which scout kids will camp out on the ballpark diamond all night while enjoying a movie under the stars.
Share
Contributors
