Paul Demny threw eight strong innings against the Myrtle Beach Pelicans and led the Potomac Nationals to a 3-2 victory.
In his previous six starts, Demny failed to last through six innings and averaged over four runs per start during that stretch. Saturday night, however, he delivered perhaps his best start of the season.
Demny faced his first obsticle when Myrtle Beach knocked consecutive one-out singles in the third inning. Demny settled in, though, and induced the next batter into a double play, which ended the inning and the threat.
The Nationals offense came to the aid of their starting pitcher early as well, thanks to a leadoff double by Archie Gilbert. After he was moved over on a fly out to right field, Destin Hood knocked him home on a sacrifice fly. Hood increased his RBI total to 74 and inched closer to the Carolina League leader, Winston-Salem’s Ian Gac who has 82.
That run remained the game’s only tally until the sixth inning. With one out in the frame, Steven Souza was hit by a pitch by Kennil Gomez with one out. The very next batter, Sandy Leon, cracked a double into the right-center gap which scored Souza all the way from first.
The next inning, the Nationals bats remained hot when Cutter Dykstra led the inning of with a double down the left field line. Archie Gilbert followed him with a seeing-eye single through the gap between shortstop and third, but Dykstra was only able to advance to third on the play.
The next play proved to be the play of the game as Jose Lozada chopped a grounder to third and Dykstra shuffled towards home on contact. The third baseman whipped the ball to home but Dykstra slid brilliantly and avoided the tag from the catcher, which gave him the run and gave the P-Nats the 3-0 lead late in the game.
The Pelicans did not go quietly, though, when in the eighth inning the led off with consecutive extra base hits, which plated one run and left another runner on third with no outs. The runner came home shortly after on a ground ball to second where Potomac traded an out for a run, which cleared the bases. Demny finished the inning without another blemish.
He ended his day with eight innings pitched, five hits, two runs and struck out four batters.
Marcos Frias relieved him in the ninth and with the exception of a leadoff single, he shut the door on the Pelicans and ended the game by the 3-2 score.
Demny (8-10) was awarded the win for his brilliant performance while Gomez (2-3) was given the loss for Myrtle Beach.
The Nationals and Pelicans wrap up their four-game weekend series tomorrow afternoon. Potomac will send Cameron Selik (4-8) to the hill while Myrtle Beach sends Justin Grimm (3-2).
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Chris Graham
