P-Nats fall to Keys, trail 2-1 in playoff series

The Frederick Keys held the Potomac Nationals to just three hits on Saturday night in Woodbridge in a 5-1 victory that pushed them one win away from the Mills Cup Championship Series. Scott Copeland was in command for seven outstanding innings, the middle of the Keys’ order shone, and Potomac was held without a hit after the fourth inning in the Game 3 loss.

For the first time in the series, Frederick took the first lead of the ballgame. Fittingly, Jonathan Schoop and Manny Machado were right in the middle of the opening rally. With one out, Schoop singled off Nationals’ starter Evan Bronson. Machado then doubled him home with a laser down the right field line to put the Keys ahead 1-0.

Potomac, held to two infield singles in the first three innings, tied the game with a ball hit decidedly out of the infield. Destin Hood hit an impressive home run to right field that knotted the score at one.

That would be the Nationals’ last hit.

The Keys – led by Schoop, Machado and Aaron Baker – kept on coming. In the fifth, Schoop doubled with one out. Machado brought him home with a sharp single to right field, and would score on a Baker double to deep left-center.

Bobby Stevens led off the sixth with a single. After Dale Mollenhauer grounded out, Schoop walked. Machado hit a hard line drive to third base that was dropped by Jose Lozada. It deflected off his glove and into the corner by the left field bullpen, and allowed Bobby Stevens to score from second. Baker then hit a sacrifice fly to right to plate Schoop, make it 5-1 and close out the scoring.

Copeland retired 11 of the last 12 Nationals batters he faced; his lone miscue was a pitch that hit Steven Souza in the seventh.

Ryan Berry pitched a perfect eighth and ninth to push the Keys to the brink of the Championship Series against the Kinston Indians. Kinston defeated Myrtle Beach 9-2 to close out the Southern Division Series.

The Nationals turn to Adam Olbrychowski in Sunday’s elimination game. Ryohei Tanaka takes the mound for the Keys at 1:05 P.M.