The Potomac Nationals (40-37, 3-7) allowed six runs over the first three innings on Sunday night, as they fell 6-1 to the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (37-44, 3-6). It was the second consecutive night that the league’s top ranked offense saw just one man cross the plate.
In his second start with Potomac, LHP Nick Raquet (L, 1-1) failed to make it through three innings, as he got just one out in his third inning of work. For the second straight game, Potomac’s starter gave up a first inning, two-out RBI base hit to C Jhonny Pereda. The Pelicans led 1-0 after one inning.
Myrtle Beach broke the game open with three runs in the second inning, and another two runs in the third frame. In the home half of the second, Raquet retired the first two batters of the inning, but then saw four straight batters reach with two outs. 1B Austin Upshaw and RF Luis Ayala connected with back-to-back singles, while CF D.J. Wilson drew a walk, which loaded the bases. SS Aramis Ademan made it 3-0 with a two-run single, while a wild pitch from Raquet made it 4-0 in favor of Myrtle Beach.
In the bottom of the third inning, the first two men reached against Raquet, and after a sacrifice bunt from 2B Andruw Monasterio, LF Kevonte Mitchell made it 6-0 Pelicans with a two-run double. Raquet then walked Upshaw, which caused Potomac to go to the bullpen with one out in the bottom of the third inning. LHP Hayden Howard got out of the jam in the third inning, and provided 3.2 innings of shutout relief for Potomac. RHP Steven Fuentes followed with two scoreless innings for the P-Nats.
Potomac’s offense had plenty of chances throughout the night, as the P-Nats went 0-10 with RISP and left 10 men on base in the loss. The P-Nats left men at first and second base in the second inning, the bases loaded in the third inning, and a runner in scoring position in the fourth inning, all against LHP Bryan Hudson (ND). Hudson pitched into the fifth frame, but issued a leadoff walk to 2B Bryan Mejia, and followed that with a HBP of CF Jack Sundberg. Out of the Myrtle Beach bullpen, LHP Ryan Kellogg (W, 2-1) then retired 3B Ian Sagdal, and got 1B Nick Basto to roll into an inning-ending double play.
Kellogg surrendered Myrtle Beach’s lone run of the night in the sixth inning. RF Rhett Wiseman began the frame with a double, advanced to third base on a groundout by C Jakson Reetz, and scored on a sacrifice fly from LF Nick Banks. Kellogg allowed one run over 3.1 innings out of the bullpen, while RHP Casey Bloomquist retired five of the six batters that he faced, as he closed out the 6-1 Myrtle Beach victory.
Off of three straight losses, the P-Nats will aim to get back into the series on Monday night, as RHP Joan Baez (3-6, 4.92) is set to start for Potomac. Baez surrendered seven runs over just 3.1 innings in his last start, but had allowed just one earned run in total in his two prior outings. For the Pelicans, RHP Tyson Miller (6-6, 3.71) will make his 14th start of the season. Miller has lost each of his last two starts, but has pitched at least five innings in all but one start this season.
First pitch at TicketReturn.com Field on Monday is set for 7:05pm. The Potomac broadcast will get underway at 6:50pm with the P-Nats Leadoff Show. You can listen to the Potomac broadcast at potomacnationals.com, at http://bit.ly/P-NatsBroadcast, or on the TuneIn Radio App.
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Chris Graham
