Brian Peacock’s pinch-hit double in the ninth inning broke a 9-9 tie, capped a stirring comeback and put the Nationals ahead for the first time in a game they once trailed 8-1 and eventually held on to win 11-10 on Monday night in Lynchburg. In the end, Destin Hood’s sacrifice fly later in the ninth proved the game winner, as the Nationals yielded a run in the bottom half, threw out the tying run at home plate and escaped with the signature win of their season. With the victory, Potomac won its fourth consecutive series and closed out a six-game road trip with their fourth victory that increased their second-half lead in the Carolina League’s Northern Division
The Nationals (40-48, 11-8), who trailed 8-1 in the second inning and 9-3 after the fifth, rattled off eight unanswered runs to surge ahead of a stunned crowd of 1,822 at City Stadium. Amazingly, in spite of the massive early deficit, the Nationals had to feel as though they had been unlucky to not take the lead prior to the ninth. On the evening, Potomac was just 7-for-20 with runners in scoring position and stranded runners on base in each inning from the second until the eighth. But Peacock and Hood ensured that this would not be a day remembered for missed opportunities; rather, it will go down as the most enthralling victory of the season.
Early on, this night to remember looked like one to forget. After Francisco Soriano got the night off to an auspicious start with a leadoff home run – his second of the year – things unraveled for Potomac starter Paul Demny.
In each of the first two innings, he retired the first two Lynchburg hitters. Thereafter, he ran into troube – so much so that his night ended before the second inning. Phil Gosselin hit a home run to right field to tie it in the first, and his homer in the second inning scored three and chased Demny with a 7-1 Lynchburg edge on the scoreboard. In between, Demny allowed five straight two-out baserunners (four hits and a walk including a home run to Joe Leonard).
The Hillcats (36-52, 6-12) added another run with Joe Leonard’s home run in the third off Mitchell Clegg, who relieved Demny and pitched steadily for three and a third innings. After Potomac got two runs in the fourth (Justin Bloxom homered, Eury Perez doubled and scored on a J.R. Higley double), the ‘Cats tacked on their ninth run with an RBI double from Leonard, who finished the night a triple shy of the cycle.
In the sixth, the Hillcats defense let the Nationals back in the game; it was not the last time they lent a helping hand. With runners at second and third and no outs, Higley hit a hard liner to Leonard, who had been brilliant on the night at third base. He dove and caught it but his wild throw to second base scored Leon and kept two on with still no outs. Lozada sacrifriced them into scoring position with one out; after Soriano popped out to second, Kobernus and Hood singled to make it 9-7.
They got two more unearned runs in the seventh to tie the game. Eliecer Cardenas hit Souza to start the inning and Higley singled. Lozada then bunted again, but Cardenas attempted to make the play at third and fired wildly into left field, allowing both runs to score and knot the score at nine.
Josh Smoker and Marcos Frias were excellent out of the pen: Frias pitched an inning and two thirds scoreless, while Smoker held the ‘Cats in check for one and a third and earned his third win of the season.
After an off day Tuesday, the Nationals open an eight-game homestand on Wednesday as Kinston comes to town for a matchup of clubs that lead the League in the second half standings. Chien-Ming Wang takes the mound for Potomac on Wednesday at 7:05 P.M. To get tickets for Wang’s start and the entire homestand, visit the team’s website at potomacnationals.com or call the ticket office at 703-590-2311.
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