On Sunday afternoon, the Potomac Nationals (11-7 Overall, 10-1 Road) bested the Wilmington Blue Rocks (6-12 Overall, 1-10 Home) by the score of 3-1 in 12 innings to stay undefeated playing at Daniel S. Frawley Stadium in 2016 (8-0).
P-Nats DH Andrew Stevenson drilled an RBI double to the gap in right-center field to score the go-ahead run in the 12th.
The Nationals sealed the deal on a five-game sweep of the Blue Rocks with their first extra-innings victory of the 2016 campaign.
The set blank job was the P-Nats’ second series sweep of the season.
Four of the five Nationals pitchers used in the series finale allowed just one single base hit.
The Red, White, and Blue won the standoff despite going 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position.
P-Nats starter, RHP Wirkin Estevez turned in his best outing of the year with 5.0 scoreless innings logged in which he allowed just one base hit. Estevez walked a pair and struck out one in the no-decision.
Meanwhile, Wilmington starting pitcher, RHP Pedro Fernandez was great through 7.0 scoreless stanzas in which he surrendered four separated hits (three singles and one double). Fernandez, who like his opposition, Estevez, did not factor into a decision, struck out one man per inning (seven) and walked just two (one intentionally).
Potomac had only two men in scoring position during Fernandez’s time on the mound.
Estevez threw 66 pitches and 43 offerings for strikes while the Dominican-born righty faced three batters over the minimum in the Northern Division clash.
The Blue Rocks had only four baserunners through five innings which came on a fielding error in the 1st charged to P-Nats SS Osvaldo Abreu, walks issued to C Luis Villegas and 1B Ryan O’Hearn in the 3rd and 4th, respectively, and a single (first hit of the game for Wilmington) courtesy of 3B Wander Franco in the 4th.
Potomac reliever, RHP Mario Sanchez took the ball in a scoreless stalemate in the 6th and went on to throw 2.1 scoreless frames. Sanchez gave up an unearned run without walking a batter and struck out a trio of men.
After failing to plate a run despite having runners on the corners and one out in the 7th, the Nationals manufactured the first run of the game in the 8th inning against Wilmington LHP Ian Tompkins. Potomac CF Narciso Mesa reached first via an infield single tapped towards Blue Rocks SS Humberto Arteaga, who overran the ball on a bare-hand pick-up attempt before Tompkins unleashed a wild pitch to get Mesa to second base. Stevenson who reached base five times in the game, drew a walk to put two runners aboard and during the at-bat of Abreu, a successful double steal for the tandem of Mesa and Stevenson put runners at second and third base. Abreu then lofted an RBI sacrifice fly out to right field to score Mesa and break up the scoreless tie.
In the bottom of the 8th, the Rocks struck back with one run of their own. Abreu’s second fielding mistake of the game was scored as an error and the leadoff man, Villegas reached first base. Wilmington’s Pinch Runner, Brandon Downes was sacrificed to second base on a bunt from DH Robert Pehl. The Nationals brought in RHP Koda Glover (BS 1) who then gave up an RBI single bulleted into right field off the bat of 2B Corey Toups to tie the contest. The unearned run was charged to Sanchez but Glover did blow the save opportunity. Arteaga, the next batter, lifted a high drive to right field and for the second time in the series, RF Dale Carey made a miraculous game-saving leaping, diving catch, this time to the warning track to rob Arteaga of extra bases and the Blue Rocks of the lead. Glover fanned O’Hearn to wrap up the 8th inning.
Glover silenced the Blue Rocks in the 9th with a three up, three down inning.
Blue Rocks bullpen arm, RHP Evan Beal was terrific through 3.0 scoreless innings spanning from the 9th to the 11th while he fanned five and walked just one.
The Nationals wasted a double from Carey (who represented the go-ahead run) that grazed off O’Hearn’s glove in the 9th as Beal got the next three men in order.
In the 10th, Mesa singled again and Stevenson drew a walk as was the case in the 8th but Beal pitched out of it as Mesa was throw out at home plate on a fielder’s choice ground ball struck by Abreu. Nationals 1B Jose Marmolejos fanned swinging to end the threat and strand the go-ahead and insurance runs aboard.
The P-Nats were sat down 1-2-3 in the 11th by Beal as Carey swept a 6-3 groundout and both 3B Drew Wardand 2B Bryan Mejia, who failed to get down a sac bunt in the 7th with the corners covered and one out, struck out swinging.
Potomac LHP Justin Thomas (1-1), the eventual winning pitcher, hurled out of a jam in the 10th and the 11th.
Thomas would win his first game of the ’16 journey to even his win/loss record.
Blue Rocks leadoff swinger, LH Roman Collins walked, C Chad Johnson bunted Collins to second base, Pehl popped one up to shallow right field and Carey made another full extension dive in towards the infield to rob Pehl of likely a walk-off base-hit. Toups flew out to left field on a 3-2 pitch to strand the winning run on base in the form of Collins.
Thomas surrendered a one-out infield single to O’Hearn on a fisted drive in back and to the right of tohe second base bag in the 11th but then fanned Blue Rocks CF Elier Hernandez swinging and induced Franco into a flyout to deep right field to end the inning.
In the top of the 12th, Blue Rocks LHP Tim Hill (0-2) entered the game and immediately walked Potomac LF Alec Keller, who reached base for the first time on the day. Nationals C Matt Reistetter bunted Keller to second base. Mesa then smoked a low line drive snared nicely by O’Hearn behind the first base bag for the second out as Keller moved to third base. Stevenson came up next and cranked his go-ahead, run-scoring, two-sacker into right-center to spring Keller loose to the plate. After Abreu was plunked on the lead thigh by Hill, Marmolejos punched an RBI single through the six hole and into left field plating Stevenson to make it a 3-1 contest.
Hill was saddled with his second loss of the season.
One of the Nationals’ many closer options this season, LHP R.C. Orlan (SV 1) slammed the door shut on any potential Wilmington rally in the last of the 12th to ink his first save of the season in his first save chance this year. Orlan induced Blue Rocks RF Alfredo Escalera into a groundout to Abreu at shortstop, Collins K’d swinging, and Johnson was the final out of the game on a 4-3 chopper.
The Nationals are now (1-1) in extra-inning games this year while the Blue Rocks are (0-1).
Potomac will enjoy a league-wide off-day tomorrow before hosting the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Chicago Cubs) for a three-game series at Pfitzner Stadium that ignites a six-game homestand beginning Tuesday, April 26th.
The P-Nats’ series opener vs. Myrtle Beach starts with a 7:05pm first pitch.
The Potomac Nationals Baseball Network will carry live coverage of the game beginning with the “P-Nats Lead-Off Show” at 6:50pm before the live play-by-play at 7:05pm. P-Nats Gameday Audio on the Potomac Nationals Baseball Network is accessible at www.potomacnationals.com or with the TuneIn Radio App.
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