Ricky Hague had 3 RBI including the go-ahead sac fly in the seventh inning as the Potomac Nationals took game one of a four-game set in Myrtle Beach against the Pelicans. Hague also hit a two-run homer for the Nationals.
Myrtle Beach started the scoring off Nationals starter Matt Grace in the first. Odubel Herrera singled then stole two bases and scored on a groundout to give the Pelicans a 1-0 lead.
Potomac responded against Myrtle Beach spot starter Kyle DeVore in the third inning. Francisco Soriano hit a two-out RBI single to tie the contest 1-1. Potomac took the lead in the third 2-1 on a Kevin Keyes single scoring Michael Taylor who was at second after his 22nd double of the year.
In the fifth with two outs and no one on, Soriano walked. The next batter Hague hit a long homer just to the left of the 400 foot marker in right-center field to give the P-Nats a 4-1 lead. It was the third homer of the year for Hague. DeVore didn’t factor into the decision giving up four earned runs in five innings striking out four.
Myrtle Beach responded quickly in the bottom half of the inning with three runs to the game. Josh Richmond knocked an RBI single and Teodoro Martinez hit a two-run single to tie the score 4-4.
The Nationals would retake the lead in the seventh inning again Francisco Mendoza. Hague hit a sac fly on a shallow ball to left field with Blake Kelso, who reached base three times scoring two runs, getting to home just in time for the Nationals to take a 5-4 lead.
Neil Holland tossed scoreless seventh and eighth innings for the P-Nats in relief. Rob Wort earned his fourth save of the season striking out two batters in the ninth to preserve the 5-4 Potomac win.
Grace (4-6) got the win tossing six innings striking out four. Mendoza (2-4) took the loss for Myrtle Beach.
The win marked the first for Potomac on the fourth game during this end of the first half road trip.
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Chris Graham
