For the second consecutive night, the Potomac Nationals (37-41, 4-4) batted around in the first inning, as they scored four runs in the top of the first inning on Thursday night in a 5-1 victory over the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (45-32, 2-5). Wednesday night, the P-Nats plated eight runs in the top of the first inning in route to a 12-5 win.
CF Victor Robles led off the game with a sharp ground ball to third base, which 3B Jesse Hodges fielded cleanly, but then airmailed the throw over 1B Matt Rose. After LHP Ryan Kellogg (L, 3-5) retired LF Jack Sundberg, 3B Dan Gamache made it 1-0 with an RBI hit in his first at-bat in the Nationals’ organization. 1B Ian Sagdal followed with a single, while SS David Masters plated both Gamache and Sagdal with a double. With two outs, 2B Bryan Mejia made it 4-0 in favor of Potomac with an RBI single. Potomac tagged Kellogg for five runs, three earned, over five innings.
Four runs in the first inning proved to be more than enough for LHP Taylor Guilbeau (W, 2-1), who tossed a career high seven-shutout innings. In the start, Guilbeau struck out four, allowed just five hits, all singles, and let just one Myrtle Beach batter reach scoring position. Guilbeau faced the minimum over the first three frames and induced two double plays over dominant outing.
The P-Nats strung consecutive two-out hits together in the fifth inning against Kellogg and made it 5-0. Sagdal tallied his second double and third hit of the night, while Masters followed with an RBI single, his third RBI in the game.
Myrtle Beach went into the ninth inning scoreless for the second time in the series, but once again, avoided the shutout. RHP Mariano Rivera III entered for the final frame and gave up two-straight one-out doubles, as Hodges had the Pelicans’ first extra-base hit of the night, and LF Eloy Jimenez plated Hodges with his only hit of the evening.
Off of the series victory, the P-Nats will head to Buies Creek, NC and begin a four-game series with the Astros. It will be Potomac’s first visit to Buies Creek in franchise history and the only series between the two teams at the home of the Astros in 2017. In the opener, RHP Luis Reyes (5-7, 4.97) is set to start for Potomac. Reyes surrendered a season high 10 hits in his last start, a loss to the Carolina Mudcats. For the Astros, RHP Franklin Perez (3-2, 2.85) will search to bounce back from his worst start of the season. Last time out, Perez gave up four runs over five innings in a loss to the Winston-Salem Dash.
First pitch is set for 7:00pm Friday night. The Potomac broadcast will get underway at 6:45pm with the P-Nats Leadoff Show. You can listen to the Potomac broadcast at potomacnationals.com or on the TuneIn Radio App.
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Chris Graham
