Potomac (26-32-Overall, 12-18-Road) took a 10-7 lead into the eighth inning, only to relinquish a season-high seven runs in the frame, including a go-ahead grand slam by Carolina (28-29-Overall, 18-13-Home) to fall 14-10 in Game Two of the series at Five County Stadium on Tuesdaynight.
RHP Phillips Valdez made his third start in a Potomac uniform in the ballgame and was erratic from the start tossing only four innings and allowing four runs (two earned) on six hits, three walks and he struck out a season high five batters.
For Carolina it was LHP Yean Carlos Gil who toed the rubber and had his worst outing of the season, lasting only one and two-thirds innings on the mound and giving up seven runs (five earned) on six hits with a walk and a strikeout.
Neither starting pitcher factored in the decision in 14-10 ballgame.
The scoring began early and often with Carolina tagging Valdez for three in the bottom of the first inning. Valdez, who was up in the zone all night, was hit for a lead-off double by CF Sean Godfrey to open the ballgame. 2B Keith Curcio followed with an RBI single to make it 1-0 Mudcats. After LF Dustin Peterson reached on an error charged to 2B Christopher Bostick that moved Curcio to third, DH Jacob Schrader knocked in Curcio with the second double of the inning for a 2-0 lead. The third and final run of the frame came home on 3B Carlos Franco’s RBI groundout for a 3-0 lead.
Potomac’s offense answered with a seven spot in the top of the second knocking Gil out of the ballgame. C Spencer Kieboom, who is hitting .359 when leading off an inning, walked to begin the onslaught. Two batters later, with two outs 3B Khayyon Norfork doubled Kieboom to third. RF Brandon Miller spanked a double down the left field line to cut the lead to 3-2 Mudcats. CF Narciso Mesa followed with an RBI single to tie the game at 3-3. Bostick then extended his hitting streak to 13 games with a single, moving Mesa to second. The 13-gamer for Bostick is the longest in the Carolina League this season. SS Stephen Perez brought Mesa home with an RBI single and LF Isaac Ballou plated Bostick, who also stole a bag, with an RBI ground-rule double for a 5-3 Potomac advantage. The final tallies of the frame came home when Kieboom, batting for the second time in the second inning, reached on an error to second baseman Curcio that scored both Bostick and Perez for a 7-3 lead when the dust settled.
It remained 7-3 until the fourth inning, the final frame for Valdez. With two outs Valdez issued back-to-back walks to Godfrey, who went 3-for-5 with a walk, two runs and an RBI in the game, and Curcio. Peterson then struck out on a ball in the dirt that scooted away from the backstop Kieboom. He picked up the ball and fired a bullet to first that hit Peterson in the back and allowed Godfrey to score an unearned run from second base, with the error going to Kieboom to make it 7-4.
RHP Justin Jackson, who logged three innings for the Muddies allowing two unearned runs on two hits and two walks, was in the game in the fifth when Potomac grabbed two runs back. DH Drew Ward singled and moved all the way to third on back-to-back groundouts. Miller then reached on an error charged to SS Johan Camargo that Ward scored on to make it 8-4. Mesa then walked pushing Miller to second base and RHP Britt Robertshaw entered the game. Bostick singled to score Miller and make it 9-4 Potomac.
Carolina plated one run in the home half of the fifth on a lead-off double by Franco and an RBI double by RF Joey Meneses to make it 9-5 Potomac. Both two-baggers came off of RHP Derek Self into the ballgame in relief of Valdez in the fifth.
Self remained in the game in the bottom of the sixth and was dinged for another run when, with one out he gave up a double to Curcio, who then scored on the RBI double by Schrader to make cut the lead to 9-6 P-Nats. Self gave up six hits, four of which were doubles, and Potomac as a unit gave up seven two-baggers in the contest.
1B John Wooten crushed a ball over the leftfield wall for his third home run of the season and second in as many nights for a 10-6 lead against Robertshaw in the seventh, who pitched two innings allowing one run on two hits and striking out two.
Self began the seventh inning allowing back-to-back singles but was lifted for RHP Tyler Mapes. The final line for Self was two-plus innings pitched, three runs on six hits and one strikeout. Mapes allowed an inherited runner to score after back-to-back fielder’s choice balls Godfrey connected for an RBI single to cut the lead to 10-7 Potomac.
The wheels completely fell off in the eighth for the Nationals bullpen. Mapes began the inning but it would take three hurlers to finish it. Peterson smashed a home run off Mapes to begin the seventh inning, making the score 10-8. Schrader then doubled and LHP Nick Lee (0-1, 2.95) was summoned from the bullpen. Franco greeted Lee with an RBI single scoring Schrader to make it a one-run ballgame at 10-9. Meneses then singled pushing Franco to second and on a sacrifice bunt attempt Bostick was charged with his second error of the contest on a dropped throw on the attempt resulting in the bases loaded for Carolina. The batter was C Joe Odum against the lefty Lee and Odum did not miss. He deposited one off the video board in left-centerfield for a go-ahead grand slam in the eighth inning and the comeback for Carolina was complete, it was 13-10. After a walk to Camargo, a strikeout of Godfrey and a single by Curcio, Lee was lifted for RHP Cody Davis. Davis walked Peterson to load the bases and then got a strikeout for the second out of the inning. He then walked Franco to push home the 14th run of the ballgame and make it 14-10 Carolina. At long last Meneses popped out to the leftfielder Ballou to end the seven run frame. Carolina sent 13 men to the plate and banged out six hits to take the lead.
Lee took the loss for the giving up the grand slam, pitching just a third of an inning and giving up five runs (four earned) on four hits, a walk and he had a strikeout. Davis, who finished the inning, pitched two-thirds of an inning, walked two and struck out one.
After the Wooten home run in the seventh RHP Richie Tate (1-0, 0.00) came in and finished the inning and then stranded the bases loaded in the eighth to earn the win, his first of the year.
RHP Mauricio Cabrera came in and pitched a perfect ninth to close out the come-from-behind 14-10 Carolina victory.
Potomac’s bullpen gave up ten runs (nine earned) in the final four innings after Valdez was lifted and allowed a season high 19 hits and 14 runs in the loss. They also tied their season high for runs allowed in an inning with the seven run eighth and the three hour and forty minute contest marked the longest game of the 2015 season.
Each team, used five pitchers and the series now stands at one win apiece. Wilmington was swept in a double header by the Winston-Salem Dash so Potomac, despite the tough loss, picked up a half game and will be just seven games behind the Blue Rocks tomorrow.
Game Three at Five County Stadium presents RHP Reynaldo Lopez (3-2, 3.69) for Potomac against RHP Andrew Waszak (2-4, 2.96) for Carolina.
First pitch at 7:00 pm and you can tune in live at www.potomacnationals.com and the TuneIn Radio App starting at 6:45 with the P-Nats Lead-Off Showon The Potomac Nationals Baseball Network.
Share
Contributors
