CF Rafael Bautista hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield scoring DH Brenden Webb and Potomac (63-70-Overall, 32-32-Home, 30-33-Second Half) completed an improbably, come-from-behind 4-3 victory over the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (77-54-Overall, 38-26-Road, 36-26-Second Half) with four runs in the bottom of the ninth to earn their sixth walk-off victory of the season at Pfitzner Stadium on Tuesday night.
In the bottom of the ninth trailing 3-0 to Myrtle with RHP David Garner on the mound, Potomac worked three consecutive free passes to LF Alec Keller, 1B Grant DeBruin and 3B Drew Ward to load the bases with nobody out. The Pelicans went to their bullpen and brought in RHP Jasvir Rakkar (3-3, 3.09). Rakkar gave up three straight RBI singles, a line drive to left-center field by Webb, followed by back-to-back infield singles by C Raudy Read and then SS Stephen Perez to tie the ballgame at 3-3. After 2B Khayyan Norfork popped out to right field, Bautista came up and hit a fly ball to medium deep centerfield. CF Pin-Chieh Chen made the catch and his throw bounced in to C Victor Caratini behind the feet first slide of Webb and the Nationals were in the win column 4-3.
RHP Ian Dickson battled through three innings of work, issuing eight walks, two wild pitches and he was charged with a balk in his outing, but only allowing one hit and one run and not factoring into the decision. Dickson issued two walks in the first and the second and then four free passes in the third inning.
In the third, with runners on first and third and two outs, LF Shawon Dunston Jr. lined an RBI single into left field for a 1-0 Myrtle Beach lead. He fired 78 pitches with 35 for strikes in three innings.
LHP R.C Orlan came in and pitched the next 3.2 innings, issuing five walks and holding Myrtle off the scoreboard in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. It was in the seventh that Orlan finally gave up a run. After a one-out walk to Caratini, 1B Jacob Rogers lined an RBI double into the gap that scored Caratini ahead of the throw from Perez for a 2-0 Pelican advantage.
RHP Jake Johansen entered and issued two walks in his 1.1 innings on the mound but did not allow a run to the Pelicans on two hits and two strikeouts.
Johansen inherited Rogers at second base and allowed a single that put runners on first and third but then struck out 2B Daniel Lockhart to end the threat.
LHP Jake Walsh (1-1, 4.50) came in for the ninth and with two outs relinquished a triple to Lockhart in the ninth. He then fired a wild pitch that allowed Lockhart to score and give Myrtle a 3-0 lead.
RHP Tyler Skulina was perfect through four innings to begin the ballgame for the Pelicans, retiring the first twelve hitters before he hit DeBruin and then Ward singled. The rally in the fifth ended there and that proved to be Skulina’s last frame.
He pitched five innings and allowed one hit and no runs with no walks and five strikeouts, not factoring into the decision.
RHP Josh Conway pitched two scoreless frames, allowing one hit and he walked two and struck out two hitters before Garner entered and threw a scoreless eighth inning before the come-from-behind rally for the Nationals in the ninth.
Potomac pitching issued 16 walks, committed two errors, threw four wild pitches and was charged for a balk and still only managed to allow three runs while stranding 17 Pelicans on the base paths in the eventual win.
The Nationals inked their sixth walk-off victory on the Bautista sacrifice fly giving Walsh his first Carolina League win in 2015 and handing Rakkar the loss in the ninth.
The game featured a combined 21 walks allowed, ten hits, three errors, four wild pitches, 15 strikeouts and seven runs.
Game Two tomorrow night will see RHP Austen Williams (4-4, 2.49) for Potomac against a To Be Announced pitcher for the Myrtle Beach Pelicans.
First pitch is set for 7:05 pm from Pfiztner Stadium and you can tune in starting at 6:50 pm with “The P-Nats Lead-Off Show.” You can listen live via the TuneIn Radio App or at www.potomacnationals.com.
Tomorrow night features a Belly Buster Wednesday presented by Chili’s of Woodbridge, VA.
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Chris Graham
