Potomac Nationals shut out Salem Red Sox, 5-0

Potomac (49-57-Overall, 26-28-Home, 16-20-Second Half) used a four run fourth inning to roll to a 5-0 victory in the finale over Salem (53-55-Overall, 27-27-Road, 15-23-Second Half) at Pfitzner Stadium on Sunday night.

RHP Austen Williams (2-3, 2.70) made the start for Potomac and pitched six innings, allowing no runs on five hits with a walk and six strikeouts, earning his second win of the season.

A scoreless ballgame went to the bottom of the fourth against RHP Ty Buttrey (7-5, 3.65) and Potomac took control. RF Narciso Mesaled-off with a double. 3B John Wooten reached on a bunt single moving Mesa to third. 1B Grant DeBruin lined an RBI single, scoring Mesa to give Potomac a 1-0 lead. DH Drew Ward came up and hammered a pitch out to right field for home run number five, a three run shot, that gave Potomac a 4-0 lead.

Williams, in his sixth inning, really held Salem off balance throughout the outing. It was in the fourth, the Red Sox’s best chance to score, when they picked up back-to-back hits with two outs. C Jordan Procyshen was then retired on a comebacker to end the inning.

RHP Jake Johansen entered in the seventh inning and logged a scoreless frame despite a walk and a hit batsman.

Potomac plated their final run in the bottom of the seventh against Buttrey when CF Rafael Bautista was hit by a pitch. He swiped second base and moved to second on a Mesa single. Wooten came up and brought home Bautista with a sacrifice fly for a 5-0 lead.

LHP Mike Adams pitched the bottom of the eighth and came up with a scoreless inning for Salem.

RHP Phillips Valdez pitched a perfect eighth inning and RHP Brian Dupra followed with a scoreless ninth inning to close out the 5-0 win for Potomac.

Potomac snapped a five game losing streak and a nine game losing streak at home with the getaway day win. Potomac, with an off daytomorrow, heads to Lynchburg to take on the Hillcats on Tuesday night at 6:30 pm.

In the opener in the Lynchburg series Potomac will send LHP Matthew Spann (0-6, 4.87) to the mound against RHP Mitch Brown (7-9, 5.32) for the ‘Cats.