The Potomac Nationals (36-39 Overall, 21-17 Home, 3-2 Second-Half) used a 9th inning walk-off double from SS Stephen Perez blasted to right-center field to down the Carolina Mudcats (37-38 Overall, 14-22 Road, 3-3 Second-Half) by the final score of 6-5 in the series finale of a three-game series at Pfitzner Stadium on Tuesday evening.
With the “W,” the P-Nats have won a season-best six consecutive home games and have now swept the Mudcats for the second time amid the 2015 campaign.
The see-saw affair began with the Red, White, and Blue jumping on the scoreboard first in the opening inning as Nationals DH John Wooten grounded into an RBI fielder’s choice to bring the leadoff single of CF Narciso Mesa to the plate giving the home club a 1-0 lead.
In a no-decision, Carolina starter, RHP Brandon Barker dealt 5.1 innings and surrendered five runs (four earned runs) on nine hits while walking one batter, hitting a man, and fanning four hitters.
Conversely, as Barker dug a hole for the Mudcats, the quality start of Nationals RHP Nick Pivetta put Potomac in position for a victory, and the ace of the Nationals’ staff was in line for his seventh win when he exited the game after six innings.
Pivetta, who like Barker did not receive a decision, allowed just one earned run on two hits despite walking three and letting go of a wild pitch. Pivetta fanned four Carolina swingers in the process.
The Nationals added two runs in the 2nd inning on back-to-back RBI singles lashed by RF Estarlin Martinez and Mesa through the right side of the infield and passed the six hole at shortstop, respectively to put Potomac on top 3-0.
Carolina scored their first run in the 5th on an RBI sacrifice fly off the bat of 2B Keith Curcio which resulted in a double play after the run had scored. Mudcats SS Johan Camargo was out 9-3-5 at the third base bag to end the frame with a 3-1 score.
In the last of the 5th, the P-Nats made it a 4-1 contest when Wooten socked an RBI single to left field off Barker to deliver Mesa, who led off the inning as a hit batter.
In the 6th, Potomac upped the ante to a 5-1 advantage on account of a bases loaded hit batter in Martinez on a ball out of the hand of Carolina RHP Richie Tate. The run was charged to Barker.
Tate went 2.2 scoreless innings in relief of Barker walking two and striking out one in his appearance.
Nationals 1B Grant DeBruin, in his Carolina League debut, stashed a single, one double, and one run scored. DeBruin ranked third in the South Atlantic League in batting (.327) prior to his promotion to the Potomac Nationals earlier today.
Trouble arose for the Nationals’ bullpen as RHP Justin Amlung served up a solo home run swatted over the dead center field 400-foot marker by Mudcats 3B Carlos Franco. The clout was his seventh dinger of the season. Amlung would also surrender an RBI two-bagger ripped inside the first base bag by Curcio to catalyze a 5-3 score.
Nationals RHP Brian Dupra stranded the tying run in scoring position by getting Carolina CF Connor Lien to strike out swinging to wrap the 7th stanza.
In the 8th against Dupra, Mudcats LF Dustin Peterson stroked a single to center field off the end of his bat before 1B Taner Krietemeier reached on a fielding error by DeBruin halfway between first and second base. Nationals LHP Nick Lee (BS 2) entered and induced a fielder’s choice groundball off the stick of Franco. Carolina DH Jose Briceno then worked a walk in advance of RF Joey Meneses striking out hacking for the second out. Mudcats C Joe Odom then worked a full count and nailed a two-run single up the middle to tie the game at 5-5 forcing Lee’s second blown save of 2015. Ironically, Odom hit a go-ahead grand slam on June 9th at Five County Stadium against Lee which was the southpaw closer’s first blown save. Lee got the final out on a Camargo fielder’s choice hopper to strand the go-ahead run on board.
Lee (1-1), the eventual winning pitcher, turned in a one-two-three top of the 9th as Curcio popped up in foul territory, Lien struck out waving for his fourth “K” of the night, and Peterson supplemented the evening breeze with his swinging strikeout.
In the bottom of the 9th, Martinez worked a one-out, 3-2 pitch walk against the losing pitcher Mudcats LHP Andy Otero (0-3) before Mesa fanned cutting. With two outs, Perez, the evening’s P-Nats’ hero, saw Otero unleash a wild pitch getting Martinez into scoring position at second base then on a 3-2 offering belted a changeup over the outstretched glove of the galloping Meneses in the right-center alley which got down in deep waters allowing Martinez to chug home to score the game-winning run. Perez was mobbed by his teammates around the second base sack after his walk-off RBI double which registers as his second game-winning hit of the 2015 season as a member of the Nationals.
Potomac travels to Frederick, MD to engage the Frederick Keys (Baltimore Orioles) in a three-game “Battle of the Beltway” set fromWednesday to Friday.
Washington Nationals unanimous number one overall prospect, RHP Lucas Giolito (2-4, 3.55) gets the ball for the P-Nats in Game One on Wednesday night. With a 7:00pm first pitch scheduled, Giolito will pitch against Frederick LHP Chris Lee (2-3, 5.13) in the opener.
The Potomac Nationals Baseball Network will carry live coverage of the game beginning with the “P-Nats Lead-Off Show” at 6:45pmbefore the live play-by-play at 7:00pm. P-Nats Gameday Audio on the Potomac Nationals Baseball Network is accessible atwww.potomacnationals.com or with the TuneIn Radio App.
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