Potomac (23-29-Overall, 14-14-Home), after a game suspension an evening ago, walked it off in the bottom of the 11th courtesy of SS Stephen Perez’s RBI single. The Nationals then picked up back-to-back 4-3 wins over the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (31-18-Overall, 20-8-Road) in the nightcap when SS Christopher Bostick gave Potomac the lead in the bottom of the eighth to close out the series and earn the split at Pfitzner Stadiumon Tuesday night.
The defacto doubleheader began on Monday evening with RHP Lucas Giolito on the mound against the righty for Myrtle Jen-Ho Tseng. Neither starter factored in the decision as the ballgame was scoreless through five frames.
Gio, after walking back-to-back hitters in the fourth, proceeded to strike out the side of the Pelicans in the frame. The Santa Monica, CA native finished with nine strikeouts under his belt in his five innings of work. He allowed two hits and he walked two batters in addition to the strikeouts.
LHP Matthew Spann came out of the bullpen for the first time in 2015 in the sixth inning in relief of Giolito. Spanner walked RF Mark Zagunis to begin his day of work. After a sacrifice bunt and then a DH Chesney Young single, 3B Jeimer Candelario walked to load the bases. The C Victor Caratini knocked in two with a double for a 2-0 Pelican lead.
In the bottom of the sixth against Tseng Potomac tied the ballgame after back-to-back singles with one out. The equalizers came off the bat 1B John Wooten, scoring C Spencer Kieboom and 3B Drew Ward, and the two-bagger chased Tseng from the affair tying it at 2-2. Tseng wrapped up his night going 5.1 innings and giving up just the two runs on ten hits, he walked a batter and struck out a batter as well.
RHP Juan Paniagua came into the game and retired the next two hitters he faced to end the Potomac threat.
The contest remained tied at two runs apiece until the top of the tenth when the rain began to fall. LHP Nick Lee came into the game with a runner on first courtesy of a CF Pin-Chieh Chen single and allowed another one by Young. The next hitter Candelario put the ball into the air towards Bostick in the rain drops. Bostick had the ball go off the leather for an error and scoring was Young to give Myrtle a 3-2 lead.
The baseball gods gave Bostick an opportunity to atone for his sins immediately, as he led-off the bottom of the tenth. The former Pelican tripled to start the frame RHP Jasvir Rakkar (1-1, 2.29) in his first inning of work. Bostick enthusiastically scored on Perez’s sacrifice fly to knot the game at 3-3 in the tenth.
LF Isaac Ballou, the next hitter, had a 2-2 count when the game was suspended until tonight, being resumed at The Pfitz on Tuesday.
Once play resumed RHP Derek Self (2-0, 1.86) pitched a scoreless top of the 11th and it headed to the home half. RF Estarlin Martinez singled with one out for Potomac to begin the frame. CF Narciso Mesa then singled behind Martinez and with two outs Perez knocked in Martinez for the 4-3 walk-off win.
Self picked up the win in the walk-off and Rakkar took the loss for his 1.2 innings allowing six hits and a run. Self allowed two hits but nothing else in his one-inning of work for Potomac.
The nightcap, after the suspended game was finished, began shortly thereafter with RHP John Simms on the mound against RHP Jonathan Martinez.
The series finale was scoreless into the second inning when Candelario doubled for Myrtle Beach. After a Caratini single, 1B Jacob Rogers put the Pelicans ahead 1-0 with an RBI single. RF Kevin Brown, who killed Potomac pitching in the series, hit into a double play but scoring was Caratini from third for a 2-0 lead.
Mesa, for Potomac, in the fifth connected for his first home run of 2015, a solo shot, to cut the Myrtle Beach lead in half at 2-1.
For Martinez it was his only sin allowed in five innings. He allowed five hits including the home run but just one run while walking nobody and striking out six and not factoring in the decision.
Simmsy went 6.1 for Potomac giving up six hits and two runs, he walked two and struck out a season-high tying four strikeouts.
RHP Josh Conway entered the game against Potomac in the sixth and a run after two straight singles from Potomac. DH Brandon Miller knocked in Kieboom, who walked to reach the bases and the game was tied at two.
Myrtle took the lead in the top of the eighth when SS Carlos Penalver doubled to begin the inning against Potomac’s RHP Wander Suero (5-2, 2.85). Two batters later Zagunis singled into right field bringing home Penalver for a 3-2 ‘Birds lead. For Suero the run allowed snapped a consecutive scoreless streak of 13.1 innings in six appearances out of the bullpen.
RHP Zach Cates (1-1, 1.50) came in for the Pelicans in the eighth and Wooten led-off the inning with a double, his third two-bagger in two games. Martinez, two batters later, hit a fielder’s choice ball to first base. 1B Jacob Rogers came to the plate with a high throw and the ball went off the glove of the backstop Caratini allowing Wooten to slide in safely for a 3-3 tie. Martinez ended up at second base and after a Mesa infield single Bostick drove in Martinez for a 4-3 Potomac lead on a single.
Suero remained in the game and picked up a double play ball off the bat of Caratini to seal the second consecutive 4-3 Potomac win of the day.
Potomac earned the series split against the first-place ballclub and now, after an off-day on Wednesday, will open up an eight game road trip with four in Salem and four in Carolina.
Both clubs are to be determined regarding the starting pitchers in the opener and first pitch is set for 7:05 pm in Salem, VA.
As always you can listen live at www.potomacnationals.com or via the TuneIn Radio App. The P-Nats Lead-Off Show will pick up the broadcast at 6:50 pm from Salem.
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