A six-run eighth inning lifted Potomac to a 9-5 win over Frederick on Wednesday night at Harry Grove Stadium.
The P-Nats (8-6) trailed 4-3 entering the inning, but quickly put a rally together. With one down, catcher Sandy Leon and right fielder J.R. Higley hit back-to-back doubles to put runners at second and third. Keys (7-6) manager Orlando Gomez elected to intentionally walk number nine hitter Eury Perez to load the bases and put the force play in order. The decision worked initially. Lead-off man Francisco Soriano followed the Perez walk with a groundball to third base and Dale Mollenhauer came home to erase Sandy Leon for the second out.
Then, Gomez went to the bullpen and brought in the Carolina League leader in saves, Sean Gleason. But the righty from Colorado walked second baseman Jeff Kobernus to tie the game at four.
With the bases still loaded, the P-Nats leader in RBIs, Destin Hood stepped up. The power right fielder chopped a grounder up the middle. Keys shortstop Manny Machado made a snap throw to first, but it was a half-step late and Hood reached with an RBI infield single. Hood’s 50th RBI of the season gave Potomac a 5-4 lead.
The biggest hit of the inning came from Kansas State product, Justin Bloxom. Keys pitcher Sean Gleason fired a fastball in on the hands of Bloxom, but the third baseman was able to fight it off into shallow left field and just barely over the glove of shortstop Manny Machado. With two outs, the runners were moving on the pitch, so the bloop hit turned into a bases clearing double to give the Nats an 8-4 lead.
Potomac tacked on one more run to make it 9-4 when first baseman Steven Souza singled up the middle.
P-Nats pitcher Paul Demny continued on a strong stretch for him. The right from Texas has won four of his last five starts. Tonight he threw seven inning s of six hit baseball. All four runs that Demny allowed were earned, but at no point did Frederick establish any momentum against him. The 21-year-old struck out three Keys and has now K’d more than five batters in his last six games.
The Keys opened up the scoring in the bottom of the first when Manny Machado hit a sacrifice fly and collected his second RBI since being called up from Low-A Delmarva. The 2010 number three overall pick by the Orioles went 1-3 with two RBIs on his 19th birthday.
Although it’s early, the win puts Potomac in first place in the Carolina League Northern Division, one place ahead of Frederick. Lynchburg and Wilmington are third and fourth.
The P-Nats will go for their third straight series win tomorrow night at 7 pm. San Diego native Cameron Selik (2-6, 4.15) throws for Potomac. And Frederick has Bobby Bundy (8-5, 2.95) on the bump.
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