The Potomac Nationals (25-29) shut out the Lynchburg Hillcats (30-22) on Friday night at Pfitzner Stadium. RHP Luis Reyes (W, 4-5) fired six scoreless innings against the Hillcats and struck out seven in his eleventh start of the year. The right-handed pitcher is now averaging eight strikeouts per game over his last four starts for the P-Nats.
Potomac got on the board first in the bottom of the second against RHP Triston McKenzie (L, 3-3). 3B Kelvin Gutierrez, 1B Ian Sagdal and LF Jack Sundberg all reached base to begin the inning to set up the P-Nats with the bases loaded and no outs. RF Rhett Wiseman stepped in and lifted a fly ball to left to plate Gutierrez on a sacrifice fly to give The Red, White & Blue a 1-0 lead.
After that, McKenzie and Reyes battled in a pitcher’s duel through seven innings at The Pfitz. The Hillcats starter went seven innings allowing only the sacrifice fly on four hits and a walk. The Indians’ top prospect struck out five Potomac batters in his 10th start of the season.
For the P-Nats, Reyes was brilliant for the fourth start in a row striking out seven through six against the Hillcats. He allowed only four hits and did not walk a batter in his 11th start of the year. The last time Reyes started against Lynchburg on May 21st, the right-hander set a career high in strikeouts, fanning 10 Hillcats. Over the past four starts he has totaled 32 strikeouts over 24.1 innings, allowing just 18 hits and four walks against opponents. With six shutout innings on Friday night, Reyes has now lowered his ERA below five for the first time since May 1st.
The P-Nats got two insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth inning against RHP Jared Robinson who replaced McKenzie in the frame. Robinson loaded the bases with one out after hitting CF Victor Robles with runners on first and second. The right-hander got a strikeout, but could not escape The Red, White & Blue’s leader in RBIs, C Taylor Gushue. The switch-hitting catcher drove in his 42nd and 43rd runs of the season with a single on a ground ball to right field. The two-out, two-strike, two-RBI single gave Potomac a 3-0 lead heading into the ninth.
RHP Kyle Schepel finished off the Hillcats with a nearly perfect ninth inning. The Potomac closer hit C Sicnarf Loopstok to begin the inning. But, he got the next batter DH Connor Marabell to ground into a 3-6-1 double play to erase the Lynchburg threat. Schepel struck out RF Andrew Calica to end the game and close down his second save of the season.
Sundberg’s single in the second inning extended his hitting streak to a season-high nine games in a row. The Potomac outfielder began his Carolina League career with a nine-game hit streak and tied that mark with a hit in three trips tonight. Sundberg has been on fire over his past nine games. He is hitting .387 over that span with 11 runs scored.
The P-Nats try and salvage a split of a four-game set with the Hillcats on Military Appreciation Night on Saturday night at Pfitzner Stadium. After LHP Matthew Crownover received a promotion to Double-A Harrisburg on June 1st, LHP Grant Borne (1-1, 0.96) makes his second start of the season in his place. Borne threw 4.2 scoreless innings out of the bullpen last time out against the Wilmington Blue Rocks at Frawley Stadium. He opposes RHP Shao-Ching Chiang (7-2, 2.70) for Lynchburg. Chiang is 2-0 with a 1.20 ERA in two starts against the P-Nats this season.
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