The Potomac Nationals (14-21 Overall, 7-11 Road) dropped their series opener with the Frederick Keys (19-17 Overall, 12-3 Home) at Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium on Friday evening by the final score of 4-1 as the quality start from P-Nats RHP John Simms (0-4) was wasted by the visiting club.
Potomac is now (1-3) on their current two-city road trip after dropping two of three contests in Wilmington, DE to the Wilmington Blue Rocks before traveling to Frederick, MD.
The Nationals are (0-6) in their three-run affairs in 2015.
The red, white, and blue have scored just three total runs in their last 30 innings going back to the 7th inning of the first game of the bus trip.
Simms, the losing pitcher of record, dealt 6.0 innings and surrendered just two runs (one earned run) on six hits without walking a batter and fanning three men. Simms tossed 73 pitches and 52 offerings were strikes.
Simms remains winless on the 2015 season after losing his first four starts of the campaign.
It was zeroes on the scoreboard until the home half of the 5th frame when Keys RF Brenden Webb singled through the deep hole at shortstop and advanced into scoring position at second base on an errant pickoff attempt by Simms resulting in an error charged to the righty. Webb was delivered to home plate via an RBI bloop single to the right field line off the lumber of Frederick C Wynston Sawyer.
Frederick starting hurler, LHP Jhonathan Ramos was effective through 5.0 scoreless innings but receive a no-decision. Ramos scattered five base hits, walked one hitter, and struck out a pair.
The Nationals got to Frederick reliever, RHP Jimmy Yacabonis in the 6th when CF Narciso Mesa, as part of a two-hit night, ripped a single into right-center field before SS Stephen Perez cranked a double to the right field corner. Mesa held at third base and with two runners in position to score, LF Isaac Ballou dribbled an RBI groundout to second base scoring Mesa to tie the contest at 1-1. The grounder to the right side moved Perez to third base. Potomac C Spencer Kieboom then struck out swinging in advance of 2B Christopher Bostick being hit by a pitch in the back. Then,3B Drew Ward skied out to left field to end the scoring threat
Yacabonis (2-1) blew his first save of the season but earned the win, his second this year, after gunning through 2.1 innings of bullpen duty in which he allowed just that one earned run on two hits. Yacabonis walked no one, struck out one batter, and hit just Bostick with a pitch.
Frederick re-took the lead with an RBI single on a 3-2 pitch from Simms in the bottom of the 6th laced by 1B Trey Mancini into left field that plated 2B Jeff Kemp, who doubled to the left field corner to get aboard.
The Keys added two runs in the 8th frame on a two-run home run from Kemp that caromed off the third tier of signage in left field off P-Nats RHP Derek Self. The rocket was Kemp’s third deep fly in 2015.
Self pitched 2.0 bullpen innings giving up those two earned runs on two hits without walking a batter or recording a strikeout.
Keys fireman, LHP Cody Wheeler (5 SV) remained perfect on the season in saves (five-for-five) with 1.2 scoreless innings out of the ‘pen. Wheeler garnered bookend swinging strikeouts in the 9th inning of Ward and 1B Estarlin Martinez around an infield single to the six hole by RF Brandon Miller and a fielder’s choice reach by 1B Jimmy Yezzo.
In series Game Two the pitching matchup is Potomac RHP Dakota Bacus (1-0, 3.00) versus Frederick LHP Mitch Horacek (2-3, 3.57) with first pitch at “The Grove” planned for 6:00pm.
The Nationals are (2-3) head-to-head with Frederick this season so the Nationals will look to be at .500 against their Northern Division rivals with a victory tomorrow night.
Share
Contributors
