The Potomac Nationals (26-31 Overall, 12-17 Road) captured their series opener of four contests by the score of 5-1 vs. the Carolina Mudcats (27-29 Overall, 17-13 Home) on Monday evening at Five County Stadium on the strength of a magnificent start from RHP John Simms (3-4).
Simms, who earned his 3rd win of the 2015 campaign, dealt 7.0 innings, allowed one earned run on just two base hits, fanned four, and walked no one. Simms slung 86 pitches and 56 of those offerings went for strikes.
Simms recorded five perfect innings out the seven frames he worked through and faced one batter over the minimum in his stellar outing.
Carolina starter, RHP Sean Furney (0-4) suffered his 4th loss this year to remain defeated in the Carolina League, and he surrendered a season-high 10 hits plus a total of two runs (both earned runs) while garnering just one strikeout. Furney dished out one free pass to first base and served up one home run ball in just 4.2 frames.
Potomac jumped on the scoreboard in the 2nd inning as local product from Goldsboro, NC, 1B John Wooten whalloped his second home run of the season, a line drive solo shot over the stacked signage in left field that whistled by the video board in left-center field.
The P-Nats took a 2-0 lead in the 4th when RF Brandon Miller gashed a one-out double to the left field corner and CF Narciso Mesa blooped a two-out, one-base knock up the right field line before 2B Christopher Bostick punched an RBI single on the ground into right field.
The Mudcats lone run came on a solo homer sprayed over the right field fence by Carolina 3B Carlos Franco. The clout was Franco’s fifth deep fly of the 2015 season and it cut the Nationals’ lead to 2-1.
Mudcats reliever, RHP Jorge Zavala kept his ERA at 0.00 with 2.1 innings out of the Mudcats bullpen in which he allowed one single to SS Stephen Perezbut no runs in addition to walking one batter and fanning a trio.
The Nationals got three runs of insurance in the 8th off Carolina RHP Dave Peterson using a bases-loaded two-RBI groundball single up the middle by Perez and an RBI sacrifice fly lined to left-center field by CF Isaac Ballou to put the visiting club up by a 5-1 score.
And the Red, White, and Blue would not relinquish their four-run advantage.
In his first appearance since being activated from the disabled list two days ago, RHP Manny Rodriguez pitched a perfect 8th getting two balls in the air that went for flyouts and one groundout.
Potomac LHP Justin Thomas finished the game in a non-save situation by stranding the double of Mudcats CF Sean Godfrey by inducing RF Keith Curcio into a game-ending grounder to Bostick at second base.
Despite leaving 12 men on base, the P-Nats were 4-for-12 with runners in scoring position in their Monday night victory, the 26th “W” in ’15.
The Nationals are now (10-8) in games decided by four runs or more.
The P-Nats are (3-2) on their current two-city bus trip which represents the longest road journey of their 2015 circuit schedule (eight games).
Tomorrow in series Game Two it will be Potomac RHP Phillips Valdez (0-1, 5.23) hurling against Carolina LHP Yean Carlos Gil (1-8, 6.16) in a 7:00pm tilt.
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Chris Graham
