Theophile, Yankosky combine to shut out Woodpeckers

The Fredericksburg Nationals ended their series in Fayetteville on Sunday afternoon with their third shutout win of the year, a 2-0 blanking of the Woodpeckers.

In his first career quality start, Rodney Theophile (W, 2-8) allowed only two singles over 6.0 shutout innings. Tyler Yankosky (S, 1) faced the minimum over the final three innings to earn the save.

Jeremy De La Rosa put the FredNats ahead 1-0 right away in the first, as the center fielder blasted his fourth homer of the year to begin the game. It marked the first leadoff home run in team history for the FredNats.

Cesar Gomez (L, 0-6) pitched well for the Woodpeckers, allowing only two more hits over the remainder of his five-inning start, but Theophile was even better. The Fredericksburg righty needed only 77 pitches to complete six innings for the first time in his career.

The 1-0 lead remained through the middle innings, and Zach Cornell provided a big insurance run in the top of the ninth with an RBI double. As rain began to fall, Yankosky sealed the win with a 1-2-3 ninth inning.

After an off day on Monday, the FredNats return home for a six-game home series against the Salem Red Sox on Tuesday. First pitch from FredNats Ballpark is scheduled for 7:05, with FredNats On Deck beginning at 6:50 on the FredNats Baseball Network.