Wilmington tops P-Nats in pitchers’ duel, 1-0

Potomac Nationals starter (14-19-Overall, 7-10-Road) RHP Lucas Giolito fanned 11 over six innings of one-run ball, but it wasn’t enough as Wilmington (18-15-Overall, 13-8-Home) scraped across a run in the sixth inning and got six shutout frames from their starter to hang on for a 1-0 victory in the series finale at Daniel S. Frawley Stadium on Thursday night.

Giolito (0-2, 5.24) was fantastic through his six innings on the mound, retiring the Blue Rocks in order, a feat he would repeat three times throughout his evening. In the second inning he pitched out of a jam after allowing a lead-off triple to 1B Frank Schwindell by striking out the next two hitters. He issued a walk to CF Dominique Taylor before fanning RF Dexter Kjerstad for his fourth strikeout in two innings.

Giolito then fanned two in a one, two, three third inning and he struck out the side with a double sandwiched in between in the fourth frame, including at one point sending four straight Blue Rocks back to the dugout with K’s in the book. He finished with nine strikeouts in four innings before picking up one more in the fifth.

Seven of the nine members of the Wilmington starting lineup struck out at least once against Giolito and four batters struck out twice against the Santa Monica, CA native in his six innings on the hill.

Wilmington cracked the scoreboard in the sixth with three singles. 2B Ramon Torres, the hero from the last night’s ten-inning walk-off win, singled to begin the inning. SS Jack Lopez reached on an infield bunt single that moved Torres to second base. Two batters later, after Giolito’s final strikeout, Schwindell smacked an RBI single scoring Torres for a 1-0 Blue Rocks lead.

RHP Wander Suero came in and threw scoreless frames allowing one hit. It marked the second time in a row he has appeared out of the bullpen and not allowed a run this season.

That was all the offense Wilmington needed as LHP Cody Reed hurled six shutout innings, scattering five hits, while walking none and striking out out nine P-Nats, earning his third win of the season. The righty Luke Farrell piggybacked for two shutout innings allowing one hit and RHP Matt Alvarez closed out the 1-0 Blue Rocks win with a scoreless ninth to earn his first save of the season.

Potomac only had two hits in an inning one time (the third frame) and they twice got a runner to third and only twice had a runner at second base. Blue Rocks pitching in the win struck out a total of 13 Nationals, the second most in one game all season.

Potomac dropped the series to the Blue Rocks to open the two-city road trip and is now 2-5-3 in series in 2015.

Tomorrow night the P-Nats open up a three game set with the Frederick Keys (Baltimore Orioles) at Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium and will send RHP John Simms (0-3, 7.71) to the mound to face off against LHP Jhonathan Ramos (0-0, 1.86) of the Keys.

First pitch in the series opener from The Grove is set for 7:00 pm and the “P-Nats Lead-Off Show” will start the broadcast on The Potomac Nationals Baseball Network at 6:45 pm.