The Potomac Nationals (10-16, 47-46) led from the first inning of Wednesday night’s game, holding off the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (12-13, 46-50) 5-1. The series-opening victory was the first win of the season for Potomac over the Pelicans.
After dropping four straight games to the Pelicans to start off the season series, The P-Nats led from start to finish, striking for two runs in the opening frame of the game against Myrtle Beach starter RHP Erich Uelmen (L, 3-2). 2B Bryan Mejia started the game with a leadoff single and SS Luis Garcia followed with a double of his own. With 1B Ian Sagdal at the plate, Uelmen launched a wild pitch past C Jhonny Pereda, allowing Mejia to score the game’s first run. Sagdal drove in Garcia with an RBI groundout to put Potomac at an immediate 2-0 advantage.
With LHP Nick Raquet (ND) on the mound, The P-Nats extended the lead to three in the top of the fourth. Potomac found success with small ball in the frame, as CF Jack Sundberg and Mejia followed C Jakson Reetz’s leadoff single with two bunt singles of their own. The Red, White, & Blue could only manage one run in the inning, however, as the only scoring play of the inning was Garcia’s bases loaded double play groundout.
The Pelicans scored their lone run of the game in the bottom of the fifth, knocking Raquet out of the game in the process. After an RBI single from SS Aramis Ademan, RHP A.J. Bogucki (W, 1-1) entered the game out of the bullpen and struck out the first batter he faced, ending Myrtle Beach’s threat.
Bogucki picked up his first win as a Potomac National on Wednesday night, covering two innings out of the bullpen in scoreless fashion.
The offense continued to back up Bogucki and the bullpen, starting in the sixth. Sundberg pushed the lead back up to three with a solo home run (3), the last run given up by Uelmen on the day.
LHP Jose Paulino entered later in the inning and finished out the game for Myrtle Beach, giving up one run over 3.1 innings. With runners on first and second and two outs in the top of the eighth, Garcia tapped a single back up the middle, scoring Reetz from third to cap off the scoring.
Garcia, Sundberg, and 1B Aldrem Corredor all had three-hit performances for Potomac.
RHP Steven Fuentes (SV, 2) recorded the final seven outs for The P-Nats, holding the Pelicans without a hit as he closed out the victory for Potomac.
With the first win of the season against the Myrtle Beach Pelicans under their belt, Potomac looks to secure a series victory on Thursday night. RHP Joan Baez (4-8, 4.87) makes the start for Potomac, coming off a win in his last start against Lynchburg. The P-Nats will face Myrtle Beach RHP Rollie Lacy (1-0, 1.69). Lacy’s last start was his Carolina League debut, a win against the Carolina Mudcats.
First pitch at TicketReturn.com Field on Thursday is set for 7:05pm. The Potomac broadcast will get underway at 6:50pm with the P-Nats Leadoff Show. You can listen to the Potomac broadcast at potomacnationals.com, at http://bit.ly/P-NatsBroadcast, or on the TuneIn Radio App.
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