P-Nats blitzed 14-2 by Wood Ducks in road opener

The Potomac Nationals (16-27) fell behind early and couldn’t recover in the opener of their four-game series on Monday night, falling 14-2 to the league-leading Down East Wood Ducks (31-14).

3B Ryan Dorow was the star for Down East, hitting a pair of three-run home runs to put the home team at ease. In defeat, P-Nats 2B Cole Freeman hit a pair of doubles to continue his hot stretch at the plate.

RHP Malvin Peña (L, 2-3) struggled in the first, allowing an RBI double to CF Leody Taveras and the first of Dorow’s three-run homers before recording an out. Eric Jenkins hit a two-out single to add a run, and a throwing error from SS David Masters brought home a pair of unearned runs to give Down East a 7-0 lead.

Peña almost had to depart the game in the first due to a pitch limit, but remained for 3.0 innings to save his teammates in the bullpen. He allowed another home run to DH Yohel Pozo in the third that extended Down East’s lead to 8-0.

In the fourth, the Wood Ducks rudely greeted RHP Jeremy McKinney with RBI hits from 2B Diosbel Arias and LF JP Martinez to extend their lead to 11-0. Dorow hit his second three-run homer off McKinney in the fifth to make it 14-0.

That would be more than enough for Down East starter LHP Jake Latz (W, 2-1), who allowed only a single from DH Aldrem Corredor over 5.0 scoreless innings. The lefty won his second consecutive start against Potomac after beating the Nationals in Woodbridge last Tuesday.

Potomac scored their lone runs in the sixth inning off RHP Cole Uvila, getting a leadoff single from C Alex Dunlap, a double from Freeman, a sacrifice fly from Corredor, and an infield error off the bat of LF Telmito Agustin to draw to within 14-2. RHP Luis Reyes pitched 3.0 innings of scoreless relief, but it was too late to mount a comeback.

The P-Nats continue their brief four-game road trip on Tuesday night as RHP Kyle Johnston faces off against RHP Reid Anderson in game two of the series. The Potomac broadcast will get underway at 6:45pm with the P-Nats Leadoff Show, with a scheduled first pitch of 7:00 from Grainger Stadium in Kinston. You can listen to the Potomac broadcast at potomacnationals.com or on the TuneIn Radio App.