For the third consecutive night, rain played a factor at Pfitzner Stadium. After two consecutive rainouts, the Potomac Nationals (38-45, 5-9) endured a 36-minute rain delay in the middle of the third inning, completed the game, but fell 6-1 to the Wilmington Blue Rocks (46-40, 7-9). The Blue Rocks tallied two home runs off of RHP Luis Reyes (L, 5-9), which proved to be more than enough in the victory.
2B D.J. Burt led off the series opener with a single, and after Reyes retired two straight batters, 1B Chris DeVito made it 2-0 Wilmington with a two-out, two-run home run. Reyes escaped further damage, as he stranded two men in scoring position in the frame.
After the rain delay, Potomac pulled within one run, but left the bases loaded, and never came closer in the loss. DH Austin Davidson doubled with one out against RHP Scott Blewett (ND), and 3B Dan Gamache plated Potomac’s lone run with an RBI single. Another base hit and a walk loaded the bases with two outs, but LF Dale Carey struck out looking and left the bases full.
The Blue Rocks built the lead back to two runs in the fourth inning, as DH Roman Collins tallied a solo home run off of Reyes. The right-handed starter for Potomac allowed three runs, all earned, over five innings in his first start in more than a week.
Following a scoreless inning from both RHP Tyler Skulina and RHP Nolan Sanburn, RHP Ronald Pena gave up the final three runs of the night. Pena hit the first man that he faced in the eighth inning and followed that with a walk. Collins made it 4-1 Wilmington with an RBI single, while SS Jecksson Flores made it 5-1 with an RBI groundout. In the top of the ninth inning, Pena loaded the bases with one out, and SS Carlos Diaz wrapped up the scoring with a sacrifice fly, which made it 6-1.
LHP Matt Tenuta (W, 2-1) relieved Blewett after three innings. The left-handed reliever allowed just one hit and struck out five over 3.1 innings. LHP Luis Rico (SV, 1) recorded the final two outs in the seventh frame, worked around an error in the eighth inning, and stranded the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth. Potomac finished the night just 1-9 with RISP and left 14 men on base.
Off of the series-opening loss, Potomac is set to start LHP Grant Borne (3-3, 2.14). Borne made his first four outings of the season for Potomac vs. the Blue Rocks, all out of the bullpen, but has not pitched against the Blue Rocks since 5/18. RHP Jared Ruxer (4-2, 2.86) will try to extend Wilmington’s win streak to four games. Ruxer gave up just one run over seven innings in his last start, a no-decision against the Salem Red Sox.
First pitch is set for 6:35pm Saturday night. The Potomac broadcast will get underway at 6:20pm with the P-Nats Leadoff Show. You can listen to the Potomac broadcast at potomacnationals.com or on the TuneIn Radio App.
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