The Potomac Nationals (54-48, 17-18) scored four runs in each of the first two innings on Sunday afternoon in route to a 10-1 victory over the Carolina Mudcats (53-53, 19-17). The win wrapped up a three-game sweep for the P-Nats, who have won nine of their past 11 games. Six different Potomac starters recorded at least one hit, while eight of the nine starters reached base successfully. Potomac took a shutout bid into the final frame.
In his fourth start of the season, RHP Kyle Johnston (W, 2-1) dazzled over six-shutout innings. The right-handed starter allowed just two hits and struck out five in his best start with Potomac. Carolina didn’t get a runner into scoring position against Johnston until his final frame, as the Potomac starter faced no more than four batters in each of the first five innings on the mound.
The P-Nats jumped out to an early lead against local RHP Alec Bettinger (L, 1-2), who went to High School just minutes away from Northwest Federal Field. It was not a warm welcome for Bettinger, as Potomac plated four runs in each of the first two innings off of the righty. Bettinger allowed nine of the 13 batters that he faced to reach base over just 1.1 innings. 1B Ian Sagdal gave Potomac the lead with an RBI single, CF Nick Banks made it 2-0 with an RBI double, RF Jack Sundberg made it 3-0 with a sacrifice fly, while C Jakson Reetz made it 4-0 with a two-out RBI single.
An inning later, after a second straight perfect frame from Johnston, the Potomac offense sent 10 batters to the plate against the combination of Bettinger and RHP Alec Kenilvort. SS Edwin Lora led off the inning with a single, and while Bettinger then struck out 2B Bryan Mejia, the righty then allowed three straight singles to DH Luis Garcia, Sagdal, and Banks. Banks’ two-run single knocked the Carolina starter out of the game, while Kenilvort allowed two inherited runners to score. After just two innings, Potomac had 10 hits and led 8-0.
With the lead, Johnston cruised through much of his outing. C Dustin Houle picked up a hit to lead off the third inning, while RF Ryan Aguilar singled to begin the fifth frame. Those were the only two hits against Johnston. The Potomac righty walked three batters in his final inning of work, but he got out of the sixth frame cleanly on a groundout by Aguilar.
Potomac capped off the offensive day with the lone long ball of the afternoon, as Sagdal launched his fourth home run of the season, a two-run blast off of RHP Wuilder Rodriguez in the sixth inning.
In relief of Johnston, RHP Jacob Condra-Bogan and LHP Hayden Howard each worked a perfect frame, while LHP Taylor Guilbeau gave up a run on two doubles in the ninth inning, as the Mudcats avoided the shutout.
Four different Potomac starters registered a multi-hit afternoon, as Reetz picked up two hits, Sagdal and Banks each tallied three hits, and Garcia matched his season high with four hits.
The sweep gives Potomac four straight victories, one shy of the club’s season high. Potomac will look to match its longest winning streak of the season on Tuesday night, as Monday is scheduled to be a league wide off day. Tuesday night, Potomac will begin a brief three-game road trip against the Frederick Keys.
First pitch at Nymeo Field on Tuesday is set for 7:00pm. The Potomac broadcast will get underway at 6:45pm 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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