The Potomac Nationals (18-28) got a great effort from their bullpen and clutch hitting from 3B Anderson Franco as they defeated the Down East Wood Ducks (32-16) by a score of 4-3 on Thursday night. After withstanding a mid-game rally, Potomac prevailed to earn the series split against their first-place opponent.
Franco’s RBI double in the sixth inning proved to be the game winner, and LHP Carson Teel (W, 2-1) buckled down with 2.1 scoreless innings of relief to earn the win. The P-Nats bullpen corps allowed only one hit over 4.2 innings, striking out nine and silencing the potent Down East lineup.
RF Nick Banks started the game off right for the P-Nats depositing a pitch from LHP Francisco Villegas over the right field wall for a leadoff home run in the first. It was the fourth of the year for Banks, and continued a torrid stretch in the month of May for the outfielder.
In the third, 1B Aldrem Corredor found his way aboard with his second single of the night and came home with two outs on SS David Masters’ RBI double to right-center. LF Telmito Agustin brought home 2B Cole Freeman with a run-scoring groundout in the fifth to extend Potomac’s lead to 3-0.
LHP Nick Raquet cruised through four shutout innings, but was unable to complete the fifth. RF Yanio Perez led off the inning with a bloop single, and took third on an errant pickoff throw. Raquet struck out LF Eric Jenkins, but allowed the batter to reach and Perez to score on a wild pitch for strike three. CF Leody Taveras hit an RBI single to draw the Wood Ducks to 3-2, and DH Sam Huff was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to tie the game 3-3.
Raquet gave way for Teel with the bases loaded and one out in a tie game, and the reliever fanned SS Anderson Tejeda and Yohel Pozo to escape the jam with the tie intact. With some regained momentum, Potomac took the lead back in the sixth with Franco’s RBI double off Josh Advocate (L, 2-1).
Teel worked around a leadoff double in the sixth to put up another zero, and RHP Frankie Bartow followed with a pair of strikeouts in a 1-2-3 eighth. RHP Bryan Bonnell (S, 2) allowed a leadoff walk to the speedy Jenkins in the ninth, but struck out two and retired the hot-hitting 3B Ryan Dorow to end the game and secure the victory.
The P-Nats return home to Woodbridge on Friday as RHP Andrew Lee faces off against Frederick Keys RHP Blaine Knight in the opener of a four-game series. The Potomac broadcast will get underway at 6:50 pm with the P-Nats Leadoff Show, with a scheduled first pitch of 7:05 from Northwest Federal Field. You can listen to the Potomac broadcast at potomacnationals.com or on the TuneIn Radio App.
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