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Potomac Nationals

Blue Rocks Use Five-Run Fifth Frame to Sink Nationals 6-3 in Series Finale

April 22, 2015 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Potomac Nationals News Release


Potomac Starter, RHP Blake Schwartz Hit With Second Loss of Season After Allowing Bases-Clearing Double to Wilmington DH Bubba Starling as Part of Wilmington Run Barrage in 5th

Wilmington, DE- The Potomac Nationals (8-6 Overall, 5-2 Road) settled for a (5-2) two-city road trip after falling to the Wilmington Blue Rocks (7-6 Overall, 4-3 Home) on Wednesday afternoon inside Daniel S. Frawley Stadium by the final score of 6-3 in the series finale of a three-game set.

Wilmington used a five-run 5th inning attack to sink the red, white, and blue, and salvage the series with the lone victory.

The Nationals stranded a season-high 13 runners on base and left the bases loaded on three occasions, but still managed to bang out 12 base hits.

Potomac starting slinger, RHP Blake Schwartz (0-2) shouldered his second loss of the 2015 journey after surrendering five earned runs (all scored in the 5th inning) on eight hits in 4.1 innings of work while walking two, striking out three, and hitting one batter. Schwartz threw 79 total pitches and 52 went for strikes.

The P-Nats got on the scoreboard in the 3rd inning off Wilmington RHP Alec Mills courtesy of a one-out single from 3B Drew Ward followed by an RBI double gashed into left-center field off the stick of RF Brandon Miller.

Ward collected a personal campaign-best four hits with two runs scored in the Nationals' losing effort.

Mills did not receive a decision and went 4.0 frames allowing one earned run on seven hits with two walks and a pair of strikeouts to his line, as well.

In the top of the 5th, Miller took LHP Nick Green deep for a two-run paint-scraping home run over the right-center field barrier which delivered the two-bagger of Ward.

This was Miller's first home run clout of the young 2015 season.

Green (1-0) would go on to notch his first victory in 2015 with only the mistake pitch to Miller blemishing his line. Green fanned three batters in 3.0 innings and served up just two earned runs.

Up 3-0, Schwartz ran into disaster in the last of the 5th as nine men got to bat. Blue Rocks CF Dominque Taylor led off with an infield single along the third base line before LF Daniel Rockett was plunked with one out. Wilmington 2B Ramon Torres blooped a single up the left field line (one of six singles for Torres in the series) to load the bases before SS Jack Lopez worked an RBI walk. Blue Rocks DH Bubba Starling then ripped a bases-clearing, three-run double that nicked off the glove of Ward deep at third base to give the home club a 4-3 advantage. Two batters later, C Zane Evans lifted an RBI sacrifice fly off RHP Tyler Mapes, who made his Potomac debut in the contest.

Mapes went on to deliver 2.1 relief innings in which he gave up a total of three hits and just one earned run plus one walk. Mapes also fanned one batter and balked Starling to second base in the 7th in advance of an RBI single shot into center field by 3B Mauricio Ramos which gave the Blue Rocks a 6-3 advantage.

Potomac LHP David Napoli and RHP Brian Dupra hung zeroes through a combined 1.1 near-perfect innings. Napoli hit one batter and otherwise the duo did not allow another baserunner.

The P-Nats threatened against Lynchburg RHP Benino Pruneda in the 8th with back-to-back walks issued to 1B Jimmy Yezzo and C Craig Manuel in advance of a single for LF Estarlin Martinez to load the bags. Against Blue Rocks RHP Robinson Yambati (SV 4), Potomac SS Wilmer Difo then snapped his seven-game hitting streak with a scorched twin killing line drive right at Wilmington 1B Frank Schwindel that doubled off Martinez.

Yambati converted his fourth save in as many save chances in '15 to lead the circuit in that statistical category.

In the 9th, the Nationals again loaded the sacks thanks to consecutive one-base knocks for DH John Wooten and Ward that lead up to a walk on a 3-2 pitch given to Miller. With the tying run at first base and the go-ahead run at the plate, Yezzo, a former University of Delaware standout, ripped a hard, low liner towards Schwindel around the first base bag and Schwindel flipped to Yambati covering first base to close out the proceedings.

The P-Nats will enjoy an off-day tomorrow (Thursday) before opening up a four-game weekend homestand against the Lynchburg Hillcats (Cleveland Indians) on Friday, April 24th.

First pitch for the series opener at Pfitzner Stadium on Friday evening is planned for 7:05pm.

In Game One, the P-Nats will ship RHP Wander Suero (2-0, 4.09) to the mound to shove against Lynchburg LHP Luis Lugo (0-1, 8.64) at The Pfitz.

The Potomac Nationals Baseball Network will carry live coverage of the game beginning with the "P-Nats Lead-Off Show" at 6:50pm before the live play-by-play at 7:05pm. P-Nats Gameday Audio on the Potomac Nationals Baseball Network is accessible at www.potomacnationals.com or with the TuneIn Radio App.

It will be a P-Nats replica jersey giveaway night on Friday evening sponsored by Sentara for the first 1,000 fans through the gates at The Pfitz. There will be 500 adult-size jerseys and 500 youth-size jerseys given out before the Nationals take on the Hillcats in Game One of a four-game set.

Kids will run the bases post-game courtesy of Glory Days Grill.

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