Bullpen Falters in 7-1 Loss to Potomac
Published on June 29, 2014 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Frederick Keys News Release
WOODBRIDGE, VA - The Keys held the Potomac Nationals scoreless through the first seven frames on Sunday evening, but couldn't hold onto a 1-0 edge, as seven runs in the eighth for the P-Nats forces a rubber match tomorrow at Pfitzner Stadium.
The Keys scored the first run of the game in the top of the seventh, as Trey Mancini clanked his third homer of the year to right-center field off starter Austin Voth. However, Potomac plated seven runs on six hits in the eighth to steal the win.
Jimmy Yacabonis stepped on the rubber in the eighth for his second inning of work in relief of Mark Blackmar, who tossed six scoreless innings and allowed just two hits. With one out, Yacabonis (0-1) walked Pedro Severino and allowed a double to right-center to Tony Renda. With those two runners in scoring position, Stephen Perez stepped in.
Before the first pitch was thrown, a balk was called by the umpire crew, the second on the Keys in this series, and Severino scored to tie it up at 1-1. Perez chopped a 1-1 pitch up the middle to keep the hosts up for good. Mike McQuillan followed with a roped two-run single, advanced to second on an interference call that was argued by the Keys, and Khayyan Norfork tripled to knock Yacabonis out of the game. Lex Rutledge entered, and served up a two-run homer to Will Piwnica-Worms to make it 7-1.
It was a pitching duel until the last of the eighth, as Austin Voth tossed seven innings of one-run baseball for Potomac. In just his second start at Class A-Advanced, he struck out seven batters and walked just one, but was in line for the loss after the home run to Mancini. The righty retired 11 in a row before the Notre Dame product produced the solo shot.
Meanwhile, Blackmar settled down after the first two innings in which he had to wiggle out of jams. In both innings, he recorded the first pair of outs, but a walk and single in each frame placed two runners on. In the first, Blackmar got a piece of a McQuillan bullet back to him that Adrian Marin picked up and threw to first to end the inning. The second saw a ground ball come off the bat of Renda that Mancini gobbled up at first and tossed to the pitcher with runners on first and second.
After a single by Severino in the second, only one batter reached against Blackmar, which was a Perez walk to lead off the third. The Texas native set down the last 11 he faced en route to his sixth no-decision in nine starts.
The Keys (34-44, 2-9) will search for a rubber-match win tomorrow before returning home for three games on Tuesday. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. The Keys starter is TBA, while Potomac (44-34, 6-3) is scheduled to throw RHP Blake Schwartz (1-0, 2.70).
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