CarL1 Potomac Nationals

Engles Superb as Nats Crush Pelicans

Published on July 8, 2009 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Potomac Nationals News Release


MYRTLE BEACH, SC- A day after the P-Nats earned their most lopsided victory of the season, a 10-1 whitewashing of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, Potomac got hooked on the feeling, duplicating their feat on Wednesday night in a 9-0 shutout of the Pelicans from BB&T Coastal Field.

Games one and two of this series have been eerily similar to one another. In game one, the P-Nats sent eight men to the plate in both the first and the third innings, plating six runs in the first three frames. On Wednesday, the Nats put seven men at the dish in both the first and the third, pushing five runs across early off Pelican starter Jacob Thompson (2-2).

Dan Nelson got the party started in the top of the first, drawing a walk and advancing to second after a Devin Ivany single. An intentional walk to Michael Burgess would load the bases for Jesus Valdez who lined a two-run single to center to give the P-Nats a 2-0 lead. Valdez would go 3-for-4 on the night with three RBI in just his second game back from the disabled list. For Valdez, it was his second three-hit ballgame of the season.

Danny Espinosa doubled off the left field wall to lead off the third inning, coming around to score on Valdez's second run-scoring single of the day. With two aboard, Brian Peacock would blast a shot off the right field wall for a two-run triple, his fourth of the season, to push the P-Nat advantage to 5-0.

Two more runs would cross the plate in the fifth inning thanks to a two-run moonshot home run from Peacock, his first round tripper of the season. It was Peacock's first home run since June 28, 2008 which coincidentally also came at BB&T Coastal Field.

Francisco Plasencia would put the proverbial cherry on top of the sundae with a two-run home run that clanged off the right field foul pole in the seventh inning to give the Nats a 9-0 lead. For Plasencia, it was his eighth home run of the year as the outfielder extended his Carolina League-leading hitting streak to 15 games.

The beneficiary of this offensive outburst was P-Nats' right-hander Terrence Engles, who followed his last outing in which he went 8 2/3 innings in a 2-0 loss to Frederick, with six shutout frames against the Pelicans. Engles (2-3) allowed just three hits while striking out five. The New York native now has 95 strikeouts in 84 2/3 innings pitched this year, good for tops among all Washington Nationals' farmhands.

For the P-Nats it was their league-leading 11th shutout of the season, as the team has outscored Myrtle Beach 19-1in the first two games of this series.

These two teams will come right back Thursday night for the finale of this three-game set as the P-Nats go for the sweep with first pitch set for 7:05 ET. You can catch all the action live on www.potomacnationals.com with Dan McGinn and Anthony Masterson starting with the pregame show at 6:45 ET.

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Carolina League Stories from July 8, 2009


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