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CarL1 Potomac Nationals

Frederick pounds Potomac early

May 3, 2008 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Potomac Nationals News Release


WOODBRIDGE, Va.- The Potomac Nationals were not going to go 69-1 at Pfitzner Stadium this season, but after winning five-straight including one game in which they were no-hit and another in which they had to rally from three down against the reigning Carolina League Pitcher of the Week, it seemed like it might work out that way. Saturday night, however, was a sobering reminder that you can't win them all as the P-Nats fell 10-6 to the Frederick Keys in game three of a four-game series.

The major reason for Potomac's rise in the first month and two days of the season has been the club's pitching staff, which came into tonight with the league's best staff ERA at 2.35, but one significant contributor was missing on Saturday. Left-hander Cory VanAllen, who normally pitched in the number two spot in the rotation, was promoted to Double-A Harrisburg earlier in the day. While he wouldn't have pitched on Saturday night anyway due to starting game one of Tuesday's doubleheader with Winston-Salem, the league's ERA leader will not be easily replaced.

Just ask right-hander Terrence Engles (0-1) who struggled in his Carolina League debut, allowing seven runs, four earned, in just two innings.

The game got off to a rough start for the 22-year-old as he hit Keys' leadoff man Danny Figueroa and did not get much better from there. After a pass ball allowed Figueroa to reach second, Chris Amador dropped down a sacrifice bunt moving him to third for the team's RBI leader, Matt Wieters. Engles rose to the challenge and struck out the Baltimore Orioles catcher-of-the-future and looked poised to escape without a run crossing. However, the former Seminole Community College Raider then walked Chris Vinyard on four pitches putting runners at the corners, and Brandon Tripp delivered with the extended inning, driving a double off of the left-field fence and putting Frederick (16-12) out in front 1-0.

That was just the start of a long night for Engles, who was 3-0 with a 1.89 ERA in Low-A Hagerstown. The second inning proved to be more than he could handle as the Keys sent 11 men to the plate in a six-run inning. With runners at the corners and a run in, Amador hit a two-run triple to right-center field. For the second straight at-bat, Wieters struck out against Engles, and again the Nationals starter looked like he would escape any more trouble. Vinyard followed by hitting a slow chopper to third that Leonard Davis fielded cleanly, but his throw on the run pulled Chris Marrero off of the bag at first said Anthony Johnson, the umpire on the bases, which allowed another run to score and the inning to continue. Potomac manager Randy Knorr disputed the call but to no avail. Two pitches later, Tripp connected off of Engles again, this time for a two-run homer and a 7-0 Frederick lead.

That was the end of the line for Engles, but not the end of the scoring for Frederick as the Keys added two more runs off of Potomac reliever Jack Spradlin in the top of the third with one coming on an Amador double and another on a Vinyard single.

After two and a half innings, the Nationals (19-8) found themselves down 9-0, the largest deficit the club has faced this season. Potomac's offense, with newfound confidence after last night's six-run, ten-hit performance, battled back.

The P-Nats got their first run in the bottom of the third off of Keys starter Pedro Beato. With runners at the corners and one out, Frank Diaz beat out a would-be double play grounder to short as Jemel Spearman scored making it 9-1.

The Nationals continued to climb back adding two more runs in the fourth on a two-run homer off of the bat of Edgardo Baez, his third long ball of the year, pulling Potomac a bit closer at 9-3.

Potomac made things really interesting in the bottom of the fifth. Matt Rogelstad led the inning off with a double down the left field line and was followed by a Marrero single to right putting runners at the corners. After Diaz struck out, Davis singled to right, scoring Rogelstad and chasing Beato who departed with a 9-4 lead. New Keys pitcher Jeff Moore retired Marvin Lowrance on a flyout to right but then hit Baez on a 1-2 pitch. Seth Bynum, who came into the game batting .500 with runners in scoring position, was clutch again hitting a two-run single up the middle and narrowing the gap to just three, 9-6.

The would be as close as the P-Nats would get as the Keys added an unearned off of Potomac reliever Carlos Martinez, who pitched well, in the top of the eighth, and Ryan Rodriguez (2-0) worked three scoreless innings to preserve the 10-6 win.

The Potomac Nationals, who came into the game with the best winning percentage at home in all of minor league baseball, lost at Pfitzner Stadium for the first time since April 17 against the Wilmington Blue Rocks. Potomac had won 21 of its last 22 games at home. The 10 runs were the most allowed by the Nationals and the four-run defeat matched the largest margin this season. The Keys dropped the P-Nats 6-2 last Sunday at Harry Grove Stadium in Frederick.

Potomac's lead over Frederick in the Carolina League Northern division now sits at 3 1/2 after the loss. The Keys avoided a season-high four-game losing streak with the win.

The Potomac Nationals will wrap up their four-game series and seven-game homestand tomorrow afternoon as former first-round pick Ross Detwiler (1-1, 4.74) squares off against Frederick right-hander Jake Renshaw (3-2, 4.88). First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. on a special autograph Sunday featuring a Team Photo giveaway and autograph session on the field presented by Goetz Printing. For more information call (703) 590-2311 or visit www.potomacnationals.com.

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