FredNats Lose Another Tight Game in Salem
May 2, 2025 - Carolina League (CarL)
Fredericksburg Nationals News Release
SALEM, VA - The Fredericksburg Nationals (13-12) allowed two late runs as the Salem Red Sox (11-14) came back with a tenth-inning walk-off double to win 3-2 on Friday night.
In a game largely dominated by pitching, both starters were excellent. Salem's Austin Ehrlicher tossed three innings in his first career start, allowing just one hit and one run. For the FredNats, Yoel Tejeda Jr.'s fifth start was certainly his best. The Florida State product used his sweeper and splitter to befuddle the Red Sox, striking out a career-high seven across five innings with just one run allowed. Tejeda Jr. has now thrown five full innings in three of his last four starts.
Both of the early runs scored weren't even on hits, but on the sacrifice fly. Jackson Ross hit one in the first inning to put Fredericksburg ahead 1-0 before Yoeilin Cespedes answered with one of his own in the third off of Tejeda.
From there, the bats went dormant. Neither team scored for the next five innings and could barely muster a hit. Adam Bates, a former starter, was dominant in relief for the Red Sox, schooling the FredNats for five innings out of the bullpen with six strikeouts. He allowed just two hits and no runs.
Bates was done entering the nine, as Salem handed the ball to Michael Sansone. Instantly, the FredNats found a spark.
Jackson Ross stepped up against Sansone and yanked a high line drive to left field that hit the top of Salem's 25-foot outfield fence and skipped over the wall for a razor-thin home run. The FredNats were immediately catapulted ahead 2-1 on Ross' team-leading fourth home run of the year and second RBI of the day. All of a sudden, they had life, but it was fleeting.
Merrick Baldo took the mound in the ninth for Fredericksburg, looking for his Carolina League-leading third save of the season but saw Freili Encarnacion scald a line drive to left field that snuck over the fence just like Ross' home run. Two batters in, the game was tied 2-2. The home run was also Encarnacion's team-leading fourth, as he and Ross are also tied for the league lead.
The game went to extra innings with the automatic runner, but the FredNats couldn't move Nick Peoples and did not score in the tenth. Baldo took the mound with a tough task, but Natanael Yuten didn't wait around, roping a ball off the wall in right field to walk off the game with his second double of the day.
Baldo (2-1) got the loss, giving Sansone (1-2) the win after his scoreless tenth inning.
With the Red Sox ahead 3-1 in the series, the FredNats hand the ball to Angel Roman (1-1, 12.08) in game five with a 6:35 start.
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