
Furious Rally Falls Short in 7-4 Loss
July 23, 2021 - Carolina League (CarL)
Fredericksburg Nationals News Release
SALEM, VA - After being no-hit for six innings, the Fredericksburg Nationals made a late comeback on Friday night before coming up short in a 7-4 loss to the Salem Red Sox.
Jackson Rutledge (L, 0-1) took the loss in his FredNats debut, allowing seven runs, six earned, over 3.0 innings. It marked Fredericksburg's fourth defeat in a row.
Ricardo Méndez saw his hitting streak snapped at a league-high 19 games, as Jeremy Wu-Yelland and Nate Tellier (W, 1-0) combined to no-hit the FredNats through the first six frames.
After an opening strikeout for Rutledge, five straight Red Sox batters reached and scored in the first inning. Stephen Scott brought home the first run of the game with an RBI single, and Nicholas Northcut blew the game open with a grand slam.
A Scott RBI grounder stretched the lead to 6-0 in the second, and an error from Paul Witt led to an unearned run in the third that gave Salem a 7-0 lead. Rutledge struck out four, walked two and hit two batters in his first Fredericksburg appearance.
Junior Martina ended the suspense with a leadoff single in the seventh for the first FredNats hit. Braian Fernández brought him home with a fielder's choice, and RBI singles from Jake Boone and Witt kept the rally alive. José Sánchez reached on a Matthew Lugo error to bring the score to 7-4, but Méndez grounded out to first as the potential tying run to end the inning.
Robert Kwiatkowski (S, 1) allowed three hits in the final two innings, but coaxed an inning-ending double play in the eighth and worked around a Boone double in the ninth to lock down the save.
The FredNats continue their series against the Red Sox on Saturday. First pitch from Haley Toyota Field is scheduled for 6:05, with FredNats On Deck beginning at 5:50 on the FredNats Baseball Network.
The Fredericksburg Nationals are a minor league affiliate of the Washington Nationals in the Low-A East League. They are playing their inaugural 2021 season at the brand new, state-of-the-art FredNats Ballpark located at 42 Jackie Robinson Way next to the Fredericksburg Expo & Convention Center in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Stay up to date with the team online at www.frednats.com and follow the Fredericksburg Nationals on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @FXBGNats.
Carolina League Stories from July 23, 2021
- Sox Take No-Hitter Through Six, Win Five Straight for the First Time this Year - Salem Red Sox
- Tamarez and Gruller Combine to Shutout Cannon Ballers 7-0 - Fayetteville Woodpeckers
- RiverDogs Ride Long Ball to 6-4 Victory - Charleston RiverDogs
- Charleston Powers Past Myrtle Beach 6-4 - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- 'Birds Snap Skid with Win over 'Cats - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Mudcats Walk-Off Wood Ducks with Walk-Off Walk - Carolina Mudcats
- Fireflies Fall Two Feet Short against Augusta Friday - Columbia Fireflies
- Furious Rally Falls Short in 7-4 Loss - Fredericksburg Nationals
- Wood Ducks Fall on Bases Loaded Walk - Down East Wood Ducks
- Down East Wood Ducks Game Notes - at Carolina - Down East Wood Ducks
- Pelicans Crush RiverDogs in 15-1 Blowout - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- FredNats Announce Concert Series - Fredericksburg Nationals
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
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