CarL1 Potomac Nationals

Historic Crowd Sees Meyers Shine

July 4, 2009 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Potomac Nationals News Release


WOODBRIDGE, Va- On a record-setting night at Pfitzner Stadium, 10,789 fans in attendance witnessed the top pitcher in the Carolina League continue to shine in 2009 while a home run from Potomac's leading hitter paced the P-Nats in a 4-1 Independence Day victory in Woodbridge, Virginia.

Brad Meyers has maintained his status as head honcho among Carolina League pitchers for much of the season, leading the league in earned run average by a large margin. He carried a 1.53 mark into Saturday's Fourth-of-July affair with a streak of 15 consecutive scoreless innings. From April 24 to May 14, Meyers compiled a scoreless inning streak of 21 innings while baffling opposing batters every time he took the baseball.

Against Frederick on Saturday night, Meyers (6-2) worked his way through traffic on the basepaths in the early innings, even escaping a bases-loaded jam in the first frame. The righty was able to keep the Keys' batters off-balance with a solid mix of sliders and changeups that set up his fastball as the Frederick batters were unable to figure his arsenal out. In all, Meyers went six scoreless frames to push his streak to 21 innings while allowing five hits, striking out five, and walking two batters.

Meyers has now won two consecutive starts for the first time since April 18 and 24, and his ERA now sits at a pristine 1.43.

The P-Nats received all the offense they would need on one swing of the bat from their top hitter Sean Rooney. Rooney went with an outside pitch from Keys' starter Rick Zagone (0-1) and knocked it over the right-field wall for his sixth home run of the season. The two-run blast was Rooney's first career round-tripper at Pfitzner Stadium.

In the fifth inning it would be Rooney again starting things off with a single to center field. The next batter, Danny Espinosa, would pound a double to right-center to score Rooney with the game's third run, putting the P-Nats on top, 3-0. After a Frederick error put runners on first and third with just one out, Dan Nelson took the first pitch he saw from Zagone into left field to score Espinosa to push the P-Nat lead to 4-0.

Nelson would enjoy a perfect day at the plate, going 2-for-2 with a pair of walks.

Adam Carr would come in to relieve Meyers in the seventh inning, and the right-hander had one of his best outings of the season. After surrendering a single run in the seventh, Carr settled down, retiring the final nine men he faced to pick up his first save of the season as a member of the P-Nats.

When Carr struck out Bobby Stevens for the final out, the 10,789 fans in attendance erupted with joy as the noise coming from the stands at Pfitzner Stadium was deafening. The capacity crowd surpassed the previous attendance record at the Pfitz, set back on July 4, 1998 when 9,097 witnessed the P-Nats beat this same Keys ballclub.

Potomac won consecutive games for the first time in the second half and now hold a 1 1/2 game lead in the Carolina League Northern Division second-half standings.

These two teams will play the final game of this four-game series tomorrow afternoon at the Pfitz with first pitch scheduled for 1:05 ET. It will be Sunday Family Funday at the ballpark with gates opening at noon. Fans can get autographs from select P-Nats players before the game and play catch on the outfield after the final out is recorded. Kids can also run the bases after the game courtesy of Glory Days Grill.

It is also Uncle Slam's birthday party Sunday at Pfitzner Stadium so come down to the ballpark to give Uncle Slam your birthday wishes!

For more information on tickets, daily promotions, and all things P-Nats, call (703) 590-2311 or log onto www.potomacnationals.com to join the party!

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Carolina League Stories from July 4, 2009


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