CarL1 Potomac Nationals

Lucky 13: P-Nats Beat Keys in Extras

Published on August 27, 2011 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Potomac Nationals News Release


(FREDERICK, MD) Zach Walters' 13th inning triple capped a seesaw extra-innings 5-4 victory over the Frederick Keys on Friday night at Harry Grove Stadium. The Nationals surrendered an eighth-inning lead - a lead they had thanks to a steady start from Paul Demny - and withstood a span of nearly six hitless innings before Walters' two-out 13th liner triggered a Potomac victory. With the win, Potomac pulled them within 3.5 games of the Keys with ten remaining, and trimmed their magic number to clinch the second Northern Division playoff spot to five.

Demny and Nick Haughian were both outstanding early. Demny retired the first ten hitters he faced, while Haughian surrendered just one hit and a walk through three innings.

Potomac broke through first in the fourth inning, thanks in large part to sloppy defense from Manny Machado. After Jeff Kobernus singled to left field, Destin Hood hit a bouncer up the middle of the infield. Machado went for the difficult double play with a barehanded backhand flip to second. The throw was errant, and both men were safe. Justin Bloxom - making his first appearance off the Disabled List since August 8 - popped out before Steven Souza singled to left to score the game's first run. Sandy Leon, who would figure prominently later in the ballgame, then singled to left to score Hood and move Souza to third; when Leon was thrown out trying to move up to second, Souza read the play perfectly and sprinted home to score the inning's third run. Machado later made a second error in the inning, though it did not lead to more runs.

Potomac scored another run in the fourth. Perez singled on a swinging bunt before Francisco Soriano was hit by a pitch. Jeff Kobernus then loaded the bases with a bunt single. Hood roped a base hit to left field to score Perez and put Potomac up 4-0, but Soriano was thrown out at the plate for the first out. With men at second and third, Bloxom hit a weak grounder to the mound; Haughian threw home to retire Kobernus. When Souza grounded out, the Keys escaped having yielded just one run.

Frederick halved the Nationals' lead in the fifth, thanks to three softly well-placed hits. With one out Michael Flacco singled on a groundball to shortstop, after which Dale Mollenhauer hit a seeing-eye bloop double inside the right field line. Brian Ward got the Keys on the board with a groundout, and Frederick made it 4-2 when Bobby Stevens laid down a perfect bunt single to third.

The Nationals held their two run lead until the eighth. Demny was allowed to open the inning, but a bloop single by Ward chased Demny and brought on Josh Smoker. Smoker then walked Stevens before Steve Bumbry sacrificed the tying runs into scoring position. Jonathan Schoop's then hit a two-run triple to tie the game, but was thrown out in a rundown between third base and home plate.

Hector Nelo got the last out of the eighth and all three in the ninth. Meanwhile, Kenny Moreland and Jason Gurka hurled six innings of shutout relief and kept Potomac hitless from the seventh until the 13th innings. After Nelo, Marcos Frias was brilliant for the 10th and 11th innings.

In the 12th, Neil Holland worked around a one-out single and an intentional walk to keep the game tied and set up Walters' heroics.

After a two-out walk to Steven Souza, Leon singled to left field to put runners at the corners. With the outfield back, Walters hit a soft liner to right field in front of Bumbry. Bumbry charged and let the ball skip past him and roll all the way to the warning track. Inexplicably, Leon froze at second base, and by the time the Nationals' catcher realized the scenario and raced home, Bumbry had fired a relay throw to the plate the easily beat Leon for the inning's final out.

But Neil Holland retired the Keys in order in the 13th to close out the victory.

The ballclubs play the middle game of the series on Saturday in Frederick. With Erik Davis on the mound, Ivan Rodriguez will make a rehab appearance for Potomac at 7:00 P.M.

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Carolina League Stories from August 27, 2011


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