CarL1 Potomac Nationals

One Up, One Down in Salem

Published on August 31, 2010 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Potomac Nationals News Release


(SALEM, VA) A bases-loaded walk in theseventh inning capped a bittersweet Tuesday for the Potomac Nationals,and led to a 3-2, doubleheader-splitting victory for the Salem Red Sox.The Nationals won the opener 5-3, had the lead for much of thenightcap, and had multiple opportunities to force extras before thegame-ending walk. All told, the Nationals lost half a game off theirlead atop the Northern Division, and head to Wednesday a game and ahalf in front of Wilmington.

The Nationals got the lead in the first inning of both games.In the matinee, the Nats hung two on the Lewis-Gale Field scoreboard.Derek Norris doubled with one out; after Bill Rhinehart grounded outthe Sox pitched around Tyler Moore. Jamar Walton made them regret itwith a slicing double down the left field line made it 2-0. Potomac tacked on three more in the second inning. FranciscoSoriano drove in Dan Lyons, who had doubled, and would score when ChrisCurran tripled to deep right. Curran trotted home on Rhinehart's singleto center.

Salem answered back with a pair of runs in their half of thesecond. After Will Middlebrooks led off the inning with a single, P-Natkiller Oscar Tejeda tripled to deep left. He would score on Jon Hee'ssingle to the opposite field and the Sox trimmed the lead to 5-2.

Jimmy Barthmaier went five strong innings and yielded onlythose two runs on five hits. He gave way to Rob Wort, who had hisshakiest outing with Potomac. Wort walked two and gave up a double toHassan to load the bases with no outs. Potomac summoned A.J. Morris toput out the fire, which he did masterfully. A double play ball cut thelead to two, but Morris retired Ryan Dent to end the threat and sendthe Nats to the seventh leading 5-3.

The Sox loaded the bases in the last inning but a Hassan line-out to right ended the opening affair.

In the nightcap, Norris got things started with a blast over theleft-field wall for his 12th home run of the season. It would stay 1-0until the fourth, when Salem blasted back-to-back solo homers offPotomac starter Pat Lehman and took a 2-1 lead.

Zach Dials made a healthy and successful return to the Nats' bullpen in the fifth, retiring the Sox in order.

After Justin Phillabum kept a clean sheet in the sixth, Potomacclawed back with a run in the seventh. Rhinehart's leadoff doublebecame a run when Rooney hit a double off the glove of Hassan in left.The Nats had runners at the corners with one out after Jose Lozadasingled, but on the next pitch a Sean Nicol double play sent the gameto the last of the seventh tied.

A leadoff single by Jon Hee set the table for the Sox; RyanDent pinch ran for Hee and promptly stole second. But Drew Hedman fliedto center, and Chris Curran doubled Dent off at second. With the basesclear and two outs, Phillabaum walked Ronald Bermudez. He then got LuisSegovia to ground to third, but Nicol decided to throw to second. Thetoss was off line and off the glove of Francisco Soriano. The errorextended the inning and chased Phillabaum.

Joe Testa came on in relief and for the second time in threedays, walked off the mound in the final inning having surrendered thewinning run. He walked Mitch Dening and Hassan to bring in the winningrun in a 3-2 Salem walk-off.

The two teams are right back at it Wednesday night at 7 P.M.Marcos Frias will be opposed by Miguel Gonzalez; the pre-game show canbe heard beginning at 6:40.

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Carolina League Stories from August 31, 2010


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