CarL1 Potomac Nationals

P-Nats' Winning Streak Reaches 10

Published on August 20, 2013 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Potomac Nationals News Release


Wilmington, DE- The Potomac Nationals (79-47, 37-20 ) are winners of ten straight contests for the second time amidst the 2013 season after downing the Wilmington Blue Rocks (56-72, 23-35) by the final score of 6-2 on Tuesday evening inside the confines of Frawley Stadium.

The triumph completes the seventh series sweep of a Carolina League foe by the Nationals in 2013.

In the matchup, Potomac 2B Cutter Dykstra extended his on-base streak to a Carolina League-best 29-game stretch of reaching base safely after drawing a walk in the 8th inning.

In the Game Five series finale, Potomac LHP Matt Purke, who did not receive a decision, ran into trouble early in the game but settled down to turn in a quality start.

Purke allowed two runs, one earned, in 6.0 innings in which he surrendered five hits but no walks and one hit batter. The southpaw struck out three men.

Wilmington tagged Purke for their only two runs of the game in the 2nd inning as 1B Dennis Raben served a double to the right field wall and advanced to third base on a wild pitch. On an error charged to SS Adrian Sanchez following a hard hit grounder by DH Sam Bates that hopped through Sanchez, Raben raced to home plate. An additional run scored later in the inning on an RBI single ripped into left field by RF Geulin Beltre to give the Blue Rocks a 2-0 lead. On a line drive into right field by CF Ethan Chapman Nationals RF Randolph Oduber threw out C Parker Morin, who reached on a fielder's choice, at home plate to garner the outfield assist on a bulleted one hop throw to C Adrian Nieto to seal a double play and end the frame.

Blue Rocks LHP Tripp Davis, in his second start of the season for Wilmington, was solid but like Purke, did not factor into a decision. Davis went 5.0 frames and gave up two unearned runs on four hits without walking a batter. Davis fanned three men.

The Nationals tied the finale at 2-2 in the 3rd inning on a fisted RBI single into left field off the stick of LF Caleb Ramsey and against an outfield shift preparing for a ball to the gap in right center, CF Michael Taylor lashed a run scoring double into the opposite gap in left center to bring home Ramsey and tie the game.

Nationals RHP Greg Holt (8-0) was the winning pitcher thanks to a big four-run 8th inning. Holt gunned through 2.0 scoreless innings in which he allowed just one base hit, a single without walking a batter.

Potomac sent seven men to the plate in the 8th and received a leadoff double rapped up the left field line by Oduber before 3B Francisco Soriano got down a two-strike bunt but the losing pitcher of record, Blue Rocks RHP Ali Williams (0-2) could not corral the deadened baseball and Soriano reached first base with Oduber going to third. Williams then dealt a wild pitch to the backstop allowing Oduber to score and Soriano to move to second base before Williams tossed a dart that was dropped by Morin standing around home plate allowing Soriano to reach third base via the error charged to Morin. Before Dykstra walked, a wild pitch summoned home Soriano to give the P-Nats a 4-2 lead. Ramsey then singled into left field, and Taylor walked to load the bases. Wilmington RHP Andrew Edwards took over to make his Carolina League debut and allowed two inherited runners to score on an RBI fielder's choice groundball from Nieto and a wild pitch to put the Nationals in the driver's seat up 6-2.

In the 9th inning Nationals RHP Rob Wort was called upon in the non-save situation to close out the proceedings. Wort induced a swinging strikeout of LF Yem Prades, a popout in foul territory off the bat of Raben, and an unorthodox strikeout of Bates to end the game. A breaking ball was swung on and missed by Bates which trickled away from Nieto outside of the batter's circle. With a remarkably athletic move, Nieto went into a spikes-first slide to receive the baseball and from a sitting position rocketed a throw down to 1B Kevin Keyes to cut down Bates and finish off the victory.

On a night where the Cowboy Monkey Rodeo was in town on Judy Johnson Field, it was the Nationals who lassoed the Blue Rocks.

Potomac returns home to begin a six-game homestand beginning with three standoffs against the Winston-Salem Dash (Chicago White Sox). Game One of a three game set on Wednesday night will precede three more games with the invading Wilmington (Kansas City) club to finish the 2013 regular season home schedule at Pfitzner Stadium.

The Nationals will pit RHP Paul Demny (1-1, 4.60) against Dash RHP Bryan Blough (9-10, 4.27) in the series opener on Wednesday night with first pitch scheduled for 7:05pm.

The Potomac Nationals Baseball Network will begin streaming Wednesday evening with the P-Nats Lead-Off Show at 6:50pm in preparation for the live play-by-play broadcast beginning at 7:05pm. Broadcast coverage of Potomac Nationals Baseball is accessible by heading to www.potomacnationals.com .

The Potomac Nationals of the Carolina League play at Pfitzner Stadium in Woodbridge, Virginia, and are the Class-A Advanced affiliate of the Washington Nationals. P-Nats 2014 season tickets and mini plans are on sale now. Sponsorship opportunities for the remainder of the '13 season and beyond are now available. Plan your corporate outing now to see the future stars of the Washington Nationals at The Pfitz as the P-Nats offer discounted group rates and all-inclusive picnic options. Visit the P-Nats online at www.potomacnationals.com or call the ticket office at 703-590-2311 for more!

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Carolina League Stories from August 20, 2013


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