The 2011 edition of Potomac Nationals is apparently aware that walkoff wins on Sunday afternoon are a new tradition in Woodbridge, as Rick Hague doubled over the centerfielder’s head with two outs in the bottom of the tenth for a 7-6 win.
The double was Hague’s second hit and second RBI of the game, as the P-Nats pummeled Hillcats pitchers for 13 on the afternoon, with every batter getting a hit and four batters getting two, highlighted by Steve Souza’s second home run in as many days (and at-bats) with a solo shot in the second inning. Souza would also collect two RBI on the afternoon.
It made a winner out of Pat Lehman who misplayed a sacrifice bunt inthe 9th into a hit after a leadoff single and lost a valiant battle to Lynchburg’s Rick Gosselin after another sacrifice set up a 2nd-and-3rd with one out as the Hillcat DH chopped a grounder to Souza for an RBI groundout.
Lehman pitched a scoreless tenth, surviving an error that Brian Peacock erased by throwing out pinchrunner-turned-OF L.V. Ware for the second time in the game.
Trevor Holder pitched the first six innings, allowing three runs on six hits, but three of those went for extra bases, including a two-run blast to LF that would have been out most parks (except maybe Yellowstone). It’s a pattern that persists from last August-September: when his pitches are up in the zone, hitters will make him pay.
Like Souza and Hague, King and J.P. Ramirez also notched two hits to take the edge off both having an 0-for-4, 2K line in the boxscore last night. King did commit the 10th-inning error, but it was hardly a black mark after notching nine assists and snaring a line drive in the ten previous chances over two games. Similarly, Steve Souza’s transition across the diamond has been a success, as the 21-year-old has simply made all the plays and looked smooth.
With the win, the P-Nats split the series and play host to the Winston-Salem for the next three, the first meeting between the two 2010 Mills Cup finalists.
