Good pitching beats good hitting, but just a couple of errors can make it all for naught.
That was the story, plain and simple for the P-Nats on Tuesday night. Three errors equaled three unearned runs in a 4-3 loss. For a team that’s streaky on offense, a shaky defense is unacceptable.
Let’s fast-forward to the seventh, where things fell apart. Tied at 1-1, starter and losing pitcher Danny Rosenbaum let up a long double to left to lead off the inning. Rosenbaum turned a sacrifice attempt into another baserunner with a throwing error, setting up a single to shallow right and a 2-1 Kinston lead, runners on 1st and 3rd and still nobody out.
Things went from bad to worse when a dropped pickoff attempt plated the third run, enabling the Indians to sacrifice again, moving a slow-footed catcher to third with their #9 batter. A tapper down the line sent in the fourth run, which would prove to be the gamewinner.
Offensively, the P-Nats would get 14 baserunners — six hits, six walks, two errors — but only once in seven tries could they get the clutch hit with runners on 2nd or 3rd. Twice they would have runners thrown out. Steven Souza’s leadoff home run to dead center in the second inning and Sandy Leon’s double to right were the highlights of the night.
With the loss, Potomac falls to 18-28, nine games behind and just a ½ game out of last place in the Carolina League Northern Division.