Last Night In Woodbridge

In a battle of the top two offenses in the Carolina League, No. 1 Winston-Salem beat No. 2 Potomac with three runs in the 8th for a 5-3 win.

Rob Wort took the loss, his first for Potomac this season. After retiring the first two batters on weak flyballs to second and right field, a walk followed by three long hits — a double to left-center, a double to right, a triple to right-center — broke open the 2-2 game and gave the Dash a 5-2 lead.

It’s tempting to write this one off as just another bullpen implosion — which it was — but the ten runners left on and the 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position also bears mention. Indeed, three of the ten were left on in the final two frames as Potomac could only get back one run with a sacrifice fly in the 9th.

Early on, it looked like Potomac was going to have its way with Jake Cose, getting five hits in the first two innings. But the damage was limited to just the one run, which came in on a wild pitch, though Michael Taylor did rip a liner into left that would have plated the run anyway.

Meanwhile, starter Blake Schwartz was doing his part as the starters have for the most part since Kylin Turnbull was sent packing in April. Schwartz gave up a solo shot in the 1st and an unearned run in the 4th for a quality start of two runs over six innings with no walks and four strikeouts.

Cose, as you might have guessed, settled down in the middle innings, allowing a pair of two-out runners in the 4th. Kevin Keyes broke up the Dash pitcher’s modest streak of five batters retired with his seventh HR of the season in the 6th, a not-so-modest blast to left-center that tied the game at 2-2.

Dash reliever Joe Dvorksy would get the benefit (i.e. the win) of the Winston-Salem 8th for pitching a scoreless 7th, allowing a one-out double to Billy Burns.

The two teams meet again tonight with Brian Rauh (0-0, 4.00) facing off against Joe Blough (7-4, 3.92).