Monday’s News & Notes — Playoff Edition

Potomac 3 Myrtle Beach 0
• Bacus (W, 1-0) 5⅔ IP, 2H, 0R, 3BB, 5K, HBP
• M. Rodriguez 2⅓ IP, 2H, 0R, 0BB, 2K, 1-0 IR-S
• Mendez (SV, 3) 1IP, 1H, 0R, 0BB, 0K
• Wooten 2-3, R, HR, BB, 3RBI
• Severino 1-3, 2B

Three Potomac pitchers combined on a five-hit shutout while John Wooten connected for a three-run HR as the P-Nats evened the Mills Cup series at 1-1 with a 3-0 win over the Pelicans. Dakota Bacus got the start and pitched into the 6th, working around a total of six baserunners with two hits, a hit batsman, and three walks while striking out five. Manny Rodriguez was greeted by a double in relief of Bacus but worked out of the second-and-third-with-two-out jam with a lineout to Shawn Pleffner at first base. After a scoreless 7th and 8th, Rodriguez turned it over to Gilberto Mendez in the 9th, and the 21-y.o. from Santo Domingo shook off a two-out double to earn his third postseason save.

Hagerstown — OFF DAY
The South Atlantic League’s Championship Series begins tonight in Asheville. The two teams met just twice this season, with the Suns taking three of four at McCormick Field in late May and the Tourists taking two of three at Municipal Stadium in late August. Absent an official announcement, Hagerstown’s probable pitchers will be Nick Pivetta tonight and Wander Suero tomorrow night, and presumably — since he’ll be on five days rest — Reynaldo Lopez on Thursday. Beyond that, it would be either Travis Ott or Robbie Dickey, assuming neither has been shut down for the season given their age (19) or workload (120 combined IP between pro and college) respectively.

UPDATE: The Suns have announced the probables for the first three games and it is indeed Pivetta-Suero-Lopez.