Luis Reyes issued seven walks and five-plus innings. Somehow, none of them scored.
The 21-y.o. Dominican was both lucky and good (well, at times) but was in trouble in five of the six innings he began. The lone leadoff batter he retired was also his only 1-2-3 inning (the third).
Frederick got to Reyes for their two runs in the 4th when he put the first two runners on with… wait for it… a walk and a single. The next batter chopped a high ground ball that somehow Drew Ward leapt for and snagged. He stepped on third for the force but couldn’t get the double play on the toss across to first.
The next batter sliced a double past Jose Marmolejos, who almost flinched in time to take a step towards the ball, and down the right field line. Dale Carey chased it down and kept the runner at first from scoring but Frederick got the first run in.
The second runner came in after, yes, a walk loaded the bases and once again Ward made the out but couldn’t turn two for the second Keys run.
Potomac answered immediately in its half of the 4th when Frederick’s Matt Grimes decided to get in on the walking fun, putting the first two on with bases-on-balls. Bryan Mejia laid down a bunt that Grimes couldn’t field cleanly and turned into an infield single.
Despite bases loaded and nobody out, the P-Nats just got one, as Alec Keller grounded out to second for an RBI, Matt Reistetter popped to second, and Cody Dent made his 69th out in his 85th High-A plate appearance.
The breaks evened out in the 5th when the Keys made a two-out error to allow Marmolejos to reach and moved him up with a wild pitch. Dale Carey tied things up with single.
Reyes issued walk nos. six and seven to open the 6th before Tripp Keister got the hook and called up on Mario Sanchez, who got some defensive help from Andrew Stevenson on a deep drive to the warning track in right-center for the first out, a liner to Marmolejos for the second out, and grounder to 1st for the third out.
Potomac scored the gamewinner in the last of the 6th on a Keller triple followed by a Reistetter double. The P-Nats threatened again in the 8th on a Ward double to dead center followed by a Mejia sacrifice, but Keller and Restetter couldn’t two-team again, as they made the second and third out respectively.
Sanchez earned the win with three strong innings, allowing one and hit and striking out. Ryan Brinley worked around a one-out single and a stolen base to pitch a scoreless 9th and earn his fourth save.
The series concludes this afternoon with a matchup of Phillips Valdez (3-1, 4.40) vs. Cory Jones (1-1, 3.94).