Potomac sent nine men to the plate in the 5th and scored four times to break open a 2-0 game and cruised to a 7-1 win in the series finale.
Coming off his worst outing thus far—a seven runs in three-plus start in Lynchburg on Tuesday—thing did not start well for the 22-y.o. Texas in the 1st. A leadoff single past Anderson Franco and a between-the-numbers HBP to the second batter set up 1st and send with nobody out. He escaped the jam with a textbook 4-6-3 DP then retired nine straight before giving up a clean single to left that Jakson Reetz took care of with a throwout on a steal.
Meanwhile, Potomac drew first blood with a Franco single followed by a triple by Gage Canning to the right-center gap. After two sharp grounders that froze Canning at third, Cole Freeman delivered the first of his two RBIs with a two-out single to left for the aforementioned 2-0 lead.
Canning and Freeman were key cogs in the P-Nats four-run rally, with Canning singling to start the wheels in motion and Freeman showing off his wheels twice: first when he beat out a double play ball to short and again on Aldrem Corredor’s single to left-center as he scored all the way from 1st. Nick Banks capped it off with a double to left that plated Corredor.
The long inning “cost” Kyle Johnston a chance for a second quality start, as he tired in the 6th and fell one out short, but Hayden Howard and Andrew Lee locked down his “W” with three and a 1/3rd scoreless innings of relief.
The win earned the a series split and improved the P-Nats to 8-10, which is 3½ games off the pace in the C.L. North. After an off day tomorrow, they’ll take on the cellar-dwelling Salem Red Sox for three before heading out on the road on Friday.