Lynchburg pounds Potomac

Even as the ball hit by Lynchburg’s Brian Friday snuck underneath the glove of Potomac Nationals third baseman Matt Rogelstad to lead to two unearned runs, Potomac Nationals starting pitcher Jhonny Nunez could only refocus and continue to pitch.
After Potomac evened the score at two in the bottom of the first inning, there was a chance that if Nunez received more run support and held Lynchburg’s offense in-check for the remainder of his outing, maybe, just maybe, that zero in the wins portion in his win-loss record would be one by the end of Wednesday’s game.
But Nunez could not do his part. Neither could Potomac’s defense and its offense was late in coming around. Hence Potomac’s 13-5 defeat to the Hillcats.
“It was just one of those nights,” Potomac relief pitcher Adam Carr said.
Nunez had his pitches working following the first inning. He retired nine straight batters before Lynchburg pushed across four runs off Nunez in the fourth.
It did not help that Nunez hit one batter and allowed a run to score on a wild pitch. Nor did Potomac’s two errors: a ball thrown by right fielder Edgardo Baez attempting to cut down Lynchburg’s Jared Keel reached the Hillcats’ dugout. Nationals catcher Jhonatan Solano threw a ball into center field trying to catch Alex Presley in his attempt to steal second base.
As a result, Nunez is now 0-5.
Potomac’s relief pitchers did not do their jobs. Carlos Martinez lasted only one inning, giving up four runs and issuing three walks. Carr’s first pitch of the seventh inning made contact with the left field foul pole, resulting in Jamie Romak’s seventh home run.
Carr’s night did not get much better. The next batter, Kent Sakamoto tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly. Carr was charged with three runs on four hits in two innings.
“It’s never easy to see them hit like that,” Carr said. “They were locked in from the first inning. They were able to put good swings on balls.”
Even a routine fly ball hit by Kent Sakamoto began a problem in the seventh when Baez slipped in his attempt to get under it. The ball dropped and Sakamoto trotted into third base with a triple.
“I was just trying to set up under the ball and I tripped,” Baez said.
The Nationals scored three runs in the eighth off Hillcats reliever Kevin Roberts. After denting the scoreboard in the first, Potomac’s offense was muted by Hillcats starter Jared Hughes. Hughes retired 18 straight batters before allowing Leonard Davis’s two-out double in the seventh, which brought a cheer from the 1,344 fans in attendance.
But there was no cheering when Davis was thrown out at the plate trying to score when the ball got away from Lynchburg catcher Kris Watts.
Combine Potomac’s miscues and bad luck and the Nationals’ 14-game winning streak against Lynchburg is over. Lynchburg also has its first win at Pfitzner Stadium since July 15, 2006.
“In this game, it doesn’t matter how many days you beat a team,” Nationals manager Randy Knorr said. “We didn’t catch the ball. Everybody goes out there and every day’s a different day.”
NOTES: Left-handed pitcher Atahualpa Severino has been promoted to Potomac from Low-A Hagerstown. He was 4-2 with a 4.05 ERA in 13 games with 34 strikeouts in 33 and a third innings.
Severino takes the spot of left-hander Yunior Novoa, who was promoted to Double-A Harrisburg.
Potomac outfielder Frank Diaz has been promoted to Triple-A Columbus. It is the 24 year-old’s first promotion above Double-A.