Potomac falls to Salem

Salem has had few bright spots so far this year. The Avalanche entered last night's game at Pfitzner Stadium against Potomac in last place of the Southern Division of the Carolina League with a 20-26 record.

One noteworthy exception has been the pitching of 23-year old lefthander Polin Trinidad, who entered last night's game with a 3-2 record and an ERA of 2.57.

One week earlier, Potomac had battered Trinidad, Salem's best pitcher, for eight runs in five innings, the Dominican's worst start of the season.

Last night, Trinidad was back in stride. Potomac was 7-3 in its previous ten games but Trinidad shut the door on the first-place Nationals (29-18).

Trinidad pitched six shutout innings, allowing just three baserunners, to improve his record to 4-2 for the season.

Salem won, 10-2, to improve to 2-1 in the four-game series. The Avalanche are now 4-4 against the P-Nats this season.

Potomac's only hits against Trinidad were a single by Dee Brown and a double by Edgardo Baez in the fifth. Matt Rogelstad was hit by a pitch in the sixth inning to account for the only other baserunner allowed by Trinidad.

Salem's batters put the game away early, scoring six runs in the third inning against P-Nats' starting pitcher Terrence Engles (0-4).

Engles hurt himself by walking two Avalanche hitters and plunking another to load the bases.

With the table set, Salem batters then reeled off four straight hits, including Mark Ori's two-run single.

Engles, a 22-year old from Staten Island, NY, fell to 0-4. The 6-4 righthander has given up 15 earned runs over 15 innings for Potomac.

Jack Spradlin relieved in the third inning for Potomac and pitched effectively until being touched for three more runs in the sixth inning by Salem, two of which were earned.

The heart of the Salem batting order, beginning with number three batter Ori and continuing with Jimmy Van Ostrand, Jhon Florentino and Cesar Quintero, had six hits and drove in seven runs for manager Jim Pankovits' crew.

Trailing, 9-0, Potomac finally got on the scoreboard against Avalanche reliever Chris Salamida in the eighth inning.

Until that inning, Potomac had just three hits against Salem in the last 14 innings. Potomac had won the second game of Friday night's doubleheader, 1-0, on Matt Rogelstad's home run, the only hit of the game for the Nationals.

Seth Bynum led off the inning with a double into the left field corner and scored when the next P-Nats hitter, Brown, singled sharply into center field.
Brian Peacock drove home the only other run for Potomac. His ninth-inning double scored Baez.

NOTES: Left-handed pitcher Yunior Novoa was promoted to AA Harrisburg following Friday night's doubleheader. Novoa, a reliever, was 2-1 with four saves in 13 appearances and had an ERA of just 1.38 ... Potomac and Salem conclude their four-game series this afternoon at 1:05 as the Nationals' Ross Detwiler (3-2) takes the mound against the Avs' Casey Hudspeth (3-3) ... Special guest Erik Estrada of the TV senies "CHiPs" spoke to the crowd prior to Saturday's game regarding internet safety.