Nat Jacks Surge Potomac Past Salem 7-4

Salem, VA (August 18, 2012) - Potomac crushed three home runs in the first four innings and snapped its three-game losing streak by downing Salem 7-4 on Saturday night at LewisGale Field. Kevin Keyes crushed a two-run blast in the first, while Steven Souza, Jr. and Jason Martinson went back-to-back in the fourth, helping the Nationals extend the lead to 6-1. Salem inched back within three but never moved closer as Potomac punished Sox pitchers for 15 hits.

Matt Swynenberg earned the win for the Nationals, benefitting from the early run support tremendously. Swynenberg surrendered three runs on six hits in five innings, improving to 5-5 on the season for Potomac. Miguel Celestino suffered the loss, falling to 7-8, allowing five runs on eight hits, including three home runs, in four frames. Celestino has now served up 17 homers on the year, most in the league.

Six Nationals registered multiple hits, with Keyes' 2-for-5, three RBI performance leading the way. Potomac has compiled 45 hits in the first three games of the series, but victories eluded the Nats until Saturday.

Salem's offense came from just four players, with batters four-through-eight going 0-for-16. But Michael Almanzar went 3-for-5 with two RBI to pace the Red Sox, while Zach Gentile went 2-for-4 with a double and a walk. James Kang also added two hits, including a double, from the bottom of the lineup.

Rob Wort tossed the final two innings for Potomac, striking out three to record his tenth save of the year.

The Sox and Nationals will wrap up their 2012 season series on Sunday, with Salem holding a 10-9 lead heading toward the finale. Matt Barnes gets the start for the Red Sox opposite Nationals' righty Rob Gilliam, with the first pitch scheduled for 4:05.