Salem Drops Fourth Straight

The Potomac Nationals scored seven runs in the bottom of the seventh to beat the Salem Red Sox 8-1 at Pfitzner Stadium Saturday night. Gilberto Mendez got the win in relief for the Nationals, going two and a third scoreless innings, allowing just a hit and a walk. Justin Haley picked up his second loss in relief, allowing seven runs and five hits in three innings of relief. Just two of the seven runs were earned. Cody Kukuk started for the Red Sox, allowing a run on five hits in three and two thirds innings.

 

Each team scored one run through the first six frames. The Nationals took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. Shawn Pleffner lead off the frame with a double. He reached third on a sacrifice bunt by Randolph Oduber and scored on a single by Khayyan Norfork. The Red Sox got their run in the top of the fifth inning. Tim Roberson led off the frame with a double. He would eventually score when a error by Stephen Perez allowed Jonathan Roof to reach base.

 

The game stayed 1-1 until the bottom of the seventh when the P-Nats broke it open. The inning started with back to back singles by Norfork and WIll Piwnica-Worms. Two batters later Tony Renda walked to load the bases off of Haley. Perez would single home Norfork and Piwnica-Worms to make it 3-1 Nats. Those were the only two earned runs of the seven run inning. Perez moved up to second on a throwing error by Matty Johnson, the first of three Sox errors in the frame. Estarlin Martinez, who had replaced Ryan Zimmerman in the sixth, then hit a pop up to shallow right which was dropped by Aneury Tavarez. That allowed Renda to score to make it 4-1. After a pop out by Tejeda, Pleffner doubled home Perez to make it 5-1. The Randolph Oduber hit a hard ground ball that hit off of Reed Gragnani and went to short stop. It was ruled an infield hit. First Martinez scored to make it 6-1. Then Ryan Dent picked up the ball, threw to Roof at third, who threw wild home, allowing Pleffner to score to make it 7-1 P-Nats. Roof's throw was the third error of the frame. Haley was replaced by Madison Younginer. Younginer struck out Norfolk on a wild pitch, which allowed Norfolk to reach and Oduber to score to cap off the inning and give Potomac an 8-1 lead.

 

With the win, Salem is now 9.5 games behind Myrtle Beach in the Southern division with 15 games left in the half. The Sox and P-Nats return to Pfitzner Stadium tomorrow at 1:05 for the third game of the series. Luis Diaz goes for the Red Sox with Ian Dickson on the hill for the Nationals.