P-Nats Storm by Keys 5-1 on Strength of Miller's Multi-Homer Night
Woodbridge , VA-The Potomac Nationals (13-18 Overall, 7-10 Home) were victorious 5-1 over the Frederick Keys (17-15 Overall, 6-12 Road) in the series Game Four finale on Monday evening at Pfitzner Stadium on the strength of a pair of home runs from RF Brandon Miller and the terrific starting pitching outing of RHP Dakota Bacus.
The Nationals, after dropping the first two games of the four-game home series, were able to earn a set split with Frederick.
Bacus (1-0), the winning starting pitcher, dealt 5.0 innings and allowed one earned run on just two hits while walking two batters and fanning seven. The crafty righty induced four flyouts and four groundouts in the outing.
Bacus used 76 total pitches and 50 strikes while facing five batters over the minimum en route to his first win of the 2015 season.
Frederick LHP Mitch Horacek (2-3) lost his third decision of the current campaign after surrendering five earned runs on five base hits in 5.1 innings. Horacek walked three and struck out eight.
The Nationals got on the scoreboard first with a mammoth two-run home run to left field over all three tiers of signage at The Pfitz in the 2nd inning.
Potomac is now a (12-6) club when they score first which ranks as the 2nd-best record in the Carolina League in that category.
When leading after six innings in 2015, the P-Nats are undefeated with an (11-0) record.
Miller yanked another majestic arch over the left field fence, a solo home run, in the 4th inning to make it a 3-1 game after the Keys scored their lone run of the contest on an RBI double by 1B Trey Mancini onto the left field chalk earlier in the same inning.
Miller now has homered three times in the last two games after his high popup to left field kept going and landed over the wall yesterday against the Keys off LHP Jhonathan Ramos.
Potomac would go on to take a 5-1 lead in the 5th inning. Horacek walked both Nationals C Spencer Kieboom and 1B John Wooten in succession before getting DH Drew Ward on a bouncing ball to Mancini at first base moving both runners into scoring position and ending the night for the lefty starter. P-Nats 3B Khayyan Norfork then drilled the first pitch he saw from RHP Jimmy Yacabonis through a drawn-in infield defense to plate Kieboom. Wooten scored on a wild pitch to the backstop out of the hand of Yacabonis.
Washington Nationals RHP Erik Davis, on the comeback from 2014 Tommy John surgery, worked the 6th and 7th innings without allowing a run and the Big League righty surrendered just one hit, a single.
Potomac RHP Tyler Mapes went the 8th and 9th stanzas and held the Keys scoreless. Mapes gave up two hits, walked no one, and struck out three Keys to close the proceedings out in a non-save situation.
The Nationals travel to Wilmington, DE to begin a three-game road series with the Wilmington Blue Rocks (Kansas City Royals) on Tuesday night which cracks open a two-city, six-contest bus trip which will also take the P-Nats to Frederick, MD to play the Frederick Keys (Baltimore Orioles) next weekend.
Potomac ships phenom flamethrower, RHP Reynaldo Lopez (1-0, 0.00) to the bump to pitch against Wilmington RHP Yender Caramo (1-1, 2.67) tomorrow evening at Daniel S. Frawley Stadium. First pitch is slated for 6:35pm Tuesday night in Wilmington.
The Potomac Nationals Baseball Network will carry live coverage of the game beginning with the "P-Nats Lead-Off Show" at 6:20pm before the live play-by-play at 6:35pm. P-Nats Gameday Audio on the Potomac Nationals Baseball Network is accessible at www.potomacnationals.com or with the TuneIn Radio App.
The Potomac Nationals play at G. Richard Pfitzner Stadium in Woodbridge, Virginia, and are the Carolina League affiliate of the Washington Nationals. The Potomac Nationals have claimed five Carolina League Championship titles (1982, 1989, 2008, 2010, and 2014) and nine CL Northern Division Championships. The P-Nats are the defending Carolina League Champions after winning the 2014 Mills Cup Championship Series. Potomac Nationals 2015 season tickets and mini plans are now on sale. Sponsorship opportunities for the 2015 season and beyond are available. Corporate outing reservations for the 2015 season to watch the future stars of the Washington Nationals at The Pfitz may be placed now as the P-Nats offer discounted group rates and all-inclusive picnics. Visit the P-Nats online at www.potomacnationals.com or call the Potomac Nationals Ticket Office at 703-590-2311 for more information!
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