Ward homers twice in P-Nats' win

Drew Ward was looking for something to jump-start his second tour of the Carolina League. The inspiration he found in the past is making the present look pretty impressive.

The Nationals' No. 14 prospect recorded his first multi-homer game in the Minor Leagues and drove in a career-high five runs on a 3-for-4 night Tuesday, leading Class A Advanced Potomac to its sixth straight victory, a 7-4 win over Myrtle Beach at Pfitzner Stadium.

"I've been swinging it well this year," said Ward, who batted .249/.327/.358 in 111 games with Potomac last season. "I changed my swing up in the [Arizona] Fall League last year and I've got a little leg kick now. It's giving me a little more confidence and I'm seeing it well with the confidence going with it."

Tuesday's showing already was Ward's eighth multi-hit game of the season and second three-hit night in less than a week. In addition to boosting his slash line to .333/.415/.597, he continued the progression he's made with the tweak to his swing.

"I had a leg kick in high school and I took it out when I got to pro ball," he said. "Going back to it, it wasn't just completely unnatural; it was kind of natural to me. The timing and stuff, it wasn't that big of a difference with the leg kick. I got used to it pretty quick."

Ward sparked the Nationals with two outs in the bottom of the first inning when he cranked a three-run homer to right field. After striking out to end the third, he belted a leadoff shot in the fifth.

"My first at-bat, [Pelicans starter Jonathan Martinez] threw me two changeups that I took and then just elevated a fastball that I got around on, hit it down the line for a home run," he said. "My second one, he threw a fastball for a ball and then a changeup for a strike and threw me a curveball that he hung a little bit. I got my barrel to it and hit it out to right-center."

The 21-year-old third baseman tacked on an RBI single to right with two outs in the seventh.

Ward started the season on a seven-game hitting streak and was slashing .358/.443/.604 before falling into a 2-for-15 funk. 

"The last few games, I've been hitting the ball really well, I've just been hitting it right at guys," he said. "I've still had it, it's just the numbers aren't showing it because I'm not finding any holes. After that, it feels good."

The top four hitters in the Potomac lineup went 7-for-15 in front of Ward, giving him opportunities with men on base in every at-bat except when he led off in the fifth.

"We're so good offensively," he said. "We've got a lot of guys that can swing it and being in the middle of that lineup, it's great. I feel like I'm always hitting with somebody on base and getting a chance to get an RBI."

P-Nats starter Erick Fedde, MLB.com's No. 75 overall prospect, went six innings for his first Carolina League win, allowing three runs on four hits and a walk while striking out six.