FredNats shut out Lynchburg 6-0, tie series at three games apiece

LYNCHBURG, VA - The Fredericksburg Nationals (31-25, 61-60) shut out the Lynchburg Hillcats (25-32, 66-57), winning 6-0 on Saturday night at Bank of the James Stadium.

The FredNats scored twice on five walks in the second inning against the Lynchburg starter, Chase Mobley, taking a 2-0 lead without a hit. They scored three times in the fourth inning with their first four hits of the night. Brenner Cox, Kevin Bazzell and Jorgelys Mota each had RBI base hits with two outs off of Cam Walty, as the FredNats took a 5-0 lead.

They handed that to Bryan Polanco, who dominated en route to his first six-inning start in over two months. Polanco pitched six scoreless, allowing just three hits and three walks. He struck out three, but never faced much traffic at all.

In the seventh inning, Eli Willits extended his hitting streak to nine games to begin his professional career, as he drove in a run with an RBI single. He’d add another hit in the ninth inning for his second straight two-hit game.

The FredNats held on for the seventh shutout of the year and took a two-game lead on first place in the Carolina League North, with Delmarva beating Carolina. Polanco (7-8) got the win, as Mobley (0-2) got the loss. The FredNats will play a winner-take-all seventh game of the series on Sunday, with R.J. Sales pitching in a 2:05 start.