p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px} span.s1 {font-kerning: none} span.s2 {text-decoration: underline ; font-kerning: none; color: #4787ff}ROME, Ga. - Washington Nationals prospect Carter Kieboom suffered an apparent right leg injury while running through first base against
ROME, Ga. - Washington Nationals prospect Carter Kieboom suffered an apparent right leg injury while running through first base against the Rome Braves (19-15) during a 12-4 victory for the Hagerstown Suns (20-14) on Friday night at State Mutual Stadium.
The 19-year-old shortstop, ranked fourth among Nationals minor leaguers, dropped to the ground after trying to beat out a groundball in the top of the third. There was no collision with Rome first baseman Kurt Hoekstra during the play. Suns athletic trainer Don Neidig and manager Patrick Anderson attended to the former first-round pick as he sat on the infield dirt. He was helped off the field and replaced by Angelo La Bruna at shortstop before the bottom of the third.
Kieboom's injury ended a three-run inning for the Suns that included the first of two RBI singles for Blake Perkins and a team-leading seventh home run this season for Daniel Johnson , who drove in a pair of runs to give the Suns a 3-0 lead. Johnson added a sac fly in the eighth to finish with 3 RBI.
La Bruna made the most of his shot to replace Kieboom's bat in the three-hole by plating two runs with a double against Rome starter Jeremy Walker (Loss, 0-3) in the fifth. The 25-year-old utility infielder from Southern Cal finished 3-for-3 at the plate following another run-scoring double in the eighth.
Hagerstown took a 12-0 lead after batting around to score seven runs in the eighth. Sheldon Neuse tallied an RBI triple and Anderson Franco drew a three-base, three-run error on a groundball to Braves reliever Adam McCreery.
Nick Banks extended his hit streak to 16 consecutive games with a single in the ninth. The Texas A&M alum is ranked 24th among Nationals prospects and holds the longest hit streak by any South Atlantic League hitter this season.
19-year-old starter Tyler Watson (Win, 2-1) matched his career-high with eight strikeouts in six complete innings for the Suns. Reliever Hayden Howard gave up four runs in the eighth but Kyle Simonds stifled the Rome comeback by recording the final four outs without allowing a hit.
The Suns snapped their season-worst, four-game losing streak and traveled to Asheville, North Carolina immediately following Friday's victory. On Saturday at 6:05 p.m., Hagerstown opens a four-game series against the Tourists (16-17). Right-handed starter Sterling Sharp (0-2, 4.73) will throw for his first win of the season against fellow righty Alejandro Requena (1-1, 1.45) for Asheville.
