Potomac's four-run seventh inning dooms Birds on Wednesday

WOODBRIDGE, Va. (August 28, 2019) - The Myrtle Beach Pelicans overcame a three-run deficit and took a 7-3 lead, but could not hang on as the Potomac Nationals stormed back to claim game three of the series 9-7 on Wednesday night from Northwest Federal Field. 

The Nationals (33-30, 64-67) wasted no time finding the board in the third game of the series on Wednesday. The P'Nats scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning to jump out in front against Brendon Little .
Big league rehabber, Ryan Zimmerman, put the Nationals up 1-0 with an RBI single and two batters later KJ Harrison made it 3-0 with a two-run homer to left.
Francys Peguero held the Pelicans (33-32, 54-78) off the scoreboard in the first two innings of the contest, but ran into trouble in the third. D.J. Artis walked to lead off the inning and after a single from Carlos Sepulveda , Cam Balego launched a three-run homer to left center that evened the score at 3-3. 
The Pelicans tacked on two more runs in the frame when Kevonte Mitchell blooped a two-out, two-run single to right that scored Luke Reynolds and Delvin Zinn and gave the Pelicans a 5-3 lead. 
Myrtle Beach extended their lead to 7-3 in the top of the fifth inning. Grant Fennell led the inning off with a single and advanced to second on an error before he came in to score on a sacrifice fly from Zinn that made it 6-3 and Aramis Ademan added on another with an RBI single that pushed the lead to 7-3. 
In the bottom of the fifth, the P'Nats found the scoreboard again. Osvaldo Abreu reached on a walk and advanced to second on a single from Zimmerman. Aldrem Corredor then skied a ball to center, Artis raced back and made the catch, but Abreu tagged from second and rounded third and scored on the play to cut the gap to 7-4. 
Potomac added on a run in the sixth inning on an RBI double form Abreu that closed the gap to 7-5. 
In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Nationals exploded for four runs to take a 9-7 lead. 
Zimmerman reached on an error to lead off the inning and after back-to-back singles from Corredor and Harrison loaded the bases, Alex Dunlap tied the game at 7-7 with a two-run single off of Jesus Camargo (L, 4-3) 
The Nationals were not done as they added on two more when Omar Meregildo brought in two with a single that gave the P'Nats a 9-7 lead and that was the final. 
Ryan Tapani (W, 1-3) fired four innings and allowed just two runs to earn the win. 
The Pelicans will look to earn the series split on Thursday at 7:05 p.m. as they take on the Nationals for the final time this season. RHP Enrique De Los Rios (1-2, 2.27) will take the hill in the finale against LHP Carson Teel (6-3, 3.21) for the Nationals. Coverage starts at 6:50 p.m. on MyrtleBeachPelicans.com/Broadcast and the MiLB First Pitch and TuneIn Apps.
The 2019 season is the 21st season for the Pelicans franchise and fifth as the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. For tickets visit MyrtleBeachPelicans.com/tickets, call (843) 918-6000, or visit the Pelicans Box Office.
ABOUT THE PELICANS: The Myrtle Beach Pelicans are the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Chicago Cubs and play their home games at TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Since being acquired by a group led by Chuck Greenberg during the 2006 season, the Pelicans have repeatedly set team attendance records and become known as one of Minor League Baseball's most innovative and creative franchises. The team and its employees have been dedicated to making a difference in the Myrtle Beach community, specifically giving back over $2 million in donations, fundraising proceeds, in-kind services and community service since launching the Pelicans Play It Forward Community Initiative in 2013. TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark has ranked in the top eight in all of Minor League Baseball by Stadium Journey in six of the last seven seasons. The same publication also placed the Pelicans in the Top 100 Stadium Experiences and the best in the Carolina League for six of the past seven seasons. In June 2017, the Pelicans won the 2017 TripAdvisor.com Certificate of Excellence award. On the field, the team has won four Mills Cup Championships, including claims to back-to-back titles in 1999 and 2000, and again in 2015 and 2016. The Pelicans have made 11 postseason appearances behind 13 half-season Southern Division championships, including the first half of the 2015 season, second half of 2016 and first half of 2017. For more information on the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, please contact the Pelicans at (843) 918-6000 or email [email protected].