Nats Drop Opener in Battle of Division Leaders

SALEM, Va- A night after a marathon 12-inning game which saw the Potomac Nationals steal a victory from the Lynchburg Hillcats, the team traveled down the road to take on the first-place Salem Red Sox for a three game battle of division leaders. In game one of the series, the Salem Red Sox benefitted from an injury to P-Nats' starter Terrence Engles, pushing five runs across on the Potomac bullpen to take the first contest 5-1.

This game was billed as a battle between two starting pitchers who had been coming into their own in the second half of the season. Terrence Engles and Seth Garrison had been two of the top pitchers in the Carolina League since the All-Star break as Engles owned a 4-1 record with a 2.32 ERA while Garrison had recorded a 4-1 record as well but his ERA stood at a minuscule 1.45.

Both pitchers came as advertised in the initial innings of this ballgame. Engles worked through some traffic in the first two frames, putting a runner on third base with one out in each stanza only to escape with no damage done.

It would be Garrison falling behind early as singles from Danny Espinosa and Michael Burgess brought home the first run of the ballgame to put the P-Nats up early 1-0.

Unfortunately for the Nationals, the way the third inning unraveled could provide Potomac with problems as the season progresses. After allowing a leadoff double to Daniel Nava, Engles threw a pitch in the dirt, allowing Nava to advance to third. Immediately following the wild pitch, Engles motioned towards the dugout and was soon being tended to by the Nationals' training staff. Engles would have to leave the ballgame after throwing just three-plus innings.

Lefty Patrick McCoy would come on in relief and allow two sacrifice flies in the frame to put the Red Sox on top 2-1. In the next inning, a two-run home run from leadoff hitter Che-Hsuan Lin and an RBI single from Anthony Rizzo would give the Red Sox all the runs they would need in this game as the lead would be pushed to 5-1.

The Nationals would load the bases with one out in the ninth inning against Josh Papelbon on a single by Jesus Valdez, a double from Michael Burgess, and a hit batter by Chris Marrero, but Francisco Plasencia grounded into a game-ending double play to give the Sox the victory in game one.

Knuckleballing outfielder Aaron Seuss pitched two scoreless innings in relief for Trent Jewett's ballclub, baffling the Red Sox hitters with a steady diet of knuckleballs and a solid fastball. Seuss showed excellent command of the knuckleball and kept the Sox hitters off balance as the ball danced all around the strike zone.

The P-Nats will come back for game two Saturday night from Salem with first pitch scheduled for 6:05 ET. You can catch all the action live on www.potomacnationals.com with Dan McGinn and Anthony Masterson starting with the Potomac Nationals pregame show at 5:45 ET.

For more information on tickets, daily promotions, and all things P-Nats, call (703) 590-2311 or log onto www.potomacnationals.com to join the party!