Howlers Drop Heartbreaker to Fredericksburg

The Hill City Howlers lose the tie in their season series with the Fredericksburg Nationals following a 3-2 heartbreaker on a Nationals walkoff.

Offense was at a premium all night with the two teams combining for 12 hits to score five total runs.

Two Howlers managed multiple hits, with right fielder Juneiker Caceras and catcher Tyler Howard notching a pair of knocks apiece. Hill City has now scored exactly two runs in four of its last six games.

Lefty Miguel Flores shined in the pen, going 3.2 scoreless innings before getting pulled in the eighth for right-hander Luke Fernandez.

Ryan DeSanto was rock solid in his Howlers debut, tossing four innings of one-hit ball with seven strikeouts.

DeSanto allowed the first run of the game, a sacrifice fly by Fredericksburg catcher Nick Hollifield that scored second baseman Coy James.

James reached earlier in the inning on a walk, one of five that DeSanto issued on the evening.

After a strong first six innings pitched by the Nationals staff, the Howlers struck in the seventh on a two-run homer off the bat of shortstop Johan Rodriguez, his second of the season.

Down to their final out, the Nationals got a liferaft in the form of a rocket single off center fielder Gavin Fien’s bat that brought home two runs to end it.

The Hill City Howlers return to action Wednesday at 6:35 in Fredericksburg for game two of the series.