Sundberg Swings P-Nats to Sweep of Pelicans

Woodbridge, VA - The Potomac Nationals (53-62) walked off the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (59-57) 9-8 on Thursday afternoon at Pfitzner Stadium. Potomac jumped out early but saw their lead disappear late in the game. One inning after the Pelicans took a one-run advantage in the eighth, CF Jack Sundberg crushed a two-run walk-off home run to give Potomac the one-run victory on Thursday. 
The P-Nats scored once in each of the first two frames against LHP Ryan Kellogg. Sundberg scored the first and last run of the game. He singled with one out in the first and with 1B Ian Sagdal at the dish, stole second base. The first baseman capitalized and plated the first Potomac run with a two-out RBI single in the first inning. Sagdal now leads the team with 64 runs batted in. In the second, C Jakson Reetz roped his first Carolina League home run over the left-field wall. The solo shot gave The Red, White & Blue a 2-0 lead after two. 

Myrtle Beach tied up the game in the top of the fifth inning against RHP Joan Baez. The Pelicans loaded the bases with two singles and a walk with one out. For the second straight game, DH Vimael Machin put the Pelicans on the board with a two-RBI single to tie the tally at two. 
Potomac took the lead right back with two runs in the bottom of the frame. RF Rhett Wiseman doubled to right-center and was scored immediately by LF Dale Carey's single to center. Carey advanced to second on the throw to the plate and was sacrificed over to third base by SS Edwin Lora . Two batters later, with runners on first and third and LHP Jordan Minch into the game for Myrtle Beach, Sundberg struck again with a sacrifice fly to center. The P-Nats led 4-2 after five. 
The lead would expand to four after a two-run double from Carey in the bottom of the sixth inning. Potomac appeared to be cruising as RHP Joan Baez pitched his first Carolina League quality start in the victory. The right-hander threw six innings and allowed just two runs on five hits and three walks while striking out three. 
However, the Pelicans stormed back in the seventh and eighth innings, scoring six runs against the P-Nats bullpen. In the seventh, LF Robert Garcia singled to begin the inning and came around to score on a two-run blast by CF Roberto Caro. The Potomac lead was cut to 6-4 at the stretch. 
CF Daniel Johnson scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the seventh to increase the advantage back to three runs for the P-Nats. But, the Pelicans put up four in the eight to take their first lead of the afternoon. A hit batter, a single and a walk loaded the bases with one out. A wild pitch allowed the first run to score. Then, Caro drove in his third run of the game on a RBI Fielder's Choice. The next batter, SS Zack Short, launched a go-ahead two-run home run to left to move Myrtle Beach ahead 8-7 after eight. 
The P-Nats found a final comeback on Thursday. With one out, Johnson drew a walk setting up Sundberg as the hero. The left fielder deposited just his second career home run over the right-field wall to walk off the Pelicans 9-8. The two-run home run was Sundberg's first Carolina League home run of the season. 
For the first time in 2017, the Potomac Nationals have registered a three-game sweep of an opponent. The Red, White & Blue will finish 2017 with a 9-2 record in 11 games against Myrtle Beach. The P-Nats are also riding a season-high four-game winning streak into a three-game series against the Frederick Keys. Potomac sits just 4.5 games out of a playoff spot in 2017. 
Potomac hits the road on Friday night to open a three-game series with the Frederick Keys (Baltimore Orioles) at Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium. The P-Nats look to RHP Luis Reyes (7-11, 4.88) to keep the wins rolling against RHP Cristian Alvarado (6-8, 5.70) for the Keys. 
First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 pm. Coverage begins at 6:45 pm with the P-Nats Leadoff Show on the Potomac Nationals Baseball Network. The broadcast will be streamed live on potomacnationals.com or can be heard using the TuneIn Radio or MiLB First Pitch apps.
The Potomac Nationals of the Carolina League play at Pfitzner Stadium in Woodbridge, Virginia, and are the Carolina League affiliate of the Washington Nationals. The Potomac Nationals have claimed five Carolina League Championship titles (1982, 1989, 2008, 2010, and 2014) and nine CL Northern Division Championships. Sponsorship opportunities for the 2017 season and beyond are available, as well as corporate outings for the 2017 season to watch the future stars of the Washington Nationals at The Pfitz. For more information on Potomac Nationals 2017 single game tickets, season tickets, mini plans, group outings, and picnic packages, visit the P-Nats online at www.potomacnationals.com or call the Potomac Nationals Ticket office at 703-590-2311.