The Fredericksburg Nationals (10-9) scored seven unanswered runs to defeat the Charleston RiverDogs (8-11) by a score of 8-1 on Firework Friday at Virginia Credit Union Stadium.
The game remained close through the first five innings, tied 1-1 after solo runs from each team. Jackson Ross hit a solo home run in the second inning for the Nationals, and Charleston tied the game in the fourth. In the sixth inning, Fredericksburg took advantage of Charleston’s defensive mistakes, scoring four runs, followed by three more runs in the eighth inning.
The Nationals’ bullpen pitched six scoreless innings to secure the team’s largest winning margin of the season and tied the series at two games apiece. Matt Bollenbacher earned the win for Fredericksburg. Game five of the series is scheduled for Saturday, with Angel Roman starting for the FredNats.
Here’s the full press release:
The Fredericksburg Nationals (10-9) took advantage of late mistakes made by the Charleston RiverDogs (8-11) and scored seven unanswered runs to win 8-1 on a Firework Friday at Virginia Credit Union Stadium.
When the sixth inning started, the game had been played to script. In a tight, well-pitched series, the FredNats and RiverDogs were again playing close in a 1-1 tie. Both starters, Yoel Tejeda Jr. (3+ IP, 1 ER) and Ryan Andrade (4.0 IP, 1 ER), were long gone and their offenses were stifled. The Nationals’ run came via a Jackson Ross solo home run, his third of the year, to start the second inning, while the RiverDogs nickel and dimed their way to a run in the fourth.
Outside of putting baserunners on, neither offense was having much success scoring.
Then, the FredNats got some help in the sixth inning, a frame that doomed Charleston. Reigning Carolina League Player of the Week Jorgelys Mota drew a one-out walk to reach for his second time. Ross came up next and rolled a ground ball to short that looked like an inning-ending double play. Charleston shortstop Jack Lines wildly sailed his throw down the right field line, though and Mota motored around to score and give the FredNats a 2-1 lead.
After a Nate Rombach walk, Nate Ochoa rifled a line drive into center field that would’ve loaded the bases, but Angel Mateo overplayed it and it sailed right by him to the wall, scoring both runners. Another Charleston miscue, a wild pitch, brought Ochoa home and completed a four-run inning that put Fredericksburg ahead 5-1.
The FredNats added three more runs in the eighth inning, courtesy of outfielders Elijah Nunez and Cristhian Vaquero, who both had RBI base hits. Vaquero had his second three-hit game of the series, driving in two runs as well and adding a mind-bending stolen base and a game-changing diving catch that stranded the bases loaded for Charleston – a banner day for Washington’s 26th-ranked prospect (MLB Pipeline).
The FredNats held on to win 8-1, their largest winning margin of the season, and tied the series at two games apiece. Again, the FredNat bullpen helped fuel the win, with six scoreless innings from Matt Bollenbacher, Erik Tolman and Austin Amaral.
Bollenbacher (1-0) got the win as Dominic Niman (1-2), who pitched the sixth inning, got the loss despite not allowing an earned run.
In game five of the series Saturday, the FredNats send Angel Roman (0-1, 17.61) to the mound against Jose Urbina (0-1, 2.57) in a 7:05 start.
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