By Will Flemming
For PotomacLocal.com
Lynchburg, Va. –– Sammy Solis shut down the Lynchburg Hillcats for seven innings and got just enough run support as the Potomac Nationals leveled the series with a 2-0 win at City Stadium on Sunday night. It was Solis’s second win in as many starts with Potomac and set up a rubber match in the series finale Monday.
The lefthander Solis faced his toughest challenge in the very first inning. Consecutive one-out singles from Andrelton Simmons and Phil Gosselin put Solis in a jam, but he induced a pair of ground balls to second to escape trouble. He retired Lynchburg in order in the second and third innings, by which time the Nationals had taken a lead.
In the third, J.R. Higley worked a leadoff walk and advanced to second on Eury Perez’s sacrifice bunt. He scampered to third on a passed ball and scored on a wild pitch by Lynchburg starter Blaine Sims (2-4) and the P-Nats led 1-0.
With the win, Potomac snapped a six-game losing skid against Lynchburg (36-51, 6-11) and moved to 10-8 in the second half.
Paul Demny takes the mound for Potomac on Monday night against Aaron Shafer at 7:05 p.m.
Saturday in Lynchburg, Six runs in the first two innings and a steady start from Zeke Spruill were too much for the Potomac Nationals to and they dropped the opener 8-3. Spruill won his third start and snapped a four-game Lynchburg losing streak in a game that saw the ‘Cats overwhelm the ‘Nats from the start.
The P-Nats (38-48, 9-8) did seize the first lead of the game, however. In the top of the first, Francisco Soriano hit a bullet to center field and moved to second on Jeff Kobernus’s sacrifice bunt. Destin Hood then hit his own laser to center that put Potomac on the board and notched Hood’s 53rd RBI. From there on, Spruill settled in – with plenty of support from his offense.
Will Flemming is the Broadcast Director for the Potomac Nationals.
