Washington Nationals Daily Minor League Affiliate Report

From staff and wire reports:

SYRACUSE (AAA-International League): The Chiefs won their third straight game against the Pawtucket Red Sox on Saturday, defeating the Boston affiliate by a 5-0 score. The win was the Chiefs’ third straight and sixth in their last seven games. The victory keeps Syracuse atop the North Division.

Syracuse (12-9) got its first run in the second inning off the bat of Matt Skole. Skole drove a fastball from Pawtucket (11-11) starter Roenis Elias into the Family Fun Park in right field to take a 1-0 lead. The blast was Skole’s first on the season.

The Chiefs next tallied in the fourth frame. Scott Sizemore singled off Elias to start the inning before moving to second when Jason Martinson worked a walk. After fly outs from Kevin Keyes and Skole, Brian Goodwin ripped a single into center, plating Sizemore to extend the lead to 2-0.

Syracuse plated another run in the ensuing fifth inning. The Chiefs used small ball to earn the run, scoring without putting the ball into the outfield. Caleb Ramsey led off the inning with a walk and moved to second after a sacrifice bunt from Jose Lozada. Leadoff hitter Trea Turner then moved Ramsey to third on a groundout. With a runner on third and two outs, Sizemore laid a bunt down the third-base line, scoring Ramsey. Sizemore beat out the throw to first for the RBI.

Syracuse starter Austin Voth was pulled after five scoreless innings of work. The hurler scattered three hits across the outing, while walking another three and striking out five. The three walks all came in the fifth inning, and were the first free passes Voth had given up all season, breaking a 22-inning walk-free streak. Despite walking the bases loaded, Voth ended the inning by striking out Rusney Castillo.

In the bottom half of the seventh inning, Syracuse struck again thanks to a bases-loaded double from Skole, giving him three RBIs on the afternoon. The rally began after two quick outs, when Turner ripped a single off of Elias. Pawtucket manager Kevin Boles pulled Elias after the hit, replacing him with Roman Mendez. Sizemore then drove a double to left-center field, moving Turner to third. After Martinson was hit by a pitch, Skole hit an opposite-field double down the third-base line, driving in Sizemore and Turner and increasing the Chiefs lead to 5-0.

The Syracuse bullpen combined for four innings of shutout work to seal the victory. Abel De Los Santos worked the sixth, while Nick Masset came in for the seventh. Both relievers allowed two hits. Trevor Gott finished the game, working the eighth and ninth innings while giving up no hits. He walked one batter while fanning two.

Sunday afternoon the Chiefs face off against the Red Sox in the finale of this four-game series. Syracuse has penciled in Aaron Laffey for the start. He is set to face off against Pawtucket’s Sean O’Sullivan. The game’s first pitch is slated for 1:05.

HARRISBURG (AA-Eastern League): For the second night in a row, the Senators were defeated by Bowie as they stranded the tying run in scoring position in the ninth inning. The 3-2 setback at the hands of the Baysox sends the Senators (7-13) to their seventh loss in the last eight games.

Harrisburg pitcher Austen Williams rebounded from two poor starts to pitch effectively into the sixth inning on Saturday night. Bowie was able to cash in on a couple of runs in the third inning as Mike Yastrzemski doubled and Corban Joseph singled with two outs.

Williams (0-4) held the Baysox scoreless the rest of his outing as he went 5 2/3 innings allowing six hits and four walks while striking out six.

The Senators would cut the lead back to one run in the sixth inning as Rafael Bautista delivered an RBI single into shallow center field that scored Adrian Sanchez. But Bowie would get that insurance run back in the eighth off Harrisburg’s Wander Suero. The right-handed reliever issued four walks in the frame to give the Baysox a two-run advantage that would prove needed in the Senators’ last at-bats.

Off Bowie closer Jason Stoffel in the ninth inning, Chris Bostick hustled his way to a leadoff double and quickly scored on a Neftali Soto RBI single. Soto, who advanced to second when Yastrzemski had the ball glance off his glove, represented the tying run with nobody out. But a fly out and two strikeouts shut the door on the Senators’ comeback and sent them to their fourth straight loss.

Koda Glover was impressive in his Double-A debut for Harrisburg as the 23-year-old flamethrower worked a 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts. Andrew Robinson also recorded a scoreless frame of relief for the Senators.

Harrisburg will send Jaron Long to the mound on Sunday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. opposed by Bowie’s Jason Garcia.

POTOMAC (HIGH-A Carolina League): With the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the 12th inning, the P-Nationals sent Drew Ward to the plate. Ward hit a weak ground ball to first base, where Wilmington Blue Rocks’ first baseman Ryan O’Hearn came home with the throw. Catcher Chad Johnson pulled his foot off of the plate prior to the ball arriving, and Osvaldo Abreu scored the game-winning run on a throwing error charged to O’Hearn.

Against Potomac starter Phillips Valdez in the fifth inning, Romans Collins doubled to centerfield with two outs and scored on Chad Johnson’s single to left field. The pair of two-out hits made it 1-0 Wilmington.

Valdez allowed just one run on five hits over seven innings and did not walk a batter in the no-decision.

The P-Nats (14-8) loaded the bases with no outs in the sixth against Zach Lovvorn on a single by Andrew Stevenson and walks drawn by Abreu and Jose Marmolejos. Lovvorn got Raudy Read to ground into a 4-6-3 double play, but Stevenson scored from third and tied the game at one.

It remained 1-1 into the 10th inning when both teams fended off the rain and plated a run.

Down to their final three outs, the P-Nats got started right away in the bottom of the 10th. Stevenson doubled, went to third on a sacrifice and scored on an RBI single by Marmolejos.

In the 12th inning, Stevenson drew a leadoff walk, Abreu reached on a bunt single paired with a throwing error by the pitcher that allowed Stevenson to get to third base. With men on the corners, Wilmington intentionally walked Marmolejos, the third intentional walk of the night by the Blue Rocks’ staff. With another chance with the bases loaded, Read grounded out to Alvarez and forced Stevenson out at the plate.

On came lefty Tim Hill to face the left-handed hitting Ward. Ward hit a routine ground ball to first base. O’Hearn’s throw to Johnson at the plate was on point, but as Abreu slid feet first into the plate, home plate umpire Zach Tieche immediately signaled that Johnson’s foot came off the plate before he made the catch. Ruled a throwing error on O’Hearn, the P-Nats picked up their first walk-off win of the season.

For the 15th and final time in the first half, the P-Nats and Blue Rocks will meet Sunday afternoon. First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m. as Wirkin Estevez (0-1, 3.78) gets the nod for Potomac. Opposite Estevez will be RHP Pedro Fernandez (2-0, 1.21)

HAGERSTOWN (LOW-A South Atlantic League): The Suns rode a three-run sixth inning and a pair of Jeff Gardner homers to a 5-1 win over the Rome Braves at Municipal Stadium.

Starter Pedro Avila (W, 1-0) went five innings and allowed no runs on four hits and two walks, striking out five. Taylor Guilbeau pitched three scoreless innings with four strikeouts, while Trey Lambert gave up a run on two hits in one inning of duty.

Gardner, hitting out of the ninth spot, homered in the third and sixth, his second a three-run shot that blew the game open. He finished 2 for 3 with three runs and four RBIs. Victor Robles, Max Schrock and Jorge Tillero all had hits. The Suns were 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position and left 10 on base.

Hagerstown (16-6) hosts Rome on Sunday at 2:05 p.m. in the third of a four-game series.