MLN Newswire - www.mlntherawfeed.com -WOODBRIDGE, Va- Coming into the second half of the season, the P-Nats were
puzzled by their inability to win consistently at Pfitzner Stadium, taking
a 14-18 home record into the break. Since that time, however, the
Nationals have finally figured out how to stack up victories at the Pfitz,
going 6-1 in their first seven games in Woodbridge. The latest chapter of
their newfound dominance at home came on Wednesday night as the team
clubbed two late home runs to push past the Lynchburg Hillcats 8-4.

In a game of oddities that saw a reliever toss a career-best five innings
to start the game, a struggling reliever escape a first-and-third, one-out
jam, a catcher coming out of a season-long power outage, and a Major
League prospect show off his home run trot on multiple occasions, the
there was a full deck of wild cards with more than a few jokers.

Adam Carr, making just his third start of the season on the mound, worked
a career-high five innings in what was supposed to be just a three-four
inning stint. The righty gave up just one run, a solo home run to
Lastings Milledge in the top of the first, on three hits in his five
frames while striking out two.

Though working with a deficit thanks to the Milledge home run, the P-Nats
would bounce back in the bottom of the third with four runs of their own.
Brian Peacock reached on an error from centerfielder Jose De Los Santos
and with runners on first and second, Danny Espinosa lofted a high fly
ball to left field that Milledge could not corral. It would turn into an
RBI double as Peacock would score, tying the game and putting runners on
second and third with just one out. Dan Nelson would continue a big day
at the plate by lacing a two-run single to right field to push the P-Nat
advantage to 3-1. A Michael Burgess infield single added another tally in
the run column for the home team giving the team a four-run inning against
a tough Hillcat starter in Matt McSwain.

A Jordy Mercer solo shot in the top of the sixth inning would cut into the
P-Nat lead, making the game 4-2 and the Cardiac Cats would complete the
comeback in the seventh as Milledge struck again, booming an opposite
field home run off reliever Cole Kimball (3-5) to knot the game at four
apiece.

It would not stay that way for long, however, which is good news for
Nationals fans. Nelson walked, punctuating a 3-for-3 day in which the
number three hitter reached base all five times he came to the plate, and
Burgess followed with a titanic tater over the third-tier of signage in
right field reclaiming the lead for the P-Nats, 6-4.

Peacock would give the Nats some much needed insurance in the bottom of
the eighth knocking his second home run off the year off reliever Paul
Mildren (3-5), a two-run round-tripper that made the score 8-4 and out of
reach for the visiting Hillcats.

Dan Leatherman tossed two spotless frames, striking out three to earn his
third save of the season.

For the P-Nats, Boomer Whiting stole his 40th base of the season, tying
Ian Desmond for the P-Nats' franchise record for career steals. Francisco
Plasencia took an 0-for-4 collar in the game, snapping his 20-game hitting
streak which is still good for second longest in the Carolina League this
season.

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