Friday’s slate brought a mixed bag for Washington’s affiliates, with Wilmington pulling out a one-run win, while Rochester, Harrisburg, Fredericksburg and the DSL Nationals all came up short.
The Blue Rocks had the cleanest finish of the bunch. After building a 4-0 cushion, Wilmington watched Hudson Valley claw back into it, only to answer with the swing that changed everything: Ronny Cruz’s two-run homer for a 6-5 lead.
Jacob Roberts then shut the door with a strikeout-filled ninth, fanning the side for his fourth save in a 6-5 victory. Tucker Biven gave Wilmington a strong start, punching out five of the seven hitters he faced while working two scoreless innings.
Jackson Dannelly earned the win despite walking the first man he saw, and Jacob Walsh and Elijah Nunez each finished 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored as the Blue Rocks piled up 12 hits.
Rochester’s night went the opposite direction. The Red Wings managed only five hits in a 7-2 loss to Charlotte, and the game got away once the first two relievers stumbled.
Carson Palmquist opened with two innings of one-run ball, but Connor Van Scoyoc was tagged for six runs over 2⅔ innings as the Knights pulled away. Cayden Wallace doubled, Riley Adams homered, and Seaver King, Phillip Glasser and Sam Petersen each singled.
Petersen drove in Rochester’s first run and also drew one of five walks that never turned into much.
Harrisburg also fell behind early and never fully recovered in a 7-2 loss to Richmond. The Flying Squirrels scored three times in the first and led 5-1 after 4½, evening the series at 2-2.
Yoel Tejeda Jr. took the loss, allowing four runs, three earned, on seven hits and two walks in three innings. Caleb Lomavita accounted for both Senators runs with an RBI single in the second and a sacrifice fly in the eighth, but two errors led to two unearned runs for Harrisburg.
Cortland Lawson added one of three doubles for the Senators and drew three of the team’s five walks.
Fredericksburg briefly made things interesting before Fayetteville answered back in a 7-4 loss. The FredNats got within one at 4-3 after a three-run rally in the sixth, but the Woodpeckers responded with the runs they needed and kept control from there.
Xander Meckley took the loss, charged with six runs on six hits and four walks over 5⅓ innings. Miguel Cabrera reached base three times on two singles and a walk, and Dashyll Tejeda did the same with a single and two walks.
The DSL Nationals were beaten 11-5 by the D-Tigers2, who scored in five of seven innings. Jhoan Thomas absorbed the damage, allowing five runs on a homer and five walks in 1⅔ innings. Samil Serrano reached base twice and drove in two runs, while Juan Duran singled twice to pace the offense.
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