Fredericksburg, VA. – The RiverDogs squandered a late three-run lead as Fredericksburg walked off Charleston 6-5 in 10 innings on Sunday afternoon at Virginia Credit Union Ballpark.
With the defeat, the RiverDogs drop to 8-13 on the year and lose the series in Fredericksburg 4-2.
The Nationals capitalized on three walks from Janzen Keisel in the bottom of the second inning, which loaded the bases for Cristhian Vaquero, who drove in four runs on Saturday night. The tall left-handed batter cashed in on two more RBIs, belting a double off the top of the right field wall to open the scoring.
Keisel bounced back to not allow another run for the duration of his four-inning outing.
The ‘Dogs responded in the top of the fourth inning to take the lead. After Jack Lines doubled and Connor Hujsak walked, Nathan Flewelling smashed an opposite-field double to drive them both in, tying the game at two.
With two outs, Larry Martinez delivered an RBI single to score Flewelling to put Charleston in front 3-2.
In the sixth, the RiverDogs manufactured two more tallies to grow the lead to 5-2. With runners on first and second, Ricardo Gonzalez dropped down a sacrifice bunt that forced an errant throw from pitcher Kevin Dowdell, which allowed Woo Shin to dash home from second. Then, with Flewelling on third, Martinez rolled into a double play to plate the second run.
The lead held until the bottom of the eighth, when disaster stuck for the RiverDogs' defense.
Randal Diaz singled to start the inning and then advanced to second base on a passed ball. The ball to the backstop loomed large, as Kevin Bazzell sent a chopper to second base that kicked past Lines for an error, allowing Diaz to score.
Following a strikeout, Jackson Ross sent a pop-up to the right side of the infield. Both Lines and the first baseman Martinez lost the ball in the sun, which dropped in shallow right field. Nathaniel Ochoa Leyva singled to load the bases, setting up a game-tying, two-RBI single from Carlos Tavares.
Charleston made a pitching change and Alexander Alberto put out the fire to keep the contest tied at five.
Neither team scored the ninth, forcing the RiverDogs’ first extra inning game of the year.
In the 10th, Shin bunted the placed runner Hujsak to third, setting the go-ahead run 90 feet away with one out. The next batter, Flewelling, sent a grounder to first. Hujsak broke on contact and was thrown out at the plate, keeping the game tied.
In the bottom of the frame, Jorgelys Mota singled to set up runners on first and third with no outs. Ross then promptly ended the game with a sacrifice fly to center field.
Following a day off tomorrow, the RiverDogs will open a six-game set in Lynchburg on Tuesday at 6:30 pm.