Fredericksburg, VA. – The Fredericksburg Nationals jumped on the RiverDogs early, scoring all four of their runs in the first two innings, to down Charleston 4-2 in the series opener on Tuesday at Virginia Credit Union Stadium.
With the defeat, the RiverDogs fall to 6-10 on the season.
After Charleston went down in order in the top of the first inning, the FredNats loaded the bases with no outs against Jacob Kmatz. The RiverDogs avoided major damage, limiting Fredericksburg to just one run, which scored on a fielder’s choice.
In the second inning, the Nationals were able to hang a crooked number. After back-to-back singles to open the inning, Yoander Rivero roped a double to left field to drive in two, pushing the deficit to 3-0. With two outs, Elijah Nunez extended the FredNats’ lead to 4-0 with an RBI single.
Kmatz’s day turned around starting in the third inning, as the right-hander closed his start with four scoreless frames, allowing just one hit in the process.
The RiverDogs scored in the sixth inning without the benefit of a hit. Narciso Polanco walked, moved from first to third on an errant pickoff attempt and then scored on a Ricardo Gonzalez groundout.
Charleston sliced the deficit to 4-2 in the seventh inning, as Larry Martinez opened the inning with a double and later scored on an RBI groundout from Jack Lines.
Noah Beal and Zac McCleve kept the door open for a RiverDogs’ comeback, delivering scoreless innings in the seventh and eighth. McCleve’s outing marked his professional debut after being signed by the Rays in 2023 and missing last season due to injury.
The RiverDogs threatened in the ninth, putting the potential tying run on first base after back-to-back singles from Martinez and Jose Monzon. However, the comeback aspirations didn’t come to fruition.
Charleston will look for a bounce-back tomorrow morning against the Nationals, with an early first pitch slated for 11:00 am.