Fredericksburg, VA. – The RiverDogs claimed an early lead, but Fredericksburg outfielder Cristhian Vaquero drove in four runs and Charleston’s bats fell silent late in a 5-3 loss on Saturday night at Virginia Credit Union Stadium.
The RiverDogs tallied the game’s first run in the top of the first, as Jack Lines drove in Ricardo Gonzalez on a sacrifice fly to the warning track in left center field.
The early lead doubled to 2-0 in the second, as Gonzalez singled into right field to score Larry Martinez to from third base.
Charleston starter and Rays No. 29 prospect Jose Urbina retired the first six batters he faced, but the FredNats scored unearned runs in the third and fourth to knot the game at two.
With two outs in the third, Kelvin Diaz singled and advanced to second on a passed ball, which allowed him to score a Vaquero single in the next at-bat. In the fourth, Jorgelys Mota reached on a Gonzalez error and later dashed home on Nate Romach’s RBI single that tied the game.
With Urbina out of the game in the fifth, Vaquero did more damage. With Moises Gallardo on third base following an error and Elijah Nunez on second after a walk, Vaquero bopped a go-ahead, three-run homer to right that put Fredericksburg ahead for good.
The RiverDogs nearly responded in the top of the sixth, but left the bases loaded.
Following the sixth, the Nationals’ bullpen kept traffic to a minimum. Robert Cranz struck out six straight between the seventh and eighth.
Jose Perez belted a solo homer to lead off the ninth inning to cut the deficit to 5-3, but Merrick Baldo retired the next three batters to end the contest quietly.
Between the sixth and ninth, Fredericksburg’s bullpen recorded 11 of the final 12 outs of the game via strikeout.
The RiverDogs, now 8-12, will play to avoid a series loss on Sunday afternoon, with first pitch set for 1:35 pm. Charleston continues its 12-game road trip with a swing south to Lynchburg beginning on Tuesday before returning home on May 6.