From the FredNats:
The Fredericksburg Nationals (1-16) got a strong effort from their starting pitcher for a second straight night, but saw their lead slip away in a 4-1 loss to the Salem Red Sox (10-7) on Saturday.
On the heels of seven shutout innings from Karlo Seijas in the first FredNats win on Friday, lefty Alfonso Hernández delivered 5.0 shutout frames of his own. A second-inning run, brought home on a two-out single from Allan Berríos, gave the FredNats an early lead that they kept until the sixth.
Salem got a strong start of their own from Jeremy Wu-Yelland, and held serve until they rallied against the Fredericksburg bullpen. Pedro González (L, 0-4), making his first relief appearance of the year after starting the season in the rotation, walked the first two batters he faced in the sixth inning. A single loaded the bases, and a pair of wild pitches quickly gave the Red Sox a 2-1 lead. Ceddanne Rafaela brought home a third run with a groundout to extend the Salem lead to 3-1.
The FredNats offense couldn’t muster anything against Jordan DiValerio (W, 4-0), who tossed 3.0 innings of shutout relief. They managed only six hits, all singles, and went 1-for-8 with men in scoring position. After a Salem insurance run in the seventh, the FredNats rallied in the ninth to bring the tying run to the plate but Cody Scroggins (S, 1) finished the job to seal the Red Sox win.
The FredNats wrap up their series and homestand against the Red Sox on Sunday as Bryan Peña makes his first start of the season. First pitch from FredNats Ballpark is scheduled for 1:35.
