After being held out of the hit column until the 6th inning, the FredNats scored the final two runs of the game and walked off the Lynchburg Hillcats 2-1 on a walk-off single by Geraldi Diaz. Saturday was the FredNats’ 3rd walk-off win of the season, and the team is now tied for 1st place in the Carolina League North Division.
Lynchburg’s only run of the game came in the 2nd innings on a bases-loaded walk to Dayan Frias. Brendan Collins, Bryan Peña and Marlon Perez and Cody Greenhill combined to allow just one run and six hits, and the group collectively struck out 14 Hillcats. Perez also weathered a 53-minute rain delay that came in the middle of an at-bat.
Lynchburg starter Jack Leftwich had a no-hitter going into the 6th inning until it was broken up by a single by Allan Berrios. Berrios had two hits in the game.
Brady House had two hits and scored both runs in the game for the FredNats. He singled and scored the tying run in the 7th inning on a sacrifice fly by Sammy Infante. In the 9th, House singled to lead off the inning, moved up to second on a flyout by Leandro Emiliani, moved up to third on a groundout by Infante, and then Diaz lined a single to center field to drive him in to win the game.
The FredNats improve to 30-26, and are tied with the Carolina Mudcats for first place in the Carolina League North Division. The first half winner automatically makes the playoffs, and the first half ends on June 23.
Fredericksburg has taken five out of the first six games of this series, and will look to take six out of seven Sunday at 1:35. The first 1,000 fans through the gates in Fredericksburg will get a George Washington trucker hat.
