Two home runs from Max Romero Jr. powered the FredNats to a dramatic 4-3 win over the Lynchburg Hillcats.
Lynchburg jumped out to a lead in the top of the first inning, against Travis Sthele. Guy Lipscomb worked a leadoff walk and stole second base, before Jaison Chourio singled to put runners on the corners with no outs. A wild pitch allowed Chourio to take second base, before Maick Collado grounded into a fielder’s choice to bring the first run of the game home for the Hillcats. Angel Zarate followed Collado with a sacrifice fly to left field, which brought Chourio in to give Lynchburg a 2-0 edge.
The FredNats got a run back in the bottom of the second, thanks to some spotty outfield defense. After a Max Romero Jr. single, Leandro Emiliani lifted a fly ball into center field. However, Guy Lipscomb overran the ball, and it dropped for an RBI double.
The third inning passed by scoreless, and Lynchburg jumped on Sthele in the fourth. Jose Devers opened the frame with a single, before Wuilfriedo Antunez doubled him home to make it 3-1 Lynchburg.
However, Fredericksburg got that run right back in their half of the fourth, as Romero Jr. clobbered a leadoff home run to cut the deficit to 3-2 Cats. Then in the home half of the fifth inning, Armando Cruz reached on a two-base error by pitcher Alonzo Richardson. Elijah Nunez moved Cruz to third base on a fielder’s choice, and John McHenry then tied the game with a sacrifice fly to deep right field.
From there, Kevin Rodriguez and Marquis Grissom Jr. combined to spin five scoreless innings out of the FredNat bullpen to keep the game deadlocked at 3-3.
Then in the bottom of the ninth inning, Max Romero Jr. made it a quick half inning. Max crushed a 2-0 pitch down the right field line and over the foul pole for a walk-off home run. It was Romero Jr.’s second homer of the night, and second walk-off bomb this season.
Marquis Grissom Jr. got the win, and Allen Hernandez was saddled with the loss. In game two of the series, Riley Cornelio takes the ball for the Nats, against the lefty Jackson Humphries.
