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Potomac Nationals

Spoone Keys Frederick Victory

June 25, 2007 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Potomac Nationals News Release


WOODBRIDGE, VA - For 7.1 innings Monday night at G. Richard Pfitzner Stadium, it looked like the 3,129 in attendance would witness a little bit of Carolina League history.

Frederick starter Chorye Spoone took a no-hitter into the eighth inning, before Edgardo Baez put the brakes on the no-no with a line drive single to center. But it wasn't enough as Potomac dropped its second straight game to the Keys, 2-1.

Spoone had the P-Nat hitters off-balance and heading back to the dugout from the get-go, not allowing a base runner until first baseman Brett McMillan drew a walk in the bottom of the fifth. But Spoone quickly neutralized that threat, striking out the side.

Strikeouts were where Spoone did most of his work against the Potomac line-up, striking out at least two Nationals in four innings. The right-hander fanned 11 P-Nats and walked just two, matching the number of hits he allowed over his eight total innings.

Despite the efficency and effectiveness that Spoone displayed on the mound - particularly moving through the middle of the Nationals lineup with his breaking ball - Potomac was within striking distance throughout the game. After Baez broke up the no-hit bid with one out in the eighth, Greg Thissen followed with the second base-hit of the game, putting runners at first and second with Ian Desmond at the plate.

But characteristically, Spoone came up with a big strikeout of the Potomac shortstop and then retired Mike Daniel on a bang-bang play at first to end the inning and bow out of the game with a 2-0 lead.

After Spoone left the game, things got a little more interesting for the Frederick pitching staff as Ofilio Castro led off the ninth with a double to right, setting the table for the meat of the Potomac line-up. Chris Marrero

The fact that Potomac had chances at the end was a credit to Knorr's pitching staff, which probably would have been in line for a win in game two of the series if it hadn't been for the abnormal outing from Spoone, who was 4-5 with a 4.01 ERA coming into the game.

Starter Jack Spradlin kept the Nationals in the game early, matching Spoone zero for zero until allowing a run in the fourth.

"He kept the ball down, threw his sinker well," Knorr said of Spradlin. "He threw well and kept us in the game."

Spradlin was bidding for his second win in a row and pitched well enough to get it, he just ran into Spoone and ran out of gas. The six innings were the lefty's outing of the season - and allowing one run on five hits, striking out eight and walking one.

"He looked tired and said he was tired," Knorr said. "So we decided we should get him out of there."

Seeing that Spoone was cruising, the Potomac National pen picked up where Spradlin had left off. Josh Perrault was up first and threw a scoreless inning, striking out two Keys without allowing a baserunner.

Eddy Baeza saw action next, giving up one run on three hits in two innings.

The Nationals pen seems to have rebounded from a tough first half of the season, Baeza's run being the first that the Potomac relievers have given up in the five games thus far in the season's second stanza.

"I think they're getting their confidence back now," Knorr said. "Hopefully they feel better about themselves. We're going to need them."

"We're not out of this yet," he joked, with a nod to the youth of the second half.

Potomac and Frederick wrap up their three-game set Tuesday at Pfitzner Stadium with a 12:00 contest. Shairon Martis [5-5, 4.96] gets the ball for the Nationals, while RHP David Hernandez [4-5, 4.88] takes the hill for the Keys in search of a sweep.

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Carolina League Stories from June 25, 2007


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