Fredericksburg, VA - The Fredericksburg Nationals once again dominated the Delmarva Shorebirds in a 7-1 win on Casino Night at Virginia Credit Union Stadium. It was another night of early offense and incredible starting pitching for the FredNats as they won their third straight game in convincing fashion.
The Nationals' no. 10 prospect, Landon Harmon, dazzled on the mound in his third start of the season. The RHP had his longest appearance of the year, throwing an incredibly efficient five innings. Harmon struck out five, allowed just two hits, and walked no one. Washington's 3rd round pick last year brought his ERA down to 0.87 across 10.1 IP this season. FredNats pitchers were helped all game long by stellar defense from middle infielders Eli Willits and Luke Dickerson.
The FredNats opened the scoring in the bottom of the first for the second consecutive night. Yeremy Cabrera set the table with a two-out double. Luke Dickerson then brought him home with a ground ball to left field after battling to a full count. In the second, the FredNats added two more. Eli Willits picked up his fifth RBI of the season, then the next batter up, Ronny Cruz, slapped a ball to right for his team-leading 13th RBI of the year to give the FredNats a 3-0 lead.
The FredNats top two batters in the order grabbed their second hits of the game in the bottom of the fourth inning to extend the FredNats lead. After a one-out single, Willits used his speed to advance to second on an error, then third on a wild pitch. Cruz singled up the middle to bring Willits home for his 14th RBI of the season, to bring him one shy of the Carolina League lead. Cruz then picked up his league-leading 12th and 13th steals of the season. He picked up his 14th later in the game, his fourth of the night.
The Nationals' 2025 5th-round pick, Coy James, blew the game open later that inning, demolishing a fastball 428 feet, well beyond the outfield fence in left field with two runners on. It was the first professional home run for Washington’s no. 17 prospect and put the FredNats up 7-0.
Delmarva got on the board in the top of the eighth inning after a wild pitch brought Juan Ortega across home. RHP Luke Johnson allowed a few runners on out of the bullpen but consistently worked his way out of jams. The former top high school prospect in the state of Virginia, LHP Levi Heusman, made his professional debut on the mound, striking out the side in a scoreless ninth.
The FredNats have a chance to win their fifth game of the series tomorrow against the Shorebirds. RHP Carson Fischer gets the start for the FredNats. The undrafted free agent started the series opener on Tuesday. LHP Kailen Hamson takes the bump for Delmarva. First pitch is set for 1:35 PM at Virginia Credit Union Stadium.