Columbia, SC - The Fredericksburg Nationals got back into the win column tonight, taking down the Columbia Fireflies 5-1. It was a stellar pitching performance from the veterans Travis Stehle, Austin Amaral, and Ike Buxton.
After the top of the order went down in order to start the game, it was the middle due up in the 2nd. Elian Soto, batting cleanup for just the third time this year led off the inning with a double. The next batter, Rafael Ramirez Jr. brought him home on a double to give the FredNats the first run of the game. After a couple of strikeouts by Jose Gutierrez, Jordan Williams joined the doubles party, with the third of the inning, plating Ramirez to put the FredNats up 2-0.
On the mound, in his first start of the year with Fredericksburg, Travis Stehle continued his dominant form. The MiLB rehabber threw 4.2 shutout innings, allowing just three hits, while walking two and striking out three. Stehle has now gone 20.2 innings without allowing a run in this rehab stint. Out of the bullpen, Austin Amaral and Ike Buxton combined to allow just one run over the games final 4.1 innings.
The FredNats offense was quiet for a few innings, but in the top of the 6th, Luke Dickerson blasted a moonshot home run over the berm in left field for his 8th homer of the year that put the FredNats up 3-0. In the top of the 8th, the FredNats got insurance, as Elian Soto singled through the right side with the bases loaded to make it 5-1 Fredericksburg.
With the win, the FredNats take the series lead 2-1, entering the fourth of July weekend. With a massive independence eve crowd expected tomorrow, RHP Leuris Portorreal gets the start for Fredericksburg against RHP Michael Lombardi who has the second most strikeouts in all of Single-A. First pitch at Segra Park is set for 7:05 PM.