Lynchburg had three players ejected, two catchers leave with injuries and came up one run short as Potomac’s Zach Walters had a two-out single in the top of the 10th inning to score the game-winning run to knock off the Hillcats, 5-4, Tuesday at City Stadium.
The Hillcats’ loss and the Nationals’ win puts Potomac up 6½ games with six games to play (seven for Lynchburg) in the Carolina League Northern Division’s second-half race. If the Nationals win tonight’s game, they would clinch the playoff spot and eliminate the Hillcats.
With the game tied at 1-1 in the top of the fourth, Potomac first baseman Steven Sousa drew a lead-off walk and went to second when Brian Peacock drew a walk. Sousa went to third, Peacock was out at second and Walters reached on fielder’s choice.
Walters then broke to steal second where Lynchburg’s second baseman Marcus Lemon cut-off the throw to second and threw the ball to home when Sousa headed for the plate. The throw required Lynchburg catcher Christian Bethancourt to stand just to the first-base side of the plate.
Sousa decided against sliding into the open plate and barreled into Bethancourt, using his forearms to dislodge the ball by striking Bethancourt’s head and chest.
Bethancourt was down for several minutes, but stayed in the game to receive one more pitch before exiting the game and being taken to the hospital. Shawn McGill replaced Bethancourt, but he lasted just three batters before being hit in the head by the follow through of bat on a foul ball and had to leave the game with a gash on his head.
The Nationals took a 4-2 lead in the fifth on two sacrifice flies, but Hillcats third-string catcher Ryan Query cut the lead to 4-3 in the fifth with a sacrifice fly and tied the game in the seventh with a two-out single.
Lynchburg starting pitcher Chris Masters hit Sousa on the knee with a pitch in fifth inning that ended up emptying both benches. No punches were thrown, but Masters and Eliecer Cardenas were ejected in the commotion.
Then, just as the game was about to resume, Lynchburg’s Ryan Buchter came racing in from the bullpen and had a verbal confrontation with home plate umpire John Bacon, who ejected Buchter.
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