High Winds, Flickering Lights End Game Early

Salem, VA (June 29, 2012) – Around 9 PM, Manny Rivera was loosening for the top of the eighth inning, with Salem trailing Potomac 4-1, when some of the stadium lights went out and the wind started whistling. As more of the lights dimmed, the wind intensified, and both teams retreated to their dugouts and clubhouses while fans were escorted to the sturdy stairwells and the secure ground level tunnel underneath the main concourse. While Mother Nature displayed her power with winds estimated at around 80 miles per hour, everybody waited, with the game officially being called approximately an hour after the delay began.

As a result of the early finish, Potomac’s Nathan Karns earned a complete game victory, striking out 11 Red Sox in seven dominant innings. Salem broke up the shutout when Brandon Jacobs scored on a wild pitch in the last of the seventh, but Karns improved to 3-2 since ascending to the Carolina League level in early June.

The Nationals outhit the Red Sox 8-3, with Jason Martinson’s second-inning home run off Brandon Workman breaking the seal on the scoring. Martinson’s solo shot—his second in as many games—gave the Nats a 1-0 lead that Potomac would not relinquish.

In the top of the fifth, Workman surrendered three more runs on four hits, with Francisco Soriano doubling to drive in one and Adrian Sanchez singling to score two more. Up 4-0, the Nationals had all the run support they would need for Karns.

Workman went six innings, allowing four runs on eight hits, falling to 5-4 on the year with four strikeouts and one walk. Offensively, Michael Almanzar went 2-for-3 to lead the Red Sox, while Xander Bogaerts registered Salem’s only other hit.

The Red Sox and Nationals will play the rubber game of their three-game series on Saturday night at 6:05, with Miguel Celestino expected to start opposite Adam Olbrychowski.

Submitted by Evan Lepler, Radio Broadcaster, Salem Red Sox Professional Baseball