James Wood had two hits, including a two-out go-ahead RBI single in the 10th inning to lead the Washington Nationals to an 8-7 extra-inning win over the host Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday afternoon.
Wood’s hit off Pirates closer Dennis Santana (2-1) scored automatic runner Jorbit Vivas and gave the Nationals their eventual winning margin and a split of the four-game series.
Washington had a chance to add a second run, but left runners at the corners when Brady House flew out to left.
Konnor Griffin legged out an infield single against Nationals reliever Orlando Ribalta in the bottom of the inning, putting runners at the corners with no outs. But Ribalta struck out Bryan Reynolds and induced a game-ending double play grounder by Jake Mangum to record his first career save.
The Nationals took advantage of a mistake-riddled performance by the Pirates, who committed four errors. Two of those errors, a hit batter and a wild pitch led to six of the Nationals’ runs.
Trailing 7-6, Mangum drew a walk to lead off the ninth and stole second. Nationals reliever Clayton Beeter (1-0) then hit Ryan O’Hearn with a pitch. Oneil Cruz grounded into a fielder’s choice, setting up runners at the corners with one out. Beeter struck out Marcell Ozuna before walking Nick Yorke to load the bases.
Brandon Lowe hit a liner back up the middle that hit Beeter’s glove and the glove of Nasim Nunez for an infield single to tie the game at 7.
Daylen Lile and Drew Millas also had two hits for the Nationals. Mangum led the Pirates with three of their 15 hits. Cruz, Griffin, Brandon Lowe and Nick Gonzales each had two hits and an RBI.
The most costly of the errors came in the fifth when Griffin fielded what should have been an inning-ending double play grounder by Luis Garcia Jr. Griffin tagged second late and spiked the intended throw to first into the ground. The ball bounced into right field, clearing the bases and giving the Nationals a 3-0 lead. Garcia Jr. then scored on a throwing error by Pirates starter Braxton Ashcraft, who allowed five runs (two earned) over 5 2/3 innings, striking out seven and walking two.
The Pirates tied the game at 4 in the bottom of the fourth, highlighted by a 423-foot, three-run home run to left by Ozuna – his first as a Pirate – off Nationals starter Foster Griffin, who gave up four runs over 5 1/3 innings, walking one and striking out seven.
