Parker Brilliant Again as FredNats Earn First Series Win

KINSTON, NC - Mitchell Parker struck out 12 over 6.0 hitless innings on Sunday afternoon as the Fredericksburg Nationals defeated the Down East Wood Ducks 7-2, securing their first series win of the 2021 season.

Parker (W, 2-2) dominated the Wood Ducks for the second time in six days, and finished the series with 12.0 innings of one-hit ball with 22 strikeouts. He took no-hitters into the sixth inning in both starts, with Sunday's no-hit bid spoiled in the seventh when Dustin Harris led off the frame with a single against reliever Tanner Driskill.

The FredNats jumped ahead early as Jackson Coutts delivered an RBI groundout in the first, and exploded for their biggest inning of the year with a five-run second. José Sánchez hit an RBI single, Jeremy De La Rosa forced in a run when he was hit by a pitch, and Jecksson Flores highlighted a four-hit game with a three-run double into the left field corner.

The offense quieted down for the rest of the afternoon, save for a Coutts bases-loaded walk in the sixth, but Parker kept the Wood Ducks off balance throughout his entire start. Driskill, Pedro González and Jordan Bocko got the final nine outs from the Fredericksburg bullpen to lock down the win.

Wood Ducks starter Mason Englert (L, 1-1) allowed six runs in 3.2 innings, and was ejected from the game in the fourth when he was found to have a foreign substance on his belt.

The FredNats travel home on Sunday night and enjoy an off day on Monday before starting a six-game series against the Delmarva Shorebirds on Tuesday. First pitch from FredNats Ballpark is scheduled for 7:05, with FredNats On Deck beginning at 6:50 on the FredNats Baseball Network.