Mendoza shining brightly for Suns

With 25 professional games under his belt, most days present Drew Mendoza new opportunities for his Minor League "firsts." He checked a pair off that list on Wednesday.
The Nationals' No. 7 prospect singled home the winning run in the ninth inning with his career-high fourth hit to give Class A Hagerstown its seventh consecutive win, 5-4 over Rome at Municipal Stadium.

After the Braves tied the game in the top of the ninth, Mendoza grounded a 1-0 pitch into right field off Gabriel Noguera that scored Armond Upshaw with the winning run. 
Belying his relative inexperience as a pro, the lefty-swinging infielder had an idea what he was going up against as he stepped into the box.
"Lefty on the mound with a good fastball-slider combination," Mendoza said. "I figured he'd throw the slider with [first base] open on that first pitch. He did and then came back with fastball in that I got just enough barrel on it to get it past the first baseman. It was a great moment for me and for us. It's always nice to see your teammates running out to greet you. It was a fun night."
Gameday box score
The Florida State product began his big night with an RBI single to center in the opening frame. He dropped his second base hit into left an inning later and lined out in the fifth. Mendoza singled to right and scored in the seventh before his two-out heroics in the ninth.
Selected in the third round of last month's Draft, he's hit safely in 21 of 25 games to begin his career, including 15 of the last 16. The 21-year-old is batting .313/.404/.414 with eight extra-base hits and 15 RBIs -- with 11 coming in his last 11 games, including a career-high five on Friday against Columbia.
"I think at this time of year, especially after the college season, it's all about maintaining an approach and a good swing," Mendoza said. "It's all about that daily grind and daily routine to keep things tight. It's important to keep that routine intact every day, no matter what happens the night before."
That production comes on the heels of a standout junior season with the Seminoles, for whom Mendoza hit .303/.478/.595 with 14 homers and 47 RBIs in 55 games as team captain. He credits his college teammates and the coaches at FSU for easing his transition to the pros.
"Playing at Florida State really helped me," Mendoza said. "Having coaches and some guys who I played with that were drafted give me a window into how to approach pro ball was huge. It made things a lot easier for me. The game is the same, but the team camaraderie we have is something I didn't expect. It's gone above and beyond my expectations.
"As far as the game itself, playing every day is definitely a change from college, but it's nice to be able to focus on one thing at a time and work through it. It's been nothing but fun in Hagerstown." 

Jacob Rhinesmith matched Mendoza with two RBIs, while Upshaw and Jackson Cluff had two hits apiece for Hagerstown.
Ryan Williamson (3-0) allowed one run and scattered five hits over three innings for the win. He struck out two and did not issue a walk.
Rome's Justin Dean led off the game with a homer, then tied it at 4-4 with a two-out RBI single in the ninth. The Braves' No. 24 prospect went 3-for-4 and registered his South Atlantic League-leading 32nd stolen base. 
Noguera (4-5) was charged with three runs, five hits and a walk with two punchouts in 3 2/3 frames.