Heriberto Hernandez delivered a two-run single to cap a three-run eighth inning, propelling the Miami Marlins to a 5-2 victory over the visiting Washington Nationals on Sunday afternoon in the deciding game of their three-game series.
Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara worked six innings, allowing two runs on five hits with three strikeouts and two walks. Calvin Faucher (4-2) tossed two hitless innings in relief, helping Miami secure its third win in four games. Andrew Nardi recorded the first two outs of the ninth before rookie Josh Ekness closed it out for his first MLB save.
For Washington, Luis Garcia Jr. tripled, doubled, scored once, and drove in a run. The Nationals had entered Sunday on the heels of an 8-7 loss Saturday, ending a three-game winning streak.
Nationals right-hander Cade Cavalli surrendered two runs and four hits over 5 2/3 innings, striking out four and walking one. Reliever Gus Varland (0-1) took the loss after taking over with the score tied 2-2 to start the eighth. Varland issued back-to-back one-out walks to Kyle Stowers and Jakob Marsee. Esteury Ruiz pinch-ran for Stowers, and he and Marsee executed a successful double steal. Christopher Morel then dropped a soft single in front of center fielder Jacob Young, scoring Ruiz for a 3-2 lead.
After another double steal put runners on second and third with one out, Hernandez capped a nine-pitch at-bat with a two-run single to left, extending the lead to 5-2.
Cavalli retired six of his first seven batters before walking Joe Mack to open the third. He then allowed back-to-back one-out singles to Xavier Edwards and Liam Hicks, the latter driving in Mack from second to give Miami a 1-0 lead. A second run scored on a fielding error by Nationals shortstop Nasim Nunez. Cavalli escaped further damage by inducing a 3-6-1 double play off the bat of Stowers.
Alcantara worked around a leadoff double in the first but couldn’t escape a leadoff triple by Garcia in the fourth. Garcia scored on a groundout by Brady House, cutting the Marlins’ lead to 2-1. The Nationals put their leadoff batter on again in the fifth, and Garcia doubled to left with runners on the corners and two outs to tie the game at 2-2.
