As he took the mound Thursday afternoon at PNC Park, Braxton Ashcraft’s focus was on helping propel the Pittsburgh Pirates to a series win over the Washington Nationals.
But with his club looking to take three of four from the Nationals, it was also an exciting day for the extended Ashcraft clan, as the 26-year-old righty and his wife revealed they are expecting a baby girl.
But on a special day for the Ashcrafts, the Pirates were unable to pull off a win, falling 8-7 in extra innings to the Nationals in front of 10,504 fans, splitting the series.
Washington’s James Wood recorded the winning hit in the 10th, a single off Dennis Santana that scored automatic runner Jorbit Vivas.
A game-ending double play hit into by Jake Mangum in the bottom of the 10th with two men on put the Pirates (11-8) away for good.
The Pirates committed four errors and left 10 men on base.
A bases-loaded RBI single by Brandon Lowe in the bottom of the ninth tied the score at 7-7.
Washington scored the go-ahead runs in the top of the seventh, capitalizing on a shaky outing by Yohan Ramirez, who hit a batter and threw a wild pitch, allowing two men to score.
Ashcraft lasted 5 2/3 innings, allowing five runs (two earned) on five hits with two walks and seven strikeouts.
Nationals starter Foster Griffin went 5 1/3 innings, allowing four runs — all in the fifth — on eight hits.
After a quiet opening four innings, the Nationals (9-10) took a 4-0 lead in the top of the fifth, which started on a bizarre play involving shortstop Konnor Griffin.
Leading into that moment, Ashcraft plunked Vivas to begin the frame, Drew Millas doubled and Nasim Nunez drew a walk to load the bases with no outs.
Then, with one out, Luis Garcia hit a grounder to Griffin, seemingly setting up an inning-ending double play, but instead of flipping the ball to second baseman Lowe, Griffin attempted to step on the bag himself and throw to first base.
Neither maneuver was successful. Nunez slid safely into second while Vivas scored, and Griffin, who was disrupted on his throw, spiked the ball into the ground, allowing two more runs to score and Garcia to take second.
A second error during the inning, this time on a pickoff attempt by Ashcraft at second base, allowed Garcia to score, handing the Nationals a four-run lead.
The Pirates quickly responded, though, as Oneil Cruz roped a two-out RBI double into right field to score Billy Cook, who singled, in the bottom of the fifth.
With Cruz on second, and Mangum, who also singled, on third, Marcell Ozuna launched a towering three-run homer to left that bounced off the third level of PNC Park’s outfield rotunda.
Ozuna’s first home run as a member of the Pirates traveled an estimated 423 feet and tied the score at 4-4.
With two outs in the sixth, manager Don Kelly yanked Ashcraft for reliever Evan Sisk after Vivas singled.
But Sisk let up an RBI double to Millas that narrowly avoided a diving attempt by Mangum in right field to make it 5-4.
Once again, the Pirates responded in the bottom of the inning, as Griffin ripped a ball to deep center field that scored Joey Bart from first.
Griffin missed his first MLB home run by a few feet, instead settling for an RBI triple, as the Pirates tied the score at 5-5.
However, Griffin soon became the frame’s second out, as he was gunned down at home attempting to score on a softly hit grounder by Spencer Horwitz.
However, the Pirates still managed to take a 6-5 lead courtesy of Nick Gonzales’ RBI single that scored Horwitz.
In the top of the seventh, the Pirates’ lead vanished, as Ramirez hit Jacob Young with a pitch with the bases loaded.
Ramirez, relieving Sisk after Wood led off with a hit, allowed a two-out double to Daylen Lile, putting men on second and third, before intentionally walking CJ Abrams.
After Wood scored when Young was plunked, Ramirez threw a wild pitch that allowed Lile to score, putting Washington back in front 7-6.
In the top of the ninth, Pirates reliever Justin Lawrence faced a bases-loaded, no-outs challenge after an error on Gonzales, single and hit batter but recovered, keeping things 7-6.