Early Offensive Success for the Reds! 
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The Reds got off to a hot start in the top of the 1st inning! Jonathan India showed patience at the plate, drawing a walk, and later advanced to second on a wild pitch. Elly De La Cruz and Spencer Steer kept the momentum going, and Steer's single brought India home with our first run. Steer then stole second, and a sac fly from Austin Slater allowed De La Cruz to score. By the end of the inning, we were leading 2-0!Nationals Respond Quickly 
Unfortunately, our lead was short-lived. In the bottom of the 1st inning, a costly error by De La Cruz allowed the Nationals to put two runners on base which set the stage for Harold Ramirez's 429-foot homer, tying the game 2-2. Ouch! Reds Take Back the Lead 
In the top of the 2nd, we bounced back. After India drew another walk, De La Cruz doubled to left, bringing India home. A fielding error by the Nationals allowed De La Cruz to reach third. Despite a quiet inning for our batters, we held a 3-2 lead.Home Run Highlight 
Tyler Stephenson took matters into his own hands in the top of the 3rd inning by blasting a 426-foot homer to center. This solo shot increased our lead to 4-2. Stephenson was truly the hero of that inning!Nationals Claw Back 
In the bottom of the 4th inning, Washington managed to close the gap yet again. Ildemaro Vargas and James Wood made it on base, and an infield single by CJ Abrams allowed Riley Adams to score. Our lead was trimmed down to just one run, 4-3.Tense 7th Inning Ties It Up 
By the 7th inning, our bullpen faced trouble. Jacob Young's single, followed by Lane Thomas’s double, allowed the Nationals to tie the game at 4-4. Despite the efforts of Reiver Sanmartin and Nick Lodolo, our grip on the lead slipped.Nationals Pull Ahead 
The Nationals broke the tie in the bottom of the 8th inning with Jacob Young demonstrating some clutch hitting. His single off Vargas’s double led to yet another run for the Nationals. Heading into the 9th inning, we were trailing 5-4.Final Push Falls Short 
We faced Kyle Finnegan in the top of the 9th inning, and despite our best efforts, we couldn’t manage to bring any runs home. Strikeouts from De La Cruz and Jeimer Candelario, followed by a pop-out from Spencer Steer, sealed our fate.Final Score: Nationals 5, Reds 4.
It was a tough loss, but we'll come back stronger next game! Go Reds!
️Scoreboard for Reds @ Nationals (July 20th, 2024)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 9 | 1 |
| 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 1 |