Pirates vs Nationals Recap: Pirates steamroll 7-1, July 4 thriller

The Pirates came to Washington hungry for a win. Pittsburgh had lost 9-5 the night before, so they wanted to bounce back fast. The Nationals were looking to stay hot too, with both teams sitting around 45-46 on the season.

Right away, things got wild. In the first inning, Konnor Griffin and Bryan Reynolds pulled off something special. Griffin stole home while Reynolds stole second base at the same time. The crowd gasped. That gave Pittsburgh a quick 1-0 lead before the Nationals even got to bat.

But Washington answered back immediately. James Wood stepped up against Braxton Ashcraft and crushed a fastball to right field. The ball rocketed 428 feet through the air and landed way over the wall. Wood's massive home run tied the game 1-1. The Nationals were right back in it.

The second inning was all Pirates. This is when Pittsburgh's bats came alive and took control of the game.

Henry Davis started the explosion. He hit an infield single to third base. That single brought Nick Gonzales scoring from third. The Pirates had a 2-1 lead.

But Pittsburgh wasn't done. Brandon Lowe stepped up and smashed a single to center field. Two more Pirates came racing home—Callihan and Mangum both scored. Suddenly it was 4-1 Pirates and the crowd at Washington's stadium got quieter.

Esmerlyn Valdez added one more hit. He singled to right field and Davis sprinted home from second base. That made it 5-1 Pittsburgh. The Pirates had scored four runs in one inning and Braxton Ashcraft was pitching like a machine on the mound. Zack Littell had replaced Carson Palmquist on the mound for Washington.

The game stayed pretty quiet until the eighth inning. Braxton Ashcraft had been incredible on the mound for Pittsburgh, striking out seven batters and keeping Washington's bats quiet almost all game.

Riley Cornelio was pitching for the Nationals when the Pirates struck again. Nick Gonzales ripped a single to left field. Bryan Reynolds came racing home from second base. That made it 6-1.

Then Henry Davis came to the plate and drew a walk. That brought another run home—O'Hearn scored from third base. It was now 7-1 Pirates. Washington never found their rhythm against Pittsburgh's pitching. James Wood's early home run was the only run the Nationals could muster. Pittsburgh's pitchers were too good. The Pirates left Washington with a huge 7-1 victory and stayed fighting in the race. Pittsburgh improved to 46-45 while Washington fell to 46-44.