Baysox Out Slugged By Senators In Second Straight Defeat

BOX SCORE

BOWIE, MD – The Bowie Baysox dropped their second-consecutive game to the Harrisburg Senators on Thursday night by a final score of 6-5, in a wild back-and-forth affair at Prince George’s Stadium.

The Baysox struck first for the ninth time in their last ten games with a pair of runs in the bottom of the second. In the third start this season against Bowie for Harrisburg right-hander Jackson Rutledge, the Baysox had two on with one out after a Donta’ Williams walk and Billy Cook single. With two outs, Tim Susnara roped an opposite-field, two-run double into left to give Bowie the 2-0 edge.

The Senators would inch back to tie the game against Baysox right-handed starter Houston Roth. After stranding runners in each of the first two frames, Roth yielded a leadoff double to Jackson Cluff in the third, a pair of groundouts from Robert Hassell III and JT Arruda brought Cluff home to make it a 2-1 contest. Harrisburg would then tie the game in the fourth on a Brady Lindsly RBI groundout that would bring home Frankie Tostado, who doubled with one out before advancing to third on a wild pitch. Roth would last four innings for the Baysox, taking a no decision after allowing a pair of earned runs on four hits, striking out four and walking two.

In the bottom of the fourth, Bowie snatched the lead right back. A John Rhodes leadoff walk preceded a double from Williams that pushed Rhodes to third. Cook then looped a sacrifice fly to left field, restoring the Baysox lead to 3-2. Rutledge (W, 5-1) would complete the fourth and go on to pitch five frames for Harrisburg, allowing all three runs as earned on three hits with six strikeouts.

Right-hander Carlos Tavera came on in relief of Roth for Bowie and struck out the side in the fifth around a one-out single. His peculiar night continued to unfold in the sixth. Tavera would strike out the side once again but surrender a pair of home runs in the process. Donovan Casey reached on an error from third baseman Coby Mayo – one of three errors committed by the Baysox infield on the night – to lead off, before Tostado golfed an 0-2 pitch over the wall in right The two-run blast gave the Senators their first lead of the night at 4-3. With two outs, Jose Sanchez hammered a solo shot into left, extending the Harrisburg lead to 5-3.

The polarizing outing would continue for Tavera in the seventh, as he once again struck out the side, but allowed his third home run of the night in the process. This time, James Wood hit his first career Double-A home run – a solo blast that made it 6-3, Senators. Tavera (L, 1-3) would go on to match a career-high with 10 strikeouts, but the three long balls given up by the right-hander also marked a career-worst for an outing.

The Baysox would not go quietly, as after a scoreless sixth from Senators’ left-hander Garvin Alston, Bowie would chase him from the game following back-to-back singles and a Heston Kjerstad fielder’s choice. Right-hander Reid Schaller then entered and gave up back-to-back infield RBI singles to Mayo and Cesar Prieto. This cut the Harrisburg lead to 6-5. However, Schaller would get out the jam. The Baysox would strand the tying run in scoring position in both the seventh and eighth innings, before Joel Peguero (S, 8) entered in the ninth to keep Bowie off the board and shut the door for the Senators.

The loss drops Bowie to 17-29 on the season. The Baysox continue their six-game set with the Senators on Friday night. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET from Prince George’s Stadium.