6/2: Rodriguez Dominates in First Double-A Start

Rodriguez Dominates in First Double-A Start

_Orioles No. 2 prospect strikes out eight, earns win in first start with Bowie _

The highly-anticipated Double-A debut of Grayson Rodriguez did not disappoint on Wednesday night, as he earned the win in Bowie’s 2-1 victory, their sixth straight win and 19th win of the season.

Rodriguez allowed a run in the first inning but quickly settled down, striking out eight batters over his next four frames. He dialed up a 100 MPH fastball for his first strikeout, getting Manny Melendez to swing and miss to lead off the second inning. Rodriguez ended his night after five innings in which he allowed four hits with just one run, two walks, and eight strikeouts. In six starts now between Aberdeen and Bowie, Rodriguez has not allowed more than one run in any of them, and has earned the win in his last four starts.

Bowie’s only two runs came in the second inning, when Johnny Rizer singled and Cadyn Grenier reached on an error with two outs. The error kept the inning alive for Terrin Vavra and Joey Ortiz, who both singled to give the Baysox the lead at 2-1, which would eventually be the final score.

Kevin Smith made his first relief appearance of the year for the Baysox, entering in the sixth inning and finishing off the game for his first save. He tossed four scoreless frames, and only allowed three hits with a walk and seven strikeouts.

Bowie’s pitching staff has now struck out 33 batters over the last two nights.

The Baysox will look for their seventh win in a row on Thursday behind righty Ofelky Peralta, who has a 1-0 record with a 1.93 ERA.

Bowie returns home to Prince George’s Stadium on June 15th to take on the Akron RubberDucks. Order online [Order Here] or call 301-464-4865 to purchase your tickets. The 2021 season is presented by Money One Federal Credit Union.