Yard Goats Open Road Trip with Win in Maryland

Final: Hartford Yard Goats 3, Bowie Baysox 2  
WP: Brandon Gold (7-4)
LP: Marcus Molina (4-6)
SV: Scott Griggs (1)
T: 2:30
ATT:1,134

Yard Goats Open Road Trip with Win in Maryland  
Bowie, MD- The Hartford Yard Goats defeated the Bowie Baysox by the score of 3-2 on Monday night at Prince George's Stadium in Bowie, Maryland. Manny Melendez led off the game with a home run and then broke a 2-2 tie with an RBI single in the seventh inning as Hartford won the first game of its two-city seven-game road trip. Yard Goats starter Brandon Gold pitched into the seventh inning and allowed only two runs for his seventh win of the season. Hartford has won three of the last four games after losing seven of the previous eight contests.   
Manny Melendez led off the game with a bang and hammered a home run over the right field fence off Baysox starter Marcus Molina. It was Melendez fourth home run of the season giving the Yard Goats a 1-0 lead. Hartford added a run in the third inning as Vance Vizcaino tripled and later scored on a wild pitch to make it 2-0 Yard Goats.
Hartford starter Brandon Gold worked out of a bases loaded situation in the first inning and then got help from a double play grounder in the third. However, in the fourth inning he surrendered a solo homer to Baysox catcher Carlos Pèrez to make it 2-1. Then, TJ Nichting ripped a triple and scored on a two-out double by Connecticut native Willy Yahn which tied the game at 2-2.   
The Yard Goats took the lead for good in the seventh inning as Manny Melendez cracked an opposite field single scoring Arvicent Perez to make it a 3-2 game. Mylz Jones started the rally with a single followed by a hit by Perez. Chris Rabago bunted into a fielder's choice putting runners at first and second with one out. Melendez was next and smacked a single into right field putting the Yard Goats ahead.
Bowie loaded the bases in the seventh inning off of Gold. But, reliever Jordan Foley came in and got Carlos Perez to hit into a double play to end the threat. He retired all four batters faced with a strikeout. Scott Griggs hurled a perfect ninth to record his first save of the season.   
The Yard Goats and Baysox play the middle of a three-game series on Tuesday night at 7:05 pm in Maryland. LHP Matt Whitehouse makes his Yard Goats debut on the mound for Hartford and LHP Zac Lowther will start for Bowie. The game will be broadcast on AM 1410 WPOP and 100.9 FM and streamed on newsradio.1410.com and MiLB.com.