March 28, 2024
Annapolis, US 47 F

Baysox Roll Over Senators

After snapping their longest losing streak in eight years Monday night, the Baysox carried that momentum into Tuesday morning’s game as they crushed the Harrisburg Senators 9-0.  The shutout improves the Baysox record to 14-12 and keeps them in third place in their division, just three and a half games behind the Altoona Curve.

The Baysox bats were red-hot in the morning game as they matched their season-best total of 16 hits, five of which went for extra bases.  First baseman Joel Guzman led the way by going four-for-five at the plate with a double, three runs scored and an RBI.

All aspects of the game came together for Bowie as left-handed starter Zach Britton threw five scoreless innings to match his excellent run support.  The 22-year-old prospect had his best game of the year with just two hits and no walks in the game.

Bowie got on the board in the second inning.  Guzman led off with a single to left and moved over to third on right fielder Matt Tucker’s single.  He scored when Pedro Florimon flied out to deep center.  It was the first time that the Baysox scored a game’s opening run since April 23, when they scored two runs in the first inning of a 12-9 win over Akron.  The Baysox are a perfect 9-0 when they score first.

After being retired in order in the third inning, the only frame in which the Baysox failed to reach base, Bowie added another run in the top of the fourth.  Tucker sent a grounder up the middle of the diamond for a two-out single, went to second on a passed ball and sprinted around third to score on a single to left field by Florimon to put Bowie on top 2-0.

Britton was outstanding as the Baysox built their lead, only Harrisburg shortstop Pedro Lopez managed to get as far as second base in the contest.  The young pitcher put his mettle and defensive ability on display in the fifth stanza was hit by a line drive and fielded all three outs to retire the Senators in order.

The Baysox blew the game open in the sixth inning.  Guzman led off with a single to right and Tucker and Florimon followed with one-out singles to load the bases.  Catcher Phil Britton drove in Guzman with a single to left field to make it 3-0 with one out.  It was a big day for the catcher as he went 3-for-5 with two doubles after getting just one hit in his previous 18 at-bats.

Center fielder Danny Figueroa came up next and drew a walk to force Tucker across the plate to make it 4-0.  Jack Spradlin relieved Mandel after the walk and recorded the second out on a sacrifice fly to deep center by second baseman Ryan Adams as Florimon scored.  Figueroa was forced out at second on the next play to end the inning with Bowie up by live.

Pedro Beato came on for Zach Britton in the bottom of the frame and worked three scoreless innings before Eddie Gamboa came on in the ninth inning.  The duo picked up exactly where Britton left off, with one hit and a walk between the two of them over four innings to seal the win.  Even through the eight game losing streak, the Baysox bullpen has remained in excellent form with an ERA of 2.20 among relievers.  The bullpen has not allowed an earned run since April 28.

Bowie piled on two more runs in the seventh inning when Guzman drove third baseman Brandon Waring home from first with a double down the right-field line.  Guzman moved to third on a throwing error and made it 7-0 on Robbie Widlansky’s single to right-center.  Left fielder Tyler Henson added an exclamation point in the eighth inning when he hammered Spradlin’s first pitch of the at-bat over the left field wall for his second long ball of the year, a two-run homer to make the final score of 9-0.

The Baysox can clinch the series at Metro Bank Park Wednesday at 7 p.m. with one more game in Harrisburg Thursday. The road trip will move on to Trenton on Friday before the team returns to Prince George’s Stadium on Monday, May 10 to open a series against the Flying Squirrels. That first game back will be the Baysox inaugural Beard-a-Palooza, where any fan with a beard may purchase half-priced lower reserved seat tickets ($7) for the game, limit one per beard. Fans who cannot grow a beard are encouraged to make one! Between-inning contests include “What’s In the Beard” and longest and most colorful beards.

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