A six-run sixth gave Bowie the lead and the Baysox (27-29) held on in the ninth to take the rubber match from the Portland Sea Dogs (21-37) by a score of 7-5 on Thursday morning at Hadlock Field in Portland.
Trailing 7-5, the Sea Dogs had runners at the corners with two outs in the ninth, but RHP Branden Kline (0.1 IP) came on in relief and got Josh Ockimey to fly to left and end the game. Kline notched his first save of the year.
Portland had gotten a pair of runs back earlier in the frame on RBI singles from Deiner Lopez and Jantzen Witte to make it a two-run game. Both runs were charged to Bowie RHP Tanner Chleborad (0.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, K).
The Baysox trailed 2-1 heading into the afore-mentioned six-run sixth and scored six runs on four hits in the inning to open up a 7-2 advantage for the time being. Armando Araiza led off with a bloop single, went to second on a throwing error charged to Sea Dogs C Austin Rei and later scored on a throwing error by Jeremy Rivera at short to tie the game. Three batters later, Bowie had runners at the corners with one out andCorban Joseph reached on a fielder’s choice and a missed catch error on Rei allowed the go-ahead run to scamper home. Anthony Santander delivered a run via an RBI double and Audry Perez hit a three-run homer in the inning off of Portland starter Matthew Kent.
The home run was Perez’s fourth of the year with the Baysox.
Portland committed three errors in the inning and all six runs were unearned.
Kent (3-4) gave up seven runs (one earned) on five hits to go along with seven strikeouts in six innings of work.
The Sea Dogs grabbed a 1-0 lead with a run in the third as Nick Lovullo led off with a double and scored on Danny Mars’ RBI double.
Ryan Mountcastle delivered Bowie’s first hit of the game with a solo shot in the top of the fifth that tied the game at one apiece. The home run was Mountcastle’s fourth of the season.
Lovullo drew a leadoff walk in the home half of the frame, took second on a sac bunt and scored on Rivera’s RBI double to give the hosts a 2-1 lead.
Baysox starter Brian Gonzalez (1-2) gave up two runs on six hits while walking two and fanning four in 6.0 IP to notch his first career Double-A win.
In the bottom of the eighth, Witte drew a one-out walk, went to third on a single and scored on a wild pitch charged to RHP Matthew Grimes (2.0 IP, H, R, ER, BB, K) which brought Portland within 7-3.
Mountcastle (2-4, HR, RBI, R), Perez (2-4, HR, 3 RBI, R) and D’Arby Myers (2-5, R) all had multi-hit games for manager Gary Kendall’s squad.
The Baysox head to New Hampshire to open a three-game set with the Fisher Cats on Friday night at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium in Manchester. First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m. as RHP Hunter Harvey (1-2, 5.57) gets the start for Bowie against New Hampshire RHP T.J. Zeuch (3-2, 3.47).
