The Harrisburg Senators pounded out nine runs on 13 hits in a high-scoring 9-7 win in the series finale at FNB Field Sunday afternoon. With the win, Harrisburg avoided being swept in the series, and handed the Baysox their first loss in the second half in five games.
It didn’t take long for the Baysox offense to get going. On the first pitch of the game, Mason McCoy ripped a single through the left side. Two pitched later, Ryan McKenna doubled, scoring McCoy and giving Bowie an early 1-0 advantage. After McKenna moved to third on a groundout from Yusniel Diaz, he was brought home on a sacrifice fly from T.J. Nichting, making it 2-0 Baysox. It was Nichting’s fourth RBI of the series.
Harrisburg answered right back in the bottom of the first inning. After Luis Garcia and Adrian Sanchez singled to begin the inning against Bowie starter Bruce Zimmermann, Dante Bichette singled home Garcia, making it 2-1. The next batter was Tres Barrera, who reached on a fielder’s choice that scored Sanchez, tying the game at 2-2.
The game remained tied until the bottom of the third inning, when Tres Barrera hit a solo home run, his fourth of the season, giving Harrisburg a 3-2 advantage. This was the Senators first lead of the series.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Senators put runners on first and second with one out. Sanchez hit a ground ball to shortstop, where McCoy flipped to Jesmuel Valentin at second for the second out. The return throw to first was airmailed, allowing Tyler Goeddel to score all the way from second base and extend the Harrisburg lead to 4-2.
In the fifth, the Senators added to the lead against Bowie reliever Steven Klimek. After a one out walk and single, Austin Davidson drove an RBI double into the deep right field corner, making it 5-2. After a walk, Garcia drove in Spencer Kieboom with a sacrifice fly, extending the Harrisburg lead to 6-2.
Bowie cut into the deficit in the sixth inning. With one out, McKenna singled, and was followed by Yusniel Diaz who blasted his fifth home run of the year over the fence in left-center field, cutting the Harrisburg lead to 6-4.
In the bottom that sixth inning, Sanchez reached on an error and Bichette singled to begin the frame. Barrera then drove in his third and fourth runs of the game with a double, extending the Harrisburg lead to 8-4. Three batters later, Kieboom drove Barrera home with an RBI single, making it 9-4.
The Baysox fought back again in the top of the seventh inning. After Willy Yahn singled to begin the frame, Stuart Levy hit a two-run home run, cutting it to a 9-6 game. It was Levy’s first long ball as a member of the Baysox.
Bowie added a run in the ninth on an RBI groundout from McKenna, but ultimately fell by a score of 9-7.
Bowie will return home to Prince George’s Stadium on Monday to begin a seven-game homestand with series against the Hartford Yard Goats and Akron RubberDucks. First pitch Monday evening is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Marcos Molina will be on the mound for the Baysox.
