With only four outs separating them from a series sweep to start the season, the Bowie Baysox were instead handed their first loss of 2023. Carrying over an unfortunate trend from the previous year, the Baysox took a walk-off loss in ten innings, falling to Hartford 6-5.
The Baysox offense showed more early life on Saturday, as they opened the scoring in the second inning with a Ramon Rodriguez double. Hartford took their first lead of the series with a two-run single by Bladimir Restituyo. Cade Povich allowed the two runs in the second inning, and was only able to finish the third inning before being relieved.
Bowie re-took the lead in the fourth inning when John Rhodes blasted a two-run home run to the left field corner, his first of the season. Another run came across in the frame on a groundout by Gilbert Lara.
Now with a two-run lead, Peter Van Loon took the mound for Bowie, but allowed a run to score in the fourth when a dropped pop fly on the infield opened a window for Julio Carreras to sprint home after his double. Van Loon spun a perfect fifth inning, but took a line drive off of his back at the end of the inning that led to an early hook.
Coby Mayo had added another late insurance run for Bowie with an RBI single in the seventh inning, helping Tyler Burch and Kade Strowd maintain the lead with scoreless sixth and seventh innings. Strowd hit a bump in the eighth inning after a better reached on an error, and two more on walks. Carreras hurt Bowie again with and RBI groundout to cut the lead to one run, and after Bowie had switched to Conner Loeprich on the mound, a wild pitch scored the tying run.
Austin Kitchen (W, 1-0) fired three near-perfect innings in relief for Hartford, only allowing one baserunner on an error in the tenth inning. Meanwhile, Jensen Elliott spun a perfect ninth inning to force extras, but a two-out single by Ronaiker Palma brought in the winning run for the Goats.
After suffering an MiLB-leading 12 walk-off losses in 2022, the first in 2023 drops the Baysox to 2-1 on the season. Following two off days, the Baysox will get a six-game series underway with the Akron RubberDucks, starting with the home opener at Prince George’s Stadium on Tuesday. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.
