Bowie Baysox 7, Altoona Curve 3
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Four runs by in the top of the 4th gave Bowie a lead that they would never give up. Curve starter Jeff Locke began the game by giving up a double and a single. A grounder to first let 1B Miles Durham fire back to the plate, where C Tony Sanchez tagged out the lead runner at the plate. That was only a temporary respite for Locke, though, as two more singles brought in 3 runs, with the help of a throwing error by 3B Jeremy Farrell on a relay throw. Another double plated the 4th run, and the Baysox were up 4-0. They added another run in the top of the 2nd, on a single, a ground out, a stolen base, and a sacrifice fly.
The Curve cut the lead to 5-2 in the bottom of the 2nd. With two outs, DH Kris Watts, Durham, RF Eric Fryer and 2B Brock Holt smacked four consecutive singles, scoring both Watts and Durham. A double by Watts and an RBI single by Fryer pushed the score to 5-3 in the 4th inning. Fryer had 3 hits in the game.
Locke walked a batter in the 3rd, and that runner got as far as 3rd base on a steal and a wild pitch, but Locke ended the inning and left the runner 90 feet away from the plate. He also walked a batter in the 4th, but picked him off first. Locke finished his evening with a 1-2-3 inning in the 5th. He allowed those 5 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks, but struck out 6 batters in his 5 innings. Anthony Claggett took over for Locke to begin the 6th. Over the next 3 innings, Claggett gave up just one hit and worked around a runner on base due to a throwing error by Holt.
The Curve went down in order in the 5th and 6th innings. They threatened in the bottom of the 7th, when Fryer and CF Starling Marte both singled, putting runners on the corners. A ground out ended the inning without a run scoring. They put two more runners on in the 8th, when Farrell and Watts both walked, but again the runners were left on base.
Claggett came back out to begin the top of the 9th. A single, a sacrifice bunt, and a walk put runners on the corners for Bowie, with one out. Matt McSwain relieved Claggett, but the first batter McSwain faced doubled, driving in both runners for a 7-3 lead. A ground out and a fly out ended the inning. The Curve tried to rally in the bottom of the 9th. With one out, Holt walked and Marte doubled, moving Holt to third. That brought on a new reliever for Bowie, and he got a strikeout and a fly out to end the game, with the Curve unable to catch up.
Lakeland Flying Tigers 5, Bradenton Marauders 2
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The Marauders made it 7 losses in a row, as they fell to Lakeland tonight. Bradenton held the lead until the bottom of the 8th, when the Tigers scored all 5 of their runs. With reliever Ryan Beckman on the mound, the first batter of the inning reached on a fielding error by 3B Elevys Gonzalez. That runner scored on a triple, an a double brought in the second run of the inning. A walk and a fielding error by 1B Aaron Baker scored another run. A single loaded the bases, then Beckman got two outs, with a line out and a pop out, both to Gonzalez at third. Another single drove in two more runs, and Beckman was relieved by Brett Sinkbeil, who ended the inning with a strikeout.
RF Robbie Grossman began the game with a triple, and after 2B Jarek Cunningham was hit by a pitch, C Ramon Cabrera’s groundout plated Grossman for a 1-0 lead. Another triple, this one by LF Adalberto Santos to open the 5th, plus an RBI single by SS Benji Gonzalez drove in the Marauder’s second run. The Marauders threatened in the 7th, when Benji Gonzalez was hit by a pitch and Grossman singled again, moving Gonzalez to third base. A strikeout left both on base. They went down in order in the last two innings, though, and could not answer the Tigers’ big inning.
Nate Baker made the start for the Marauders and pitched 6 scoreless innings, striking out 8 batters, while allowing just 3 hits and 2 walks. He worked around at least one runner on base in each of the first 4 innings, but left runners on base and made use of a timely double play. He retired the side in order in the 5th and 6th, and the last four of those outs were strikeouts. Duke Welker relieved Baker to begin the 7th, and he continued the streak by striking out the first two batters of the inning. Welker gave up a single, but got a ground out to end the inning. Beckman relieved Welker to begin the 8th…..and things went downhill from there.
