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EL1 Richmond Flying Squirrels

Squirrels fall short in inaugural game

April 9, 2010 - Eastern League (EL1)
Richmond Flying Squirrels News Release


BOWIE, MD - Spanning two days, the Richmond Flying Squirrels fell short in the inaugural game in franchise history, falling 6-4 to the Bowie Baysox at Prince George's Stadium on Friday night. However, Clayton Tanner kept Bowie off balance in game two, pinning down the first victory in franchise history for Richmond, 2-0.

Trailing 1-0 upon the restart of the season opener, the Flying Squirrels wasted no time erasing the deficit. Jackson Williams was the first batter to face Pat Egan as the game resumed with two aboard for Richmond in the fifth inning, and he promptly delivered a one-hop double off the wall in left-center field to plate both Michael Ambort and Nick Noonan to give the Flying Squirrels a 2-1 lead.

The lead was short-lived, as Ronnie Ray conceded an RBI single to Caleb Joseph in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game and an RBI single to Brandon Waring to give the Baysox the lead back at 3-2 in the sixth inning.

Bowie stretched their advantage with three runs against the combination of Ray and left-hander Andy Sisco in the seventh inning. Paco Figueroa started the uprising with a single off Ray and Waring singled to chase Ray and put two aboard. Sisco entered and Robbie Widlansky greeted him with a single to load the bases. Caleb Joseph supplied a sacrifice fly to score Figueroa and Tyler Henson followed with a two-run double for a 6-2 lead.

Richmond rallied in the eighth off of reliever Armando Gabino, plating two runs on Conor Gillaspie's two-run double, but the rally stopped short upon the entrance of closer Chad Thall. Thall record the final two outs of the eighth and then worked around a pair of base hits in the ninth to record his first save of the season. Egan (1-0) earned the win for the Baysox, while Ray (0-1), who was charged with four earned runs, was saddled with the loss.

In game two, starters Steven Johnson for Bowie and Tanner for Richmond traded scoreless innings through the fifth. Johnson struck out six through the first four innings, but Tanner was even better. He allowed just one hit through five innings, while recording 13 of 15 outs on the ground. Included was a four-pitch fifth, which consisted of three ground-ball outs.

Johnson departed after the fifth and the Flying Squirrels broke through against reliever Eduardo Gamboa. Roger Kieschnick got Richmond started with a single and Noonan walked behind him a batter later. Tyler LaTorre then blasted his second double of the ballgame to score Kieschnick and give the Flying Squirrels the only run they would need. Clay Timpner added a second however, contributing a sacrifice fly to score Noonan and give Richmond the final margin, 2-0.

Tanner (1-0) was masterful into the sixth inning, allowing just two hits over 5 1/3 innings, rolling 13 ground-ball outs, and becoming the first winning pitcher in Flying Squirrels' franchise history. Tony Pena Jr. cleaned up the sixth inning after Tanner left, and Rafael Cova worked a perfect seventh inning for his first save of the year.

The season-opening four-game series continues with game three on Saturday night at Prince George's Stadium at 6:35 PM. RHP Daryl Maday (0-0, 0.00) will make the start for Richmond against RHP Chorye Spoon (0-0, 0.00) for Bowie. Pregame coverage begins one half hour prior to first pitch on Sports Radio 910.

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