EL1 Richmond Flying Squirrels

Baysox Comeback Grounds Flying Squirrels

Published on July 16, 2010 under Eastern League (EL1)
Richmond Flying Squirrels News Release


The Baysox kicked off the second half of their 2010 season in dramatic fashion Thursday night by defeating the Richmond Flying Squirrels 8-6. The Flying Squirrels scored four runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to take a one-run lead before the Baysox snatched the win back with a two-out rally for three runs in the ninth inning.

Third baseman Brandon Waring provided the spark on offense, driving in three runs and hitting his 15th home run while right-handed starter Steve Johnson pitched five innings of four-hit ball, yielding just one run. Johnson, who is second in the Eastern League with 52 walks, showed improved poise on the mound, walking two batters to go with a pair of strikeouts.

Squirrels right-hander Felix Romero held the first six Baysox batters hitless before catcher Caleb Joseph opened the third inning with a single to right field that broke up the streak.

Bowie finally broke through in the top of the fourth inning. After two flyouts to begin the inning, first baseman Joel Guzman walked and left fielder Joe Mahoney singled to right field, placing runners on the corners. Third baseman Brandon Waring followed with an RBI single to center field, sending Guzman across the plate for the game's opening run.

The Flying Squirrels responded when first baseman Brandon Belt belted a solo home run over the right field wall to open the bottom half of the fourth inning. Belt's blast was the league-highest 19th home run that Johnson has given up this year. It was, however, the first long ball he surrendered in July, and its sting was reduced without any runners on base, a situation that hurt Johnson as he gave up a pair of grand slams among 10 homers in June.

The Baysox struck again in the sixth inning. Second baseman Ryan Adams led off with a single to left field. Right fielder Tyler Henson, who went 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles in Wednesday's Eastern League All-Star Game, doubled to center field, driving in Adams from first base to put the Baysox up 2-1. After Romero retired the next two batters, Waring continued his hot hitting by homering in his second consecutive game, extending the Baysox lead to three runs as Henson scored on the dinger.

Waring has gone on a tear over the past week, with three consecutive multi-hit games as he has gone 8-for-19 (.421) with two home runs, three doubles and eight RBIs in five games.

After five innings of solid work, Johnson was pulled in favor of right-handed reliever Eddie Gamboa. Belt greeted Gamboa with a triple to left field and Brad Boyer followed with a groundout to shortstop Carlos Rojas that allowed Belt to score from third, bringing the Flying Squirrels to within two runs at 4-2.

In the bottom of the seventh, Gamboa ran into more trouble when Sharlon Schoop led off with a single to center field. After a fly out to center, Gamboa escaped the inning when Darren Ford grounded to Rojas for a 6-4-3 double play, keeping the two-run lead intact.

The Baysox extended their lead by one run in top of the eighth inning. After Adams singled to left-center field, Guzman and Waring drew walks to load the bases with two outs. Joseph drew yet another walk, giving Adams a free pass across the plate. Center fielder Danny Figueroa could not carry on the building rally, which ran out of steam as he popped out to the shortstop to end the inning.

Right-handed reliever Brandon Cooney was brought on for Gamboa in the bottom of the eighth inning, and immediately ran into trouble. Richmond led off the inning with Nick Noonan single followed by a double off the bat of Thomas Neal that put runners on second and third with nobody out. Belt, who already hit a homerun and a triple in the game, singled to center field, driving in both runners to bring the Flying Squirrels within one run. After a ground out, Ryan Lormand doubled to left field, putting the tying run on third and the go-ahead run on second with still only one down.

The Baysox coaching staff sent Eastern League All-Star Pedro Beato in to work through the sticky situation, but he was unable to stop the Flying Squirrels' momentum, yielding a two-run single to catcher Tyler LaTorre that gave Richmond the 6-5 lead. Beato ultimately escaped the jam with no further scoring but the damage was done, as the Baysox headed into the final inning trailing for the first time in the game.

Rojas walked to open the ninth inning, and was advanced by designated hitter Greg Miclat's sacrifice bunt. Adams then grounded out to the shortstop, as Rojas held at second base. With 26 outs in the books, Henson delivered a clutch hit worthy of his All-Star selection, plating Rojas with a single to left field. With the game tied at six runs apiece, Guzman drew a walk to continue the rally as Richmond sent Ronnie Ray to the mound in hopes of stopping the bleeding. Mahoney crushed that hope with a triple to center field, that plated Henson and Guzman as the Baysox took an 8-6 lead.

Mahoney has been sensational in his first week with the Baysox, going 8-for-20 (.400) at the plate, with two doubles, a triple, a home run, and five RBIs in his first five Double-A games.

The Baysox lead held up to snap a season-long five-game road losing streak, as Beato returned in the bottom of the ninth to strike out the Squirrels in order.

Bowie returns to action Friday night in Richmond at 7:05 when the Baysox send right-handed Pasadena, Md. native Chorye Spoone to the hill. They will play two more games in Richmond over the weekend, before returning for a seven-game home stand against Binghamton and Richmond that begins at 7:05 p.m. on Monday, July 19. That Monday game against Binghamton is the Baysox second annual Mustache Mania, where fans can show their 'stache to save some cash; fans sporting a moustache -- natural, drawn or taped on -- can get a half-priced lower reserved ticket at the box office. Saturday, July 24 is Star Wars Night, one of the most eagerly anticipated events at the ballpark this season, with lightsaber battles between innings by reenactors in authentic replica Star Wars costumes.

Think Outside The Box with the Baysox in 2010. The Baysox 18th season as the class Double-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles is underway. Catch all the action in Natural Definition! Baysox full-season and partial-season ticket packages are available now at www.baysox.com or by calling the group sales department at (301) 464-4880.

Check out the Richmond Flying Squirrels Statistics

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Eastern League Stories from July 16, 2010


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