EL1 Chesapeake Baysox

Baysox Sweep Twi-night Doubleheader

Published on June 29, 2010 under Eastern League (EL1)
Chesapeake Baysox News Release


The Baysox swept a doubleheader against the Erie SeaWolves with a pair of one-run victories Monday night, improving their record to 41-36.

Game one was the conclusion of a game suspended by rain on June 6 with the Baysox leading 1-0 mid-way through the third inning. In the first game, Bowie exploded for nine runs in the bottom of the third, the most runs the Baysox have scored in an inning since July 28, 2007. The seemingly insurmountable 10-0 lead was threatened when the SeaWolves plated eight runs in the top of the fifth, chasing right-hander Steve Johnson from the game. The Baysox ultimately held on for the 10-9 victory.

Game two, scheduled to go only seven innings, ended in dramatic fashion in the bottom of the ninth when Erie third baseman Michael Bertram allowed a routine grounder to go through his legs, sending Baysox center fielder Danny Figueroa racing from second base to score the winning run. Defensive miscues haunted the SeaWolves as the Baysox took full advantage of their opponent's mistakes scoring two times as a direct result of an error.

Bowie wasted no time lighting up the scoreboard in the first game, sending 12 men to the plate in the inning that included six singles, two walks, and a three-run homer to give Bowie a commanding 10-0 lead.

Figueroa led off the third inning with a ground ball that narrowly evaded the glove of the diving third baseman. Second baseman Ryan Adams followed with a ground ball to right field that put runners on first and second. After a Caleb Joseph fly out which sent Figueroa to third base, Joel Guzman hit an RBI single to left field to plate Figueroa. Designated hitter Robbie Widlansky singled to load the bases with still only one down. SeaWolves starter Brooks Brown walked first baseman Brandon Waring to send Figueroa across the plate for the Baysox third run. The onslaught of hits continued as Tyler Henson singled to drive in the Baysox fourth run of the game. Brown struggled to find the plate, walking Jonathan Tucker to give Bowie a five run lead. Shortstop Carlos Rojas singled on a line drive to right field, driving in Waring. Figueroa returned to the plate grounding into a fielder's choice that drove in Henson from third base.

SeaWolves manager Phil Nevin pulled his struggling pitcher out of the game after only two-thirds of an inning in favor of right-hander Cory Hamilton. Things went from bad to worse for the SeaWolves when second baseman Ryan Adams launched a 1-2 pitch over the left-field fence, extending the Bowie lead to 10 runs.

While Bowie seemed to have the game put away early, Erie had other plans. Down 10-0 entering the top of the fifth, the SeaWolves refused to give in, scoring eight runs to tighten the gap to just two runs. Steve Johnson struggled mightily with his control in the fifth, walking four hitters in addition to a wild pitch on a swinging third strike that allowed the leadoff hitter to reach first. The disastrous inning culminated with a grand slam by Bertram. Baysox manager Brad Komminsk had seen enough and decided to pull the visibly frustrated Johnson from the game.

"The most frustrating part is that I can go through the motions without a ball in my hand, and do exactly what I want my arm to do," said Johnson. "When I get a ball in my hand, it's a totally different motion and I think that is what is causing everything to go out of whack. It's a frustrating thing because I've thrown one way my entire life, and now [my arm] pauses, it does something it's not supposed to be doing. It was frustrating out there, I was battling, and I was just trying to find a way to throw a strike, and it seemed like every time I did find a way, they hit it really well."

Right-handed reliever Brandon Cooney retired the first man he faced to end the inning and stop the bleeding.

Cooney was perfect through 2.1 innings, striking out one batter, while maintaining the Baysox slim two-run lead. Since surrendering three earned runs in his first appearance with Bowie this season, he has thrown 14.1 consecutive innings without an earned run. During the scoreless streak, he has 13 strikeouts and has yielded only two base hits.

Erie struck again in the top of the eighth inning when Cale Iorg hit a two-out RBI single off of Bowie right-handed reliever Bob McCrory to tighten the gap to just one run. After a steal and a wild pitch, Iorg, stood 90-feet away from scoring the tying run and completing the comeback. With two outs, SeaWolves catcher Andy Bouchie hit a sharp ground ball to Adams who scooped the ball up and fired to first base to get the final out of the eighth.

McCrory stayed on in the ninth, retiring the side in order, saving the Baysox from what could have been an embarrassing letdown. Cooney earned his first Double-A victory and carries a 3.38 ERA on the season.

In game two, RHP Eddie Gamboa took the hill for the Baysox for a spot start, his first start since 2008 when he started 12 games for the Rookie-class Bluefield Orioles.

In the bottom of the first inning, Adams picked up where he left off in the first game, launching a home run over the left field fence to give the Baysox an early 1-0 lead. The homerun extended Adams' hitting streak to 11 games. In addition, Adams has reached base safely in 17 consecutive games.

"I've just been getting [to the ballpark] early and working hard," said Adams. "Lately, you get a few hits, start feeling a little looser, and you're not pressing as much. Now I get a good pitch to hit, and I'm taking advantage of my opportunities."

Johnson is struggling to find the plate and has had a hard time keeping the ball in the yard lately. He has allowed 16 homeruns in his past nine starts to go along with 31 walks during that stretch.

"It's no secret, he's been struggling for a while," said Pitching Coach Kennie Steenstra. "It was a tough one tonight, because we take him into a nice lead and you try to get him a win there in the fifth, try to get him at least one more out. Then he makes a bad pitch for a grand slam right there. I'm sure he's really disappointed right now, a little disheartened, trying to figure out what's going on. It's one of those things that he's going through right now and we've got to keep battling and figure it out for him."

On the other hand, Eddie Gamboa had his way with SeaWolves hitters with only two hits in three scoreless innings with three strikeouts. After a solid outing from Gamboa, southpaw reliever Pedro Viola entered the game to maintain the slim 1-0 margin. In his first inning of work, Viola allowed the tying run to reach base on a line drive base hit to left field. Bertram, tripled on a fly ball that ricocheted off of Figueroa's glove in center, tying the ballgame. After Viola struck out Kaiser with the go-ahead run still on third, Jonathan Tucker made a spectacular diving grab on a fly ball off the bat of designated hitter Deik Scram, keeping the game tied at 1-1.

After surrendering the solo home run to Adams in the first, SeaWolves starter RHP Anthony Shawler shut down Baysox hitters until the sixth inning. With two outs, Tyler Henson singled, putting the go-ahead run on base. Erie reliever Jay Voss was brought on to face Robbie Widlansky. The Bowie first baseman singled to right field sending Henson from first to third. Erie right fielder, Kody Kaiser, overthrew the third baseman and the ball bounded into the stands, allowing Henson to score from third to give the Baysox a 2-1 lead.

In the top half of the seventh inning, the SeaWolves came back yet again tying the ballgame at 2-2. With two runners in scoring position and two outs, right-hander Pedro Beato threw a wild pitch in the dirt, allowing the tying run to score from third base.

Bowie put runners on base in both the bottom of the seventh and eighth innings but they were unable to capitalize on their scoring opportunities. After former Orioles reliever Jim Hoey struck out the side in the top of the ninth, Figueroa singled to lead off the bottom half of the inning putting the winning run aboard. After a fly out by Rojas and ground out by Tucker that advanced Figueroa into scoring position, Erie intentionally walked Adams. With two down, Henson hit a routine groundball to the third baseman that went underneath his glove and into left field, allowing Figueroa to score the winning run.

Teammates mobbed Figueroa at the plate sending Baysox fans home happy after nearly six hours of baseball Monday night. Jim Hoey earned the win to improve to 1-0 on the season while lowering his ERA to 2.73.

The series with Erie continues on Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. and Wednesday, June 30, is Daddy/Daughter Date Night. Fathers and their daughters can get two reserved tickets and two hot dogs for $20, with additional tickets available for $10 each.

The Aeros roll in to town during the Baysox All-American Weekend, featuring fireworks shows on July 2, 3 and 4. Saturday, July 3, is Stress Less Saturday, with a chance to win a family vacation courtesy of Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Sunday, July 4, is the Baysox Independence Day Celebration, with a spectacular extended fireworks show and an auction of special stars-and-stripes Baysox jerseys that will benefit AMVETS.

Check out the Chesapeake Baysox Statistics

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Eastern League Stories from June 29, 2010


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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