EL1 Chesapeake Baysox

Rain Helps Baysox Set High-Water Mark

July 23, 2008 - Eastern League (EL1)
Chesapeake Baysox News Release


(Bowie, MD) - The Baysox put up three runs in their first turn at bat and got some help from a timely rainstorm to win Wednesday night's game 3-0 in four and a half innings. Brad Bergesen was perfect through three innings and gave up just two hits to record the shutout win. With the rain-shortened victory, the Baysox improve to 60-45, 15 games over .500, their high-water mark for the year.

The Bowie first inning rally got going right away, with Jonathan Tucker drawing a leadoff walk. With Mike Rodriguez batting, Tucker stole second base. Rodriguez walked to put runners on first and second and Lou Montanez ripped a double down the left-field line. Tucker scored easily and Rodriguez advanced to third. Nolan Reimold popped up for the first out before Matt Wieters poked a bloop single into shallow center field. Rodriguez and Montanez both came around to score and the Baysox took a 3-0 lead.

That was all Bergesen would need. He threw just thirty pitches to get through the first three innings, retiring all nine batters in a row. He got into some trouble in the top of the fourth when Ian Desmond led off with a line drive single to center field. Mike Daniel poked a base hit into right field to put runners on first and second with no outs. Bergesen walked Bill Rhinehart on five pitches to load the bases before working his magic. First he got Ofilio Castro to strike out looking. With Marvin Lowrance stepping in, Bergesen got a taylor-made double play ball to short and Blake Davis stepped on second before firing to first to complete the inning-ending double play.

Bowie pitching coach Mike Griffin had a feeling it would be this kind of game before the first pitch, "Bergy pretty much had it going right from the get-go, I could tell down in the bullpen. You know, I can usually tell what kind of possible start we could have when the starter's warming up out there. Something told me from his demeanor on the mound warming up in the bullpen and the way he was finishing. He did a good job for five innings tonight, he got a little quick in the fourth inning with the two hits but to his credit he was able to recognize it and make the adjustment. He got a huge, huge strikeout that allowed him to get the double play to end the inning so I'm very pleased with Bergy right now."

Bergesen retired the side in order in the top of the fifth to make the game official before the Baysox came up in the bottom of the inning. Blake Davis grounded out and Jonathan Tucker hit a single to right field. With Mike Rodriguez batting, Tucker took off for second, looking for his second stolen base of the game, but Justin Jones picked him off for out number two. The rains came before Rodriguez could finish his at-bat and the game was called due to unplayable field conditions.

With the victory, Bergesen improves to 12-3 on the year, just one win shy of the Baysox all-time single season record. Even more impressive is that Bergesen has done it in just 16 starts. The righty has been nothing short of fantastic for the Baysox this year, but he's stayed humble and has not thought about records. He has tried to focus on each game as they come, and he threw a good one tonight, "I felt pretty good in the bullpen but I've had enough outings that I know you can have a great bullpen and a bad outing or vice-versa so it just kinda worked out that I had a good bullpen and went out there and had the same stuff. It's kind of a weak complete game, but what can you do. You know by the time I got trouble in the fourth I was just thinking about the bases loaded and getting the ground ball for the double play and luckily enough I got - Castro I think - their four hitter to strike out, and then I got Lowrance to ground into the double play."

With the victory, the Baysox improve their record to 60-45, three and a half games back of first-place Akron in the Southern Division. The Baysox will go for a four-game sweep of the Senators Thursday morning with RHP David Hernandez (5-3, 2.65 ERA) going up against Harrisburg RHP Zach Segovia (0-0, 0.00 ERA). Thursday's game is at 11:05 a.m. for Summer Camp Day. Following Thursday's game, the Baysox will head to Erie for three games then return to Bowie for a four-game series with the New Britain Rock Cats starting Monday, July 28.

With the victory, the Baysox improve their record to 60-45, three and a half games back of first-place Akron in the Southern Division. The teams will meet again Thursday at 11:05 a.m. for Summer Camp Day. Come out and enjoy a Baysox afternoon game with the kids!

The Bowie Baysox are in their 16th season as the "AA" affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. Baysox individual game tickets, season ticket plans, group outings, picnics and birthday parties are currently available for booking by calling the Baysox front office at (301) 464-4880.

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