EL1 Chesapeake Baysox

Squirrels Stifle Baysox Bats

Published on April 30, 2010 under Eastern League (EL1)
Chesapeake Baysox News Release


RICHMOND, Va. -- The Bowie Baysox struggled mightily to generate offense Friday night as they opened a 10-game road trip with a 2-0 loss to the Richmond Flying Squirrels. The Baysox continue their six-game skid and fell to third in the Eastern League's Western Division, leapfrogged by the surging Flying Squirrels.

The game seemed to ultimately be a duel between Baysox starter Steve Johnson and Richmond's Mike MacDonald. Johnson had his best recent performance, giving up the two runs in six innings after surrendering 10 in his previous nine innings of work. Unfortunately for Johnson, MacDonald tossed a gem as he gave up just two hits in seven innings of work against the often high-octane Baysox offense, throwing a season high eight strikeouts.

The loss is particularly frustrating as the Baysox were free of the errors that had plagued them in several recent losses, perhaps re-focused in the field after a closed-doors team meeting that followed Thursday's one-run loss to Erie.

Johnson started out by retiring five of the first six batters the Squirrels sent to the plate, but ran into trouble in the third inning. He walked catcher Jackson Williams, who scored on the next play when designated hitter Clay Timpner knocked a double to left field. Johnson earned two outs, including personally fielding a popped up bunt, before walking Conor Gillaspie and then hitting outfielder Thomas Neal to load up the bases. The Baltimore native pitcher showed great poise in the tight situation, as he fanned Roger Kieschnick to get out of the 39-pitch inning with minimal damage.

Johnson got back into his groove as he went on to retire six of the next seven batters he faced before Kieschnick hit a one-out single to center field in the top of the sixth frame and advanced to second base on Michael Ambort's deep fly out to right fielder Joel Guzman. Nick Noonan's double sent Kieschnick in for the Squirrels' second run.

Bowie's bullpen continued to get the job done, as Pedro Beato came on for Johnson to close out the game's final two innings with just one hit and three strikeouts, but the good pitching and fielding weren't enough as the Baysox managed just three hits all game. Richmond's sharp infield defense played a large role in the offensive futility. The Squirrels turned three double plays including an unassisted double play by Ambort, who snagged shortstop Pedro Florimon's line drive and immediately tagged first base to retire catcher Caleb Joseph, who continues to slump with just two hits in his last 20 at-bats.

Paco Figueroa broke up MacDonald's no-hitter in the top of the fourth inning with an infield bunt single and was the Baysox best offensive player, reaching base in three of his four plate appearances by getting hit by a pitch and knocking a single to left field in the ninth inning. He moved into second place in the Eastern League's hits leader board with 26 after the game, and has gotten a hit in nine of his last 10 games. Figueroa's average bumped up to .361, second best in the Eastern League.

Pasadena, Md. native Chorye Spoone takes the mound in game two of the series at 6:35 p.m. as he tries to reverse the Baysox recent negative trend. The road trip will continue through Harrisburg and Trenton before the team returns to Bowie on May 10 to open another series against the Flying Squirrels. That first game back will be the Baysox inaugural Beard-a-Palooza, where any fan with a beard may purchase half-priced lower reserved seat tickets ($7) for the game, limit one per beard. Fans who cannot grow a beard are encouraged to make one! Between-inning contests include "What's In the Beard" and longest and most colorful beards.

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.

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Eastern League Stories from April 30, 2010


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