BOWIE, Md. – Constantly teetering on the edge of pulling ahead, the Bowie Baysox needed ten innings to secure their fifth walk-off win on the season on Friday night, taking down the Somerset Patriots 3-2.
Joey Ortiz stayed hot for Bowie, and he pounced on Matt Sauer with a solo home run in the first inning, his 15th of the season.
Home runs were pivotal in the game, as Rodolfo Duran gave Somerset the lead with a two-run blast in the second inning. That homer would be the only run support for Somerset, as Cade Povich hurled five strong innings in his Double-A debut, striking out six batters.
In another stellar bullpen showing, Easton Lucas, Hector Perez, and Jake Prizina turned in scoreless outings, with Lucas and Perez taking two innings, while Prizina (W, 3-0) took the tenth inning, working three flyouts to keep Somerset’s free runner at second.
The game was tied on another home run in the fifth inning, as Maverick Handley served the first pitch of the frame over the left-center field wall. Sauer took the game in to the sixth inning, while Tanner Myatt tossed 1 1/3 scoreless frames of relief, and closer Carson Coleman (L, 2-3) opened with two scoreless innings before stretching into the tenth.
In the bottom of the tenth inning, Joey Ortiz placed a sacrifice bunt to first base to advance the winning run to third base, and Connor Norby singled to right field to send Bowie to a center field celebration.
Their fifth walk-off win of the season, Bowie bumps their record up to 55-57 on the season, as well as 28-15 in the second half.
Bowie will look to take a lead in the six-game series on Saturday, with the first pitch scheduled for 6:35 p.m.
