BOWIE, MD – Despite a two-hit performance from Coby Mayo and five one-run innings from starter Justin Armbruester, the Bowie Baysox dropped their sixth-consecutive contest Thursday, as they fell 7-2 to the Richmond Flying Squirrels.
Richmond wasted no time getting started, as the first batter of the game, Ismael Munguia, homered to deep right to give the Flying Squirrels a 1-0 lead. Still, Armbruester would settle in, allowing only one additional hit the rest of his five innings, striking out five and walking just two.
Mayo was the catalyst of the Bowie offense all night. Donta’ Williams notched a hustle double to right field to lead off the bottom half of the third. Mayo would single him home on a line drive to left to tie the game at one.
However, the middle innings got messy for the Baysox. First, in the sixth inning, Richmond would put two in scoring position off an error from Cesar Prieto, followed by a Tyler Fitzgerald double. Richmond managed two runs in the frame off an Andy Thomas groundout and a Hayden Cantrelle single that followed a second Prieto error in the frame.
Mayo would double and eventually cross home on a wild pitch in the bottom half, making the Richmond lead 3-2, but that’s all the closer Bowie would get. Much like Wednesday’s loss, the top of the seventh was the undoing of the Baysox. After another error led off the inning, this time from Anthony Servideo, back-to-back singles loaded the bases with no one out. Right-hander Kade Strowd would do well to retire the next two batters without allowing anyone to advance, but with two outs, Strowd balked home a run. That, in essence, opened the flood gates for Richmond, who plated three more in the inning off a bases-loaded walk to Cantrelle and a two-run single from Riley Mahan. It was the second consecutive night that Richmond sent all nine men to the plate and scored four runs in the seventh against Bowie.
The Baysox would commit two more errors on the night for a total of five. Bowie’s bats would also be held in check the rest of the way, courtesy of five innings from the Richmond bullpen without allowing an earned run.
The loss drops Bowie’s record to 5-12 on the season – now 6.5 games back of the Flying Squirrels for first place in the Southwest division. The two teams look to continue their six-game series on Friday, with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET.
