ALTOONA, Pa. – A thrilling back-and-forth afternoon ended in heartbreak for the Bowie Baysox on Sunday, as they dropped their series finale to the Altoona Curve 5-4. After Bowie tied the game in the eighth inning, Altoona brought around the winning run in the ninth to serve the Baysox their second walk-off loss of the season.
Things got going quickly for Bowie in the first inning when Cesar Prieto and Coby Mayo singled. A third single by Zach Watson led to Mayo scoring, and a ground out by John Rhodes brought in Prieto.
The 2-0 lead was short lived as Garrett Stallings allowed a solo home run to Altoona’s Henry Davis in the bottom of the frame. Stallings later allowed a game-tying blast to Lolo Sanchez in the third inning, but eventually finished five innings with no other damage dealt.
Offense was at a standstill for Bowie after the first inning, as they only put three runners on base between the second and seventh innings, with none reaching second base.
Davis pushed Altoona ahead in the sixth inning when Bowie brought Antonio Velez in from the bullpen. The first pitch from Velez was sent over the left field wall for Davis’ second homer of the game. Still not satisfied, Davis gave Altoona another run against Velez with an RBI single in the seventh inning.
Following six innings from Aaron Shackleford and one inning from Nick Dombkowski, Bowie took charge again against Noe Toribio, loading the bases with only one out in the eighth. Zach Watson drove in two runs, including the tying run, with a double up the left field line, but a potential go-ahead run was thrown out at the plate on a ground ball.
In the ninth, Tahnaj Thomas (W, 1-0) fired a scoreless frame for Altoona. Following a scoreless eighth inning of relieve, Kade Strowd tried to take the game into extra innings for Bowie, but allowed two quick baserunners, eventually setting the scene for a walk-off sacrifice fly to center field by Sanchez.
Already their second walk-off loss of the season, the Baysox are now 5-9 on the year, with four of their losses being by only one run. After only taking one game over the five-game set in Altoona, the Baysox return home for their only 12-game homestand of the season on Tuesday, as they welcome the Richmond Flying Squirrels for a six-game set. First pitch for Tuesday is scheduled for 11:05 a.m.
