Baysox edge Squirrels, 3-2, even series

The Bowie Baysox (22-20) clipped the Richmond Flying Squirrels (16-23), 3-2, in front of a capacity crowd of 9,560 at The Diamond on Saturday night.  With the win, the Baysox leveled the four-game series.  The sellout crowd was the third of the season for the Squirrels.

The Squirrels opened the scoring against right-hander Terry Doyle in the third inning.  Jackson Williams led off the inning with a single and was forced at second by Kelby Tomlinson.  An out later, Mac Williamson singled back through the middle to plate Tomlinson for a 1-0 lead.  Williamson extended his season-high hit-streak to 11 games with the base hit.

Doyle maneuvered around seven hits, all singles, and allowed just the lone run across five innings.  He walked one and struck out four.  He did not factor in the decision.

Meanwhile, right-hander Chris Stratton cruised through the first six innings, allowing the Baysox just two hits.  However, the game turned when he returned for the seventh.  Stratton threw just two pitches in the inning.  David Freitas lined the first for a single into right field.  Sean Halton belted the second over the left-center field wall to give the Baysox a 2-1 lead.

Stratton (0-5) took the hard-luck loss over six innings plus two batters.  He was charged with two runs on four hits.  He walked one and struck out six.

Bowie extended their lead with a run in the eighth inning.  Righty Joan Gregorio opened the inning on the mound and conceded a leadoff single to Ozzie Martinez.  He then walked Glynn Davis and was lifted in favor of lefty Phil McCormick.  Mike Yastrzemski bunted up the runners and Rossmel Perez lined a single off of Mitch Delfino’s mitt at third base that scored Martinez to stretch the lead to 3-1.

Ricky Oropesa blasted a solo-home run to left-center field in the bottom of the eighth inning that capped the scoring for the night.  The home run came off of right-hander Marcel Prado (3-0).  Prado earned the win, allowing just that run across two innings.  Oropesa’s drive was his team-leading fifth of the year.

Right-hander Ben Rowen cleaned up the eighth inning for Prado.  Right-hander Mychel Givens then earned his seventh save of the season by working a scoreless ninth inning.

Game three of the four-game series is scheduled for 1:35 p.m. at The Diamond on Sunday night.  Richmond LHP Jack Snodgrass (3-3, 4.50) will make the start against Bowie RHP Parker Bridwell (1-2, 4.69).  The Flying Squirrels Pregame Warmup will begin at 1 p.m. on Fox Sports 910 and FoxSportsRichmond.com.