For the second time in three games, the Richmond Flying Squirrels (2-1) and Bowie Baysox played into the 14th inning at The Diamond on Saturday night. The Baysox claimed their first win of the season, prevailing, 7-6, in a ballgame that lasted four hours and fifty four minutes. That length eclipsed the season opener which lasted four hours and forty seven minutes. The game ended just as the clock struck midnite.
With the Squirrels having run out of available bullpen arms, they were forced to throw utility infielder Rando Moreno in the top of the 14th. He pitched well, but the Baysox parlayed a bloop-double from Quincy Latimore into the game-winning run. Mike McDade followed the double with a rifle-shot single off the glove of a diving Angel Villalona at first base to score Latimore with the game-winning run. Moreno (0-1) was saddled with the loss in his first professional pitching appearance.
The Baysox opened the scoring in the top of the first inning. Richmond right-hander Kyle Crick got them started when he walked lead-off man Glynn Davis on four pitches. Davis promptly swiped second base. Crick recorded the first two outs in the inning, but Sean Halton delivered a two-out single through the left side of the infield. Davis scored for a 1-0 lead.
Richmond responded immediately against right-hander Parker Bridwell in the bottom of the first. Kelby Tomlinson sparked the uprising with a one-out single, which Bridwell followed by walking Mitch Delfino and hitting Mac Williamson to load the bases. Javier Herrera then tied the game, 1-1, with a sacrifice fly to right field. Devin Harris followed with the big blow in the inning, a two-run triple to dead-center field. Richmond exited the inning with a 3-1 advantage.
Crick maneuvered around five walks to turn in four innings. He departed with a 3-1 lead, having allowed a lone run on two hits. He struck out four and needed 86 pitches in his four innings. Crick did not factor in the decision.
The Baysox pulled even against right-hander Pedro Rodriguez in the sixth inning. Bowie rallied with three hits and were aided by an error charged to Herrera in center. All three hits were softly struck, including a broken-bat single to left-center field from former Squirrel Sharlon Schoop. Schoop’s single scored Latimore, who had opened the inning with a broken-bat single of his own. Rossmel Perez also scored to tie the game, 3-3, when Herrera fumbled the ball. One of the runs charged to Rodriguez was unearned.
Richmond grabbed the lead right back in the bottom of the sixth inning, when right-hander Bobby Bundy fueled a rally with a lead-off walk issued to Delfino. After a single from Herrera and an additional walk to Harris, Ricky Oropesa lifted a sacrifice-fly to center field to put Richmond in front, 4-3.
The lead was short-lived as the Baysox got after right-hander Tyler Rogers in the seventh. Rogers didn’t help his cause, walking the first man he face, Derrick Gibson. An out later, Halton and Latimore supplied back-to-back singles. Latimore’s single scored Gibson and chased Rogers. Lefty Phil McCormick entered and inherited two runners. He allowed both to score when Rossmel Perez singled past second base and Bowie had a 6-4 lead.
The Squirrels once again answered, plating two runs in the bottom of the seventh to level the ledger once again, 6-6. Both runs scored courtesy of a two-run double from Williamson, which was cranked off of righty Kenn Kasparek into the left-field corner.
Lefty Cesar Cabral earned the win for the Baysox, working two scoreless innings. Right-hander Mychel Givens collected his first save of they, working through the Squirrels in order in the 14th. Bowie used six pitchers in the ballgame, with the Squirrels using seven.
The finale of the four-game series is scheduled for 1:35 p.m. at The Diamond on Sunday afternoon. Richmond LHP Matt Lujan (0-0, —) will make his Double-A debut against Bowie RHP Branden Kline (0-0, –). The Flying Squirrels Pregame Warmup begins at 6:35 p.m. on Fox Sports 910 and FoxSportsRichmond.com.
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