ERIE, PA – For the second night in a row, the Erie SeaWolves fended off a late-game surge by the Bowie Baysox, clinching a 5-3 victory on Friday evening. Despite a scoreless first seven innings, Bowie nearly managed a comeback in the ninth, ultimately falling short and suffering their second straight loss to Erie.
The game kicked off with Erie’s Chris Meyers making an immediate impact, delivering a two-run homer in the opening inning. On the mound for Bowie, Peter Van Loon (L, 2-5) settled in after that, retiring seven consecutive batters during his three-inning appearance. The early home run stood as the lone dent in Van Loon’s performance.
Reliever Alex Pham took over for the Baysox, chalking up three scoreless innings before running into trouble in the seventh. Erie’s Jake Holton and Luis Santana launched back-to-back home runs off Pham, with Mario Feliciano tacking on an RBI double to expand Erie’s lead to five runs. On the flip side, Erie’s starting pitcher Brant Hurter (W, 6-7) handcuffed Bowie’s batters, striking out six and allowing only three hits over the first five innings. Tim Naughton continued the shutout for two more frames.
Bowie began showing signs of life in the eighth inning, with John Rhodes breaking the ice with an RBI single off RJ Petit. The momentum seemed to carry over into the ninth, as Donta’ Williams led off with a solo home run—his eighth of the season—followed by Max Wagner driving in another run with a groundout. However, Erie’s Andrew Magno quelled the late-game drama, striking out Jackson Holliday to seal the game and maintain Erie’s winning streak.
With this loss, the Baysox’s record drops to 58-60, making their pathway to winning the six-game series increasingly challenging. They’ll aim for a turnaround in the fifth game of the series, scheduled for Saturday with a first pitch at 6 p.m.
This marks another crucial moment for both teams as they navigate the latter part of the season, with playoff implications possibly at stake. Erie will be looking to continue its winning form, while Bowie aims to end its losing skid and make a push for a better standing.