BOWIE, M.D. — The Bowie Baysox, the Double-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, faced their third consecutive defeat, losing 9-3 to the Richmond Flying Squirrels on Wednesday afternoon at Prince George’s Stadium.
Richmond (19-22) took an early lead, scoring four runs in the first inning on five hits against Bowie’s starting right-hander Brandon Young (L, 0-2). Key hits in the inning included an RBI triple from Grant McCray, an RBI single from Victor Bericoto, and a two-run double from Adrián Sugastey.
Young found his rhythm after the first inning, retiring 11 of the next 12 batters before being pulled with two outs in the fifth inning. He completed his outing with 4.2 innings pitched, giving up four runs on five hits, with one walk and seven strikeouts. This performance marked the fourth time Young has struck out seven batters in six starts this season.
Max Wagner provided an immediate response for Bowie (21-19) with a solo home run in the bottom of the first inning, hitting a 414-foot shot to center field off Richmond’s starting right-hander Hayden Birdsong (W, 3-1). This homer was Wagner’s first of the season.
Birdsong earned the win with a solid performance, pitching five innings and allowing two runs on three hits and one walk, while striking out seven.
Bowie managed to narrow the gap to two runs after an Anthony Servideo RBI groundout in the fifth inning. However, Richmond extended their lead with five runs over the final four innings. This included three home runs given up by Bowie’s right-handed reliever Kyle Brnovich. McCray hit a solo homer in the sixth inning, Bericoto added a three-run homer in the eighth, and Will Wilson hit a solo homer in the ninth, increasing Richmond’s lead further. Brnovich pitched four innings in relief, striking out five but conceding a season-high five runs on five hits and two walks.
Dylan Beavers continued his hot streak for Bowie, hitting his third homer in five games with a solo shot in the eighth inning. Beavers, the Orioles’ No. 7 prospect, now has six homers on the season, tying him for second on the team.
This loss marked Bowie’s first three-game losing streak of the season.
The Baysox will continue their six-game series against the Flying Squirrels tomorrow night at 6:35 p.m. RHP Seth Johnson (0-4, 3.97 ERA) is set to start for Bowie, while LHP John Michael Bertrand (2-1, 2.57 ERA) will pitch for Richmond.