The Chesapeake Baysox claimed their third consecutive victory over the Erie SeaWolves with a 4-1 win on Saturday night, April 11, 2026, at Prince George’s Stadium in Bowie, Maryland.
The Double-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles improved to 5-3 on the young 2026 Eastern League season. The SeaWolves, the Double-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, fell to 2-6. The contest remained scoreless through four innings before the Baysox broke through in the bottom of the fifth.
Frederick Bencosme led off the fifth with a single against Erie left-hander Carlos Peña. Two batters later, Peña exited in favor of right-hander Sean Hunley. Aron Estrada delivered a hustle double to put runners at second and third. Ethan Anderson, who recorded his first three-hit game at the Double-A level the previous night and already had two hits on Saturday, then crushed a three-run home run to left field. The opposite-field shot marked Anderson’s first homer of the season and gave the Baysox a 3-0 lead.
On the mound, right-hander Christian Herberholz made the second start of his professional career and delivered three scoreless innings with five strikeouts. Yaqui Rivera followed with three more shutout innings and three strikeouts, earning the win to improve to 2-0. The outing represented the longest professional appearance for Rivera.
Erie mounted its biggest threat in the seventh against left-hander Micah Ashman. A catcher’s interference call and a walk put two runners on base. Brett Callahan singled to drive in a run, cutting the deficit to 3-1. John Peck followed with a single up the middle, but shortstop Griff O’Ferrall made a diving stop on the shallow outfield grass and threw out the runner trying to score from second, preserving the two-run advantage and ending the inning.
The Baysox responded immediately in the bottom of the seventh when Bencosme launched a solo home run, his first long ball of the 2026 campaign, to restore the three-run cushion at 4-1. Ashman worked a scoreless eighth, and Tyson Neighbors struck out the side in the ninth to record his first save of the season.
The victory clinched the series for the Baysox and positioned them to potentially take five of six games in the six-game set against Erie with a win in Sunday’s finale. Left-hander Sebastian Gongora, who struck out seven batters in three and two-thirds innings during his Double-A debut earlier in the week, was scheduled to start for Chesapeake. First pitch for the series finale was set for 1:05 p.m. ET at Prince George’s Stadium.
Southern Maryland baseball fans have followed the Baysox closely since the franchise relocated to Bowie and Prince George’s Stadium. The team provides an affordable, family-friendly option for fans throughout the region to watch future Orioles prospects in action. Early-season pitching depth and timely hitting have helped the club get off to a solid start in the Eastern League Southwest Division.
The Baysox bullpen has been particularly effective in recent games, allowing the starters to hand off leads with confidence. Young players such as Anderson and Bencosme have contributed key offensive moments while prospects like Herberholz and Rivera continue to develop at the Double-A level.
Prince George’s Stadium, located in Bowie, draws crowds from across Southern Maryland, Anne Arundel County, and the broader Baltimore-Washington corridor. The venue offers promotions, fireworks nights, and family activities throughout the 2026 season as part of its 33rd year of operation.
The series against Erie marked an early test for the Baysox pitching staff against a Tigers affiliate known for strong prospect development. Chesapeake’s ability to limit big innings while capitalizing on scoring chances has been a hallmark of its strong 5-3 start.
With the win, the Baysox extended their recent momentum heading into the final game of the homestand. Fans in Southern Maryland can look forward to continued competitive baseball as the season progresses toward the warmer summer months, when attendance typically rises at the stadium.
