The Chesapeake Baysox came up just short in a one-run loss to the Altoona Curve on Tuesday night at Prince George’s Stadium in Bowie.
The Orioles Double-A affiliate dropped to 11-16 and extended its losing streak to six games with a 4-3 defeat. Altoona is the Double-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Altoona jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning with back-to-back solo home runs off Chesapeake left-hander Luis De León. Titus Dumitru led off the frame with a homer, and Shawn Ross followed with another blast a few batters later. De León worked three and two-thirds innings and struck out a season-high six.
Ethan Anderson answered in the third with a solo home run — his second of the season — to cut the deficit to 2-1. Anderson continued his strong play at home, going 3-for-4 on the night. Across his first 11 games at Prince George’s Stadium this season, he is batting .487 with both of his home runs and all six of his RBI coming in Bowie.
The Baysox took a 3-2 lead in the fifth on a two-run home run by Brandon Butterworth — his fourth of the season. Altoona right-hander Noah Murdock (1-1) surrendered the homer but allowed no further damage in his two innings of work.
Right-hander Carlos Tavera retired all four hitters he faced out of the bullpen to help bridge the middle innings. The Curve regained the lead in the seventh, however. After two walks issued by right-hander Ben Vespi (0-1), Derek Berg delivered a two-run triple to make it 4-3.
In the ninth, the Baysox put the tying run on third with one out. Aron Estrada and Frederick Bencosme singled to put runners on first and second, but Altoona left-hander Cy Nielson (2 saves) struck out the next batter and induced a game-ending groundout.
The Baysox will try to snap their skid Wednesday morning as the six-game series with Altoona continues. Left-hander Sebastian Gongora will start for Chesapeake while right-hander Po-Yu Chen goes for the Curve. First pitch is scheduled for 11:05 a.m. from Prince George’s Stadium in Bowie.
Prince George’s Stadium, located about an hour’s drive from Southern Maryland, remains a popular summer destination for families from St. Mary’s, Calvert and Charles counties. The Baysox regularly draw fans from the region who enjoy affordable minor-league baseball and a chance to see future Orioles stars.
