The Chesapeake Baysox dropped the six-game series finale to the Altoona Curve by a 9-3 final on Sunday afternoon at Prince George’s Stadium in Bowie.
The Orioles Double-A affiliate finished the series with a split after winning three of the first five games. The Baysox are now 14-18 on the season. Altoona is the Double-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Right-hander Yaqui Rivera made his first start since August 10, 2023, when he pitched for Single-A Delmarva. Typically used out of the bullpen, Rivera delivered a strong outing. He worked two and two-thirds innings, allowing just one run on one hit and one walk while striking out five. The lone run came on a two-out single in the first inning.
The Baysox did all their scoring in the bottom of the second. They clubbed three doubles off Altoona right-hander Peyton Stumbo. Thomas Sosa doubled with one out and later scored on an automatic double by Frederick Bencosme that bounced over the wall to tie the game. The Baysox loaded the bases with two outs, and Griff O’Ferrall delivered another automatic double that one-hopped over the wall in left field to plate two more runs and give Chesapeake a 3-1 lead.
Right-hander Cohen Achen followed with another scoreless relief outing. However, the Curve flipped the script in the sixth. Left-hander Juan Rojas allowed a hit and two walks to load the bases before being lifted. Shawn Ross then hit a grand slam to empty the bases and put Altoona on top 5-3. Ross added his fifth RBI of the day on a sacrifice fly in the eighth. Altoona added three more runs in the ninth on four hits and a Baysox error.
The Altoona bullpen held Chesapeake in check. Right-hander Jake Shirk earned the win with two of six scoreless innings from three Curve relievers.
Both Heston Kjerstad and Jackson Holliday continued their major league rehab assignments with the Baysox on Sunday. Holliday played six innings at third base and went 0-for-2 with a walk. Kjerstad went 0-for-3 and played seven innings in right field.
Bencosme’s RBI double in the second extended his on-base streak to eight consecutive games. Aron Estrada reached base twice with a walk and a single.
Prince George’s Stadium, located about an hour’s drive from Southern Maryland, continues to serve as a convenient destination for fans from Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s counties who want to watch future Orioles stars up close. The Baysox now travel to Akron to open a six-game series with the RubberDucks, the Double-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m. on Tuesday.
The next Baysox homestand begins Tuesday, May 18, when Chesapeake opens a six-game set against the Somerset Patriots, the Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees.
