Caleb Lomavita delivered a two-run walk-off homer in the ninth inning Sunday, lifting the Harrisburg Senators past the Chesapeake Baysox 5-4 and salvaging the finale of their six-game series.
Lomavita, the Nationals’ Double-A affiliate’s cleanup hitter, was responsible for four of Harrisburg’s five runs, homering twice — a solo shot in the seventh and the decisive two-run blast in the ninth. His final at-bat came against Baysox right-hander Christian Herberholz (L, 2-3), who had allowed a leadoff single to Elijah Green two batters earlier; Lomavita worked the count full over 10 pitches before driving one out to left-center to end it.
Chesapeake (31-25, 60-64), the Orioles’ Double-A affiliate, built an early lead behind its own power. The game stayed scoreless until the fourth, when Ethan Anderson and Victor Figueroa opened the inning with consecutive singles before Colin Tuft cashed in with a two-out, three-run homer to the opposite field — his second Double-A long ball, clearing the Baysox bullpen in right. Aron Estrada added a solo shot to left-center in the fifth, his team-leading 23rd homer of the season and third from the right side of the plate; the 21-year-old switch hitter has batted .372 right-handed since July 9.
Harrisburg chipped away in the back half. Left-hander Sebastian Gongora, who allowed just one hit through four innings, gave up two hits to open the fifth, including an RBI single from Lomavita, before surrendering a solo homer in the sixth to Nationals outfielder James Wood — a two-time MLB All-Star making his first rehab appearance since going on the injured list Aug. 3 with a left oblique strain. Wood, who requested the assignment himself to face live pitching, went 1-for-3 in seven innings in left field; Nationals manager Blake Butera said afterward that Wood could rejoin Washington’s active roster as soon as this week, with rosters expanding from 26 to 28 players Tuesday. Gongora settled in to finish with his fifth quality start of the season, allowing two runs in six innings with no walks and five strikeouts; his 3.64 ERA now ranks second in the Eastern League among qualified pitchers.
Chesapeake had a chance to add insurance in the top of the ninth. With the bases loaded and two outs, Wehiwa Aloy scorched a 110 mph one-hopper to second base, but Harrisburg’s Devin Fitz-Gerald made the play to keep the Baysox off the board against right-hander Sandy Gaston (W, 4-5).
Despite Sunday’s loss, Chesapeake took four of six games in the series. The Baysox sit six games behind the Erie SeaWolves — winners of the last two Eastern League championships — for the second-half Southwest Division playoff spot, with 12 regular-season games remaining.
Chesapeake opens its final homestand of the 2026 season Tuesday, Sept. 1, hosting the Portland Sea Dogs, the Boston Red Sox’s Double-A affiliate, for a six-game series. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.
