Norfolk was the only winner on Sunday, but Bowie’s Zach Peek and Conner Loeprich shut out Harrisburg for nine innings before the Baysox fell 2-1 in extras.
Triple-A: Norfolk Tides 7, Nashville Sounds (Brewers) 2
It was an all-around team win for the Tides, visitors in Nashville on Sunday, who jumped out to a 5-1 lead and never looked back. Leading off the first, Terrin Vavra (the Orioles’ #12-ranked prospect) and GUNNAR HENDERSON (#3-T) got aboard with a hit and walk. They each scored thanks to a Jacob Nottingham single and a sac fly from Shed Long Jr. The Tides plated three more runs in the fourth on a Beau Taylor home run and RBI singles off the bats of Jordan Westburg (#6, 2-for-5 on Sunday) and Henderson, who reached base four times on Sunday, going 1-for-2 with three walks.
The Tides scored their sixth run when Dylan Harris walked, advanced to third on an another Vavra hit (Vavra had three on Sunday, including a double), and came home on a catcher throwing error. Shed Long Jr. (2-for-5) doubled in the eighth inning and came home on a sac fly for Run No. 7.
Beau Sulser pitched 3.1 decent innings on 69 pitches, allowing one Nashville run on a sac fly and another on a pair of hits in the fourth. Sulser whiffed two and walked three (too many walks). Tides relievers held the Sounds in check for the rest of the game: Marcos Diplán threw 2.2 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and two walks, Ryan Conroy threw two hitless innings and whiffed two, and Morgan McSweeney allowed one hit in the ninth.
Double-A: Harrisburg Senators (Nationals) 2, Bowie Baysox 1 – F/11
This was Bowie’s second extra-innings loss to Harrisburg this weekend: no team scored for nine innings, then both plated the Manfred Man in the tenth before Bowie came up empty in the eleventh.
It was a quiet day for Bowie bats—not a single Baysox hitter had an RBI; the team’s only run came when César Prieto (#16) scored on a wild pitch in the tenth inning.
But that shouldn’t take away from the pitchers’ huge effort. Zach Peek, one-fourth of the Mattson-Bradish-Brnovich haul the O’s received for Dylan Bundy, made his eighth start of the season and threw five scoreless. Peek allowed just two hits and struck out five. He walked nobody and threw 47 of 65 pitches for strikes. Peek is 0-2 with a 3.13 ERA so far.
Conner Loeprich threw four scoreless on 52 pitches and walked two. He allowed one hit and brought his ERA down to 7.29 in 11 appearances. Shelton Perkins got the blown save and Tyler Burch (0-5, 9.39 ERA), who pitched the eleventh, got stuck with the loss.
High-A: Brooklyn Cyclones (Mets) 5, Aberdeen IronBirds 2
The IronBirds’ losing streak reached two with a second consecutive loss to the Mets affiliate Cyclones. Aberdeen led Sunday’s contest 1-0 entering the bottom of the seventh, but sadly Alex Pham coughed up a grand slam to get stuck with the blown save. Daniel Lloyd allowed one run in the ninth.
On the bright side, the IronBirds staff cut down on the walks (just three) and starter Peter Van Loon had an excellent outing: four scoreless with seven K’s. Is it nearing time for a promotion for the 2021 draft pick (6-0, 2.84 ERA)?
Connor Norby (#11) drove in the IronBirds’ only run over seven innings with a third-inning solo shot, his seventh of the year. Aberdeen’s second run came in the eighth when Connor Pavolony walked, advanced to third on Davis Tavárez’s ground ball single and came home on a wild pitch. Norby was the only IronBird with multiple hits or extra bases on Sunday. Collin Burns, Pavolony, Tavárez and Erison Placencia also singled, and Colton Cowser (#3-T) reached base twice with two walks.
Low-A: Fayetteville Woodpeckers (Astros), Delmarva Shorebirds – cancelled (rain)
This game was postponed and will not be made up.
There are no scheduled games for Monday.