Three of four O’s affiliates won on Sunday, with Bowie pulling off an extra-innings comeback and Delmarva’s Matt Etzel hitting a grand slam.
Triple-A: Norfolk Tides 13, Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (MIA) 7
The Tides snapped a six-game losing streak on Sunday with an offensive explosion. They did it with “just” two solo home runs—one apiece off the bats of Coby Mayo (his 20th of the year) and Maverick Handley. But every single hitter in the lineup had at least one hit—Handley had three, including a double, to give him seven total bases, and Mayo also doubled to finish with six total bases. Connor Norby finished 2-for-5 with a double. Ditto for Joey Ortiz and Josh Lester. Heston Kjerstad singled.
Norfolk sent out five pitchers on Sunday, and three kept Jacksonville off the board. A rehabbing Austin Voth allowed just one hit in three innings while striking out six. Nice! Garrett Stallings, however, coughed up five runs—he allowed five hits in the fourth inning, including a three-run home run, and one more run on a sac fly in the sixth. Bryan Baker pitched an unblemished seventh and struck out two. Wandisson Charles couldn’t get out of the ninth inning and had to be bailed out by Ryan Watson. But this time the lead was safe.
Double-A: Bowie Baysox 5, Richmond Flying Squirrels (SFG) 3 – F/11
The Baysox pulled off an extra-innings win with not one, but two late rallies. Regular play ended tied 2-2, thanks to an RBI double in the sixth by a pinch-hitting Donta’ Williams and a wild pitch in the eighth that scored Jackson Holliday.
In the tenth, Holliday singled home the ghost runner before Richmond rallied to tie the game, 3-3, in the bottom of the inning. But the Flying Squirrels couldn’t hold off the Baysox a second time. With two outs in the eleventh, Silas Ardoin singled in a run and Max Costes doubled to drive in the Baysox’s fifth and cement the win.
Costes, Holliday, and Dylan Beavers finished with two hits each on the day.
It was another good appearance on the mound for Alex Pham (3-5, 2.23 ERA), who threw five one-run innings and struck out five. Nolan Hoffman followed Pham with two scoreless innings. Two late runs and a blown save were charged to Kade Strowd (6.10 ERA in 41.1 IP), but Conner Loeprich locked down the win by retiring the last four hitters, two on strikeouts.
High-A: Brooklyn Cyclones (NYM) 6, Aberdeen IronBirds 0
Not much to see here, folks. The IronBirds had three hits all game: a pair of singles by Creed Willems and Ryan Higgins and a triple off the bat of Kevin Guerrero, the 19-year-old outfielder promoted to Aberdeen just four days ago. Frederick Bencosme also walked once and Tim Susnara walked twice.
Five Aberdeen pitchers combined to give up six runs. Daniel Lloyd (3.33 ERA) threw three scoreless. Jake Lyons (L, 5-3, 4.04 ERA) threw 2.2 innings, allowing three runs on four hits and three walks. Carson Carter surrendered a home run and two runs in 1.2 innings. Graham Firoved was wild, walking three batters while getting just one out. Dan Hammer got the final out with a K.
Low-A: Delmarva Shorebirds 8, Carolina Mudcats (MIL) 4
The Shorebirds fell behind 3-2 in the third inning, as starter Alfred Vega allowed two runners to reach and César Álvarez let them score, plus one more run of his own. But the game wasn’t in doubt after that: DH Matt Etzel, a tenth-rounder this year out of Southern Miss, hit a grand slam in the fifth inning, and added an RBI double and a run-scoring grounder for a whopping six runs batted in on the day.
Enrique Bradfield Jr. also had a massive day, reaching base five times—three walks, a HBP, a single—and stealing a ridiculous four bases. Maybe he is. . . fast? Anderson de los Santos, Jalen Vasquez and Adam Crampton each had two hits. Noelberth Romero added an RBI single. All in all, the Shorebirds racked up 11 hits and nine walks.
After Vega and Álvarez, Luis De León allowed one more run to score in three otherwise good innings. Ángel Vargas got the win with a scoreless seventh and eighth, and Brayner Sánchez pitched a scoreless ninth.
Tuesday’s Schedule:
- Norfolk @ Memphis, 6:45. Starter: TBD
- Bowie vs. Altoona, 5:35. Starter: TBD
- Aberdeen vs. Wilmington, 6:05. Starter: TBD
- Delmarva vs. Salem, 6:05. Starter: TBD