Baysox Notebook: Baysox Like Longer Games

Bowie’s 3-2 victory over Richmond in a 16-inning marathon Thursday night was the team’s second rather long extra-inning game this year—and both have come against the Flying Squirrels.

The Baysox also won a 3-2 decision over Richmond in an on Saturday, April 30. That night, Caleb Joseph won it when he belted a solo homer to left field leading off the bottom of the 18^th to end the 5-hour, 27-minute contest.

“You want to win because there’s nothing like going in after playing five hours and losing,” he said that night. “That’s really the worst baseball.”

Thursday’s game was similar as Bowie got the game-winning hit on a Ronnie Welty two-out RBI double in the 16^th. The Baysox had taken a 2-1 lead in the 10^th, but Richmond pushed across a run in the bottom half to tie it.

The game lasted four hours, 43 minutes—and, of course, it happened on getaway day.

Bowie is coming back home to start a brief three-game homestand tonight against Erie before hitting the road once more for nine games in eight days.

 A STRANGE DIVISION

It’s not hard to see why this weekend’s Bowie-Erie series will definitely have an impact on the Western Division.

Akron, Bowie and Altoona all are tied for first place. Each team has a .500 record with Akron and Bowie both 20-20 while Altoona is 19-19.

Harrisburg is just one-half game back in fourth place with an 18-19 record. Richmond (18-21) and Erie (17-20) are tied for fifth place one game behind Harrisburg.

That means all six teams in the division are within 1 ½ games of each other – and none have a winning record.

 LOOKING TO GET GOING

Brandon Waring hit 22 homers and had a .242 average last year with Bowie. But the third baseman has struggled badly for most of the first six weeks of this season.

After Thursday’s 16-inning win in Richmond, Waring had a .179 average. He’s got four homers and 14 RBI but hasn’t been able to get going offensively. Waring hit a homer last Saturday and said he hoped to keep doing that.

“Hopefully I can build off that and keep it going next week,” he said. “I’m swinging the bat better, but I still think I can hit the ball better.”

However, he’s going just 1-for-9 since then. Waring’s been curiously ineffective on the road also, hitting just .127 away from Prince George’s Stadium. It’s early in the season, though, and he’s got time to turn things around.