Monday
21Jul2008
Bowie Baysox Beat Reading Phillies 7-6 - AA, Eastern League
Monday, July 21, 2008 at 05:10AM
Bowie, MD - The Baysox overcame a late comeback fueled by a momentum-changing rain delay to beat the Phillies 7-6 on an extra-inning walk-off homerun by Sebastien Boucher. The Baysox took a 6-4 lead into the top of the ninth inning when the rains came with the bases loaded and a man out. Reading managed to tie the game when it resumed, but Boucher's blast sealed the deal for the Baysox in the tenth.
Reading jumped out to an early lead in the top of the first inning. Luke Appert led off the game with a double to right field. Jason Donald blooped a single down the right field line that brought Appert in to score. Greg Golson and Lou Marson each drew walks to load the bases with no outs. Jeremy Slayden dribbled one in front of the plate that Tillman fielded and threw home to get the force out. With the bases still loaded, Neil Sellers drew a walk to bring Golson in to score. Brad Harman hit a sacrifice fly to center field that plated Marson to make the score 3-0 Phillies.
The Baysox scored runs in the second and third innings. Nolan Reimold led off the bottom of the second with a walk and stole second base with onE out. With two outs, Brian Peterson hit a single down the left field line to bring Reimold home. In the bottom of the second, Mike Rodriguez came up with a one-out single to right field and Lou Montanez singled behind him. With Reimold batting, J.D. Durbin threw a wild pitch that advanced the runners to second and third. Reimold hit a sacrifice fly to center field that brought Rodriguez home and made the score 3-2 Reading.
The Phillies got another run in the top of the fourth when Luke Appert hit a two-out single to left field. Appert moved to second on a passed ball by Brian Peterson and came in to score on a base hit by Jason Donald to make the lead 4-2.
Bowie broke the game open with four runs in the bottom of the fifth. Jonathan Tucker hit a one-out single to left field. Mike Rodriguez got a base hit to right field and Tucker hustled around to third base. Lou Montanez drove a double into the gap in left center that rolled around long enough for both runners to come home and tie the game at 4-4. Nolan Reimold followed with a double to right field that brought Montanez in to score. After Jeff Nettles popped up for out number two, Ryan Finan scorched a base hit down the right field line that scored Reimold to make the score 6-4 Baysox.
The score held up until the ninth inning. Julio Manon came on to close out the eighth and go for a four-out save. He closed out the side in the eighth after giving up a hit, but ran into trouble in the ninth. Lou Marson led off with a double down the left field line. Manon hit Slayden with a pitch and Michael Spidale came in to pinch-run. Manon got Sellers to fly out to right field for the first out but then walked Brad Harman to load the bases. With the bases loaded and one away, the rains came and caused a 47 minute delay. When the game resumed, Gerardo Casadiego came on to try to close things out. Casadiego threw a wild pitch that allowed Marson to come home and make it a one-run game. He then walked Clay Harris to load the bases again for Mike Eylward. Eylward smoked a liner right at shortstop Blake Davis for the second out. Luke Appert came up and chopped one up the middle. Casadiego jumped for the ball and slowed it down too much for Davis to make a play behind him. Spidale came in to score and tie the game at 6-6. Casadiego got Jason Donald to ground out to end the inning.
Brian Peterson led off the bottom of the tenth for the Baysox and struck out swinging. Sebastien Boucher stepped in and worked the count to 2-2 with two foul balls before blasting a towering shot to the opposite field and over the wall in left. Boucher pumped his fists as he rounded first and was mobbed by his teammates at the plate. It was his first career walk-off homerun, "It felt really good. Really exciting to do that. I mean I got a walk-off hit about a month ago but this is way better. I heard it off my bat and it sounded pretty good but I saw it go straight up and I wasn't sure if it would carry. He was coming with a lot of cutters in and I was fouling them off, he actually jammed me once or twice. And then when he got to 2-2 I thought in the back of my head he might try to speed it up a little bit and he did, he left one a little bit away and I was able to catch up to it."
The two teams combined for 25 hits in the slugfest, with each Baysox player picking up at least one hit and five Baysox with two apiece. Seven different Phillies drew walks in the contest. This win gives the Baysox a 4-1 series victory and was the last time the teams will meet in Prince George's Stadium this season. With the victory, the Baysox improve to 57-45, one game back of second-place Harrisburg in the Southern Division. The Baysox open a four-game series with the Senators starting Monday, with RHP Zach Clark (1-0, 0.00 ERA) going up against Harrisburg RHP Bobby Brownlie (8-0, 3.38 ERA).
Reading jumped out to an early lead in the top of the first inning. Luke Appert led off the game with a double to right field. Jason Donald blooped a single down the right field line that brought Appert in to score. Greg Golson and Lou Marson each drew walks to load the bases with no outs. Jeremy Slayden dribbled one in front of the plate that Tillman fielded and threw home to get the force out. With the bases still loaded, Neil Sellers drew a walk to bring Golson in to score. Brad Harman hit a sacrifice fly to center field that plated Marson to make the score 3-0 Phillies.
The Baysox scored runs in the second and third innings. Nolan Reimold led off the bottom of the second with a walk and stole second base with onE out. With two outs, Brian Peterson hit a single down the left field line to bring Reimold home. In the bottom of the second, Mike Rodriguez came up with a one-out single to right field and Lou Montanez singled behind him. With Reimold batting, J.D. Durbin threw a wild pitch that advanced the runners to second and third. Reimold hit a sacrifice fly to center field that brought Rodriguez home and made the score 3-2 Reading.
The Phillies got another run in the top of the fourth when Luke Appert hit a two-out single to left field. Appert moved to second on a passed ball by Brian Peterson and came in to score on a base hit by Jason Donald to make the lead 4-2.
Bowie broke the game open with four runs in the bottom of the fifth. Jonathan Tucker hit a one-out single to left field. Mike Rodriguez got a base hit to right field and Tucker hustled around to third base. Lou Montanez drove a double into the gap in left center that rolled around long enough for both runners to come home and tie the game at 4-4. Nolan Reimold followed with a double to right field that brought Montanez in to score. After Jeff Nettles popped up for out number two, Ryan Finan scorched a base hit down the right field line that scored Reimold to make the score 6-4 Baysox.
The score held up until the ninth inning. Julio Manon came on to close out the eighth and go for a four-out save. He closed out the side in the eighth after giving up a hit, but ran into trouble in the ninth. Lou Marson led off with a double down the left field line. Manon hit Slayden with a pitch and Michael Spidale came in to pinch-run. Manon got Sellers to fly out to right field for the first out but then walked Brad Harman to load the bases. With the bases loaded and one away, the rains came and caused a 47 minute delay. When the game resumed, Gerardo Casadiego came on to try to close things out. Casadiego threw a wild pitch that allowed Marson to come home and make it a one-run game. He then walked Clay Harris to load the bases again for Mike Eylward. Eylward smoked a liner right at shortstop Blake Davis for the second out. Luke Appert came up and chopped one up the middle. Casadiego jumped for the ball and slowed it down too much for Davis to make a play behind him. Spidale came in to score and tie the game at 6-6. Casadiego got Jason Donald to ground out to end the inning.
Brian Peterson led off the bottom of the tenth for the Baysox and struck out swinging. Sebastien Boucher stepped in and worked the count to 2-2 with two foul balls before blasting a towering shot to the opposite field and over the wall in left. Boucher pumped his fists as he rounded first and was mobbed by his teammates at the plate. It was his first career walk-off homerun, "It felt really good. Really exciting to do that. I mean I got a walk-off hit about a month ago but this is way better. I heard it off my bat and it sounded pretty good but I saw it go straight up and I wasn't sure if it would carry. He was coming with a lot of cutters in and I was fouling them off, he actually jammed me once or twice. And then when he got to 2-2 I thought in the back of my head he might try to speed it up a little bit and he did, he left one a little bit away and I was able to catch up to it."
The two teams combined for 25 hits in the slugfest, with each Baysox player picking up at least one hit and five Baysox with two apiece. Seven different Phillies drew walks in the contest. This win gives the Baysox a 4-1 series victory and was the last time the teams will meet in Prince George's Stadium this season. With the victory, the Baysox improve to 57-45, one game back of second-place Harrisburg in the Southern Division. The Baysox open a four-game series with the Senators starting Monday, with RHP Zach Clark (1-0, 0.00 ERA) going up against Harrisburg RHP Bobby Brownlie (8-0, 3.38 ERA).
View Printer Friendly Version
Email Article to Friend