Baysox outlast Curve in 14 innings Friday
Bowie struggles at plate, but Krynzel's single lifts team to 2-1 victory vs. Altoona
Bowie Baysox center fielder Dave Krynzel had two chances to be an extra-inning hero on Friday night at Prince George's Stadium. He came up short the first time, but came through in the second opportunity.
Krynzel, a 27-year-old native of Dayton, Ohio, singled home Miguel Abreu from second base in the bottom of the 14th inning to give Bowie a 2-1 victory against the Altoona Curve. Two innings earlier, Abreu and Krynzel had been in exactly the same spots – Abreu on second and Krynzel at the plate – but Krynzel struck out to end the bottom of the 12th.
"I was just praying to God I could put the ball in play there," Krynzel told Baysox.com of his game-winning at-bat. "I know I'm one of the guys on this team with age and experience that needs to get the job done."
Abreu singled with one out in the 14th after Mike Costanzo reached on an error. Ambiorix Concepcion grounded into a force play, as the Curve cut down Costanzo at third base. Krynzel then lined a single to center field, allowing Abreu to score.
After getting on the scoreboard early, the Baysox went silent for much of the game. Bowie's Jonathan Tucker led off the bottom of the first with a single, and he advanced to third on an Altoona throwing error. Brandon Pinckney followed with an RBI single to give Bowie a 1-0 lead.
Altoona starting pitcher Michael Crotta tossed seven innings and didn't allow any runs after the first inning. Starting in the fourth inning, Crotta and reliever Sean Smith retired 22 consecutive Bowie hitters before Guillermo Rodriguez and Tucker hit back-to-back singles with one out in the 11th inning. But Smith got Pinckney to fly out and Eric Crozier to ground out, ending the threat. Abreu singled and stole second in the 12th, but was left stranded when Scott Nestor struck out Krynzel to end the inning.
"There were a lot of things in this game that did not work out," Krynzel told Baysox.com. "We're trying our best no matter what, but it worked out at the end and we got the win."
Bowie starting pitcher Radhames Liz cruised through the first seven innings, allowing one run on three hits while striking out eight and issuing just one walk. Chad Thall and Ryan Ouellette each tossed two shutout innings in relief for Bowie before Fredy Deza came on to work the final three innings. The three relievers combined to toss seven shutout innings and allowed three hits and no walks.
Altoona got its only run in the fifth off of Liz, as Ray Chang hit an RBI double. The Curve had only one baserunner get past first base the rest of the game.
The Baysox improved to 49-39, putting them a season-high 10 games over the .500 mark. The teams are back in action with a 7:05 p.m. game on Saturday. Right-hander John Mariotti (2-6, 3.19 ERA) takes on Altoona lefty Daniel Moskos (5-7, 4.04).