BOWIE — The Chesapeake Baysox defeated the Akron RubberDucks 11-6 on Thursday night at Prince George’s Stadium.
Frederick Bencosme went 4-for-5 with two solo home runs and an RBI single for his first professional multi-homer game. Adam Retzbach recorded five RBI, including a three-run homer in the fourth inning. Left-hander Sebastian Gongora earned the win with six innings of one-run ball.
Akron scored first in the opening inning on a bases-loaded walk by Jacob Cozart. Bencosme tied the game with a solo homer in the bottom of the first, his seventh of the season. Akron regained the lead on an Alfonsin Rosario sacrifice fly in the third before Bencosme tied it again with his second solo homer of the night.
Chesapeake took the lead for good in the fourth when Retzbach hit a three-run homer. The Baysox added six more runs in the fifth, all with two outs, to extend the advantage to 11-2. Retzbach contributed a two-run double during the rally. Griff O’Ferrall added an RBI double and Willy Vasquez had one of his two hits in the inning.
Gongora allowed one run on three hits over six innings while striking out six. He retired 18 of the final 20 batters he faced and lowered his ERA to 3.33. Eric Torres pitched a scoreless seventh before Akron scored four runs in the final two innings, including a two-run homer by Rosario in the eighth.
Chesapeake improved to 22-31 overall. The series continues Friday night at Prince George’s Stadium with left-hander Luis De Leon, the Orioles’ No. 3 prospect, scheduled to start for the Baysox against Akron right-hander Dylan DeLucia. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m.
Prince George’s Stadium is located in Bowie and serves as the home of the Baysox, the Double-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. Fans from Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s counties can reach the ballpark via major routes including U.S. 301 and Maryland Route 50. The Eastern League contest marked the fourth game of the current series between the two teams.
