BOWIE — The Chesapeake Baysox defeated the Akron RubberDucks 4-2 on Sunday to clinch a split of their six-game series.
Aron Estrada and Ethan Anderson hit back-to-back solo home runs in the bottom of the first to give Chesapeake an early lead. Estrada’s 408-foot shot to right extended his hitting streak to nine games. Anderson’s 411-foot homer to right-center was his team-leading 11th of the season.
Akron tied the game in the fourth on a two-run homer by Jacob Cozart. That was the only run allowed by right-hander Evan Yates, who struck out five over five innings. Yates has now recorded at least five strikeouts in seven straight starts. He stranded the go-ahead run on third base after recording three consecutive strikeouts to end his outing.
Chesapeake regained the lead in the fifth when Adam Retzbach advanced to second on a throwing error, took third on a delayed steal, and scored on Fernando Peguero’s sacrifice fly. Tavian Josenberger added a solo homer in the sixth for insurance.
Left-hander Micah Ashman and right-hander Alex Pham combined for three scoreless innings of relief. Right-hander Zane Barnhart closed the game with a scoreless ninth that included a double-play ball.
Chesapeake improved to 23-33 overall. The Baysox open a series against the Altoona Curve, the Double-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates, on Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. at People’s Natural Gas Field in Altoona.
Prince George’s Stadium is located in Bowie and serves as the home of the Baysox. Fans from Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s counties can reach the ballpark via major routes including U.S. 301 and Maryland Route 50.
