Baysox win first season series, take 3 of 5 against Altoona: Weekly Recap 5/4/21 – 5/9/21

The first full week of minor league baseball was kind to the Bowie Baysox, as they took the first series of the season from the Altoona Curve three games to two.

The Baysox would take the season opener by a score of 2-1, after an impressive Double-A debut on the mound from the O’s No. 4 overall prospect, D.L. Hall, who went 4.1 innings of scoreless ball, while tallying 10 strikeouts. Hall is scheduled to pitch the home opener Tuesday night against the Reading Fightin Phils.

Hall wasn’t the only guy to have a great first start, as both Kyle Bradish and Kevin Smith pitched 4.2 scoreless innings, striking out seven and five, respectively.

Nick Vespi, a 25-year-old left-handed reliever, had a really nice week, throwing 5.1 innings over two games and giving up just one earned run with 10 strikeouts.

As for the offense, there were a lot of stand out performances from some names you might not recognize.

A lot of Bowie infielders had success at the dish, as No. 11 overall prospect Terrin Vavra went 3-for-10 with a pair of doubles and three walks, and Malquin Canelo went 5-for-14 with two doubles and three RBI. Third baseman Patrick Dorrian had two homers, going 4-for-12 on the week.

Outfielder Robert Neustrom, 24, had himself a week, going 8-for-22 at the plate with three doubles. Teammates of Neustrom during the 2019 season called him the next Mike Trout… no pressure.

Adley Rutschman, the No. 2 overall prospect in baseball, hit his first Double-A homer this week, while tallying four RBI along the way. Rutschman played both catcher and first base this week.

Here are the final scores from the week:

Game 1: BOW 2, ALT 1
W: Vespi (1-0), L De Los Santos (0-1)

Game 2: BOW 8, ALT 4
W: Bishop (1-0), L: MacGregor (0-1)

Game 3: BOW 8, ALT 4
W: Kilmek (1-0), L: Toribio (0-1)

Game 4: BOW 4, ALT 5
W: De Los Santos (1-1), L: Almengo (0-1)

Game 5: BOW 4, ALT 8
W: Gardner (1-0), L: Erwin (0-1), SV: Stratton (1)

Game 6: PPD RAIN

The Baysox begin their first home series Tuesday, when they take on the Reading Fightin Phils for six games. You can watch Baysox baseball every night on MiLB.TV.