The Bowie Baysox went 3-3 in a home series against the Altoona Curve to make their record 12-25 on the season. But this series will be one to remember as it included a historic moment for the 2023 minor league season. Before we get into that, let’s talk about the series as a whole.
The Baysox played a solid series despite winning just three games. Putting together a .908 OPS as a team in six total games is good enough, but to have 32 total hits and 16 of them for extra bases is very impressive. The pitching was also pretty solid with a team ERA of 4.65 and a WHIP of 1.45. But three players really stood out from the rest this week.
JUSTIN ARMBRUESTER – RHP
Justin Armbruester has had one amazing week. Not only did he put together a great week on the mound, but he was added to the 2023 Orioles Top 30 Prospects list after the graduation of Grayson Rodriguez.
Armbruester pitched in the first and last game of the series, and in both games, he tossed a combined 11 innings and had a 0.82 ERA during the series. While he only struck out three total batters, Armbruester still produced a 0.91 WHIP and looked lights out.
Armbruester continues a season where he is now 2-1 with a 1.58 ERA in 40 innings pitched. The young right-hander is having a breakout season in Bowie, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw him pitch his final Bowie game on Sunday.
HESTON KJERSTAD – OF/1B
This kid is something special. Kjerstad put together a series like no other and continues his reign of terror in Double-A.
Kjerstad slashed .409/.519/.500 with a 1.019 OPS in six games played. He had nine total hits, two doubles and three RBIs throughout the series.
The lefty slugger continues a season where he is batting .318 with a 1.021 OPS. And people said that we reached during the 2020 draft.
TT BOWENS – INF
I don’t think anyone could understand the amount of excitement I have to see TT Bowens breakout for a series. The 24-year-old undrafted free agent in 2020 had a dominant series, to say the least.
Bowens slashed .444/.524/.722 with a 1.246 OPS in five of the six games this series. He had eight total hits, one home run that was pimped, three RBIS and two walks. Bowens continues his season with a .324 average and a .966 OPS for 2023.
THE NO-HITTER
Yes, they did! The Baysox threw a combined no-hitter on May 19, 2023. Pitchers Chayce McDermott, Nolan Hoffman and Easton Lucas took the mound and put up a big zero against the Curve and did it with ease.
McDermott started the game and went through five innings of work, as he walked four and struck out four. Hoffman took over in the sixth and went two innings, as he struck out five. Lastly, Lucas came in the eighth and finished out the game with three strikeouts.
It’s the 12th no-hitter in Bowie’s history and the most recent since May 8, 2022, when Garrett Stallings and Morgan McSweeney threw a combined no-no in a seven-inning game. The last nine-inning no-hitter for Bowie was thrown on July 16, 2019, by current O’s reliever Mike Baumann.
The Baysox’s next game is Tuesday, May 23, at 11:05 a.m. EST, as they are on the road against the Akron RubberDucks. The Baysox are currently 7.5 game back of the Eastern League Southwest Division leaders, the Richmond Flying Squirrels.
Who stood out to you this week for Bowie? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, Twitter and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
Like Zack’s content? Follow him on Twitter – @Zackattack8211
The Baltimore Battery 