Orioles minor league recap 9/4: Overn steals three bases and gives Chesapeake a walkoff win

Austin Overn #84 of the Baltimore Orioles hits a one RBI triple to tie the game in the ninth inning during the game between the New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles

Triple-A: Nashville Sounds (Brewers) 4, Norfolk Tides 0

Enrique Bradfield Jr. continues to seek his first Triple-A hit. He went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in this one, and made a throwing error in the field. But he was far from the only Tides hitter to struggle against old friend Bruce Zimmermann and the Sounds pitching staff. The Tides went 1-for-5 in their limited chances with runners in scoring position. Their lone extra-base hit was a double by Jakson Reetz. Terrin Vavra may have had the best day, going 2-for-4. But the positives were few and far between.

The pitching performances were more of a mixed bag for Norfolk. Five pitchers were used. None of them threw more than 2.2 innings, and they combined to allow four runs on 12 hits, four walks, and four strikeouts. Scott Blewett took the loss with a rough first inning, in which he gave up two runs on three hits. Keagan Gillies was the standout with two scoreless frames and three strikeouts.

Double-A: Chesapeake Baysox 3, Harrisburg Senators (Nationals) 2 – F/10

The Baysox had a weird offensive day. They collected only three hits and went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position. But they were able to score enough runs to win thanks to a solo homer from Ethan Anderson and a big game from Austin Overn. The speedy leadoff hitter was hit by a pitch in the bottom of the first inning, and then stole second, third, and home to give the Baysox an early 1-0 lead. And then he sent the Bowie crowd home happy with a walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th.

Zach Fruit started for Chesapeake and allowed both of the runs that Harrisburg scored over 2.2 innings. He walked six and struck out five. The four pitchers that followed were great. Zane Barnhart made his Double-A debut and struck out all three batters that he faced. Tyson Neighbors maintained his perfect Chesapeake ERA by striking out four over two scoreless innings and earning the win.

High-A: Wilmington Blue Rocks (Nationals) 2, Aberdeen IronBirds 1

As we have come to expect from Aberdeen this season, the offense struggled, compiling seven hits and going 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position. Nate George managed to have himself a nice game though, going 3-for-4 with a double and a stolen base. Edwin Amparo had two hits and a stolen base. And Elis Cuevas tripled for the first time at High-A. Vance Honeycutt went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.

Boston Bateman had his best start at High-A. The lefty tossed 4.2 shutout innings in which he gave up four hits, four walks, and struck out three. Rodolfo Martinez took the loss, giving up two runs in his 1.1 innings of middle relief. But Tanner Smith kept things close with two scoreless innings after that.

Low-A: Delmarva Shorebirds 5, Lynchburg Hillcats (Guardians) 4

All five of Delmarva’s runs came in the bottom of the ninth inning. Stiven Martinez led off with a triple, and then came in to score on a Wehiwa Aloy ground out. Three of the next four hitters singled to load the bases with two outs. A walk for Luis Almeyda forced in another run. And then Brayden Smith came through with a bases-clearing double to clinch the 5-4 win. Because of the limited offense through the first eight innings, the only real individual standout was Almeyda, who filled up the stat sheet in this one. The third baseman went 2-for-2 with two walks, three stolen bases, a run, and an RBI.

Kiefer Lord started and turned in 3.2 impressive innings in which he gave up one run on three hits, no walks, and six strikeouts. Jacob Stretch coughed up a pair of runs on two hits, two walks, and two strikeouts over 2.1 frames. Todd Kniebbe contributed two shutout innings in the seventh and eighth. And then Kenny Leiner nabbed the win with three strikeouts in a scoreless ninth inning.

Box Scores