David Hess pitches Bowie past Reading in must-win game, sets up Game 5 on Saturday

BOWIE, Md - In a must-win game tonight, Orioles 22-year-old pitching prospect David Hess came up very big for the Double-A Bowie Baysox. He kept their season alive and put them on the brink of a championship.

Continuing his very strong second half, Hess allowed just three hits and one run over seven innings as Bowie beat Reading 9-1 to force a fifth and deciding game Saturday night at 6:05 p.m in the Eastern League Championship Series.

Bowie and Reading have split the first four games and will play one game tomorrow to decide the 2015 Eastern League title. Bowie has never won the title in the franchise's 23-year-history.

Tempers flared in the bottom of the seventh tonight. With two on and none out, Mike Yastrzemski was hit by a pitch in the batting helmet as he was squaring to bunt by Reading starter Ben Lively. Both dugouts emptied but the situation did not escalate. However, both benches were warned.

Coming into tonight, Hess had a record of 9-1 and ERA of 1.61 in his last 15 combined starts for Single-A Frederick and Bowie. Last Saturday night, when Bowie clinched its playoff series against Altoona, the right-hander pitched seven scoreless innings of one-hit ball and he was very good again tonight. He walked one and fanned eight, throwing 101 pitches. He finished strong, striking out the side in his seventh and last inning and retiring the last 11 batters he faced.

Over his last three Double-A starts - two coming in the playoffs - Hess has allowed just eight hits and two runs over 20 2/3 innings for an ERA of 0.87.

Bowie got off to a fast start today, taking a 3-0 lead in the first. Corban Joseph led off with a walk and Yastrzemski dropped a bunt single. After Trey Mancini grounded out, a walk to Quincy Latimore loaded the bases. A two-run double by Garabez Rosa was followed by Chance Sisco's sac fly for the 3-0 lead.

Reading broke through in the fourth with a walk, single and wild pitch charged to Hess to cut its deficit to 3-1. The Baysox got that run back in the fifth. With one out, Joseph doubled to right and Yastrzemski walked. Mancini, batting .148 in the playoffs, then ripped an RBI single to left but got thrown out trying for second base. But his fourth RBI of the postseason made it a 4-1 Bowie lead.

Bowie made it 7-1 after the dugouts emptied in the seventh on Latimore's two-run single and Sisco's RBI groundout. Latimore has knocked in 12 runs in eight playoff games for Bowie. The Baysox added two more in the eighth on Yastrzemski's sac fly and Mancini's single. Bowie had 10 hits and got two RBIs each from Mancini, Latimore, Sisco and Rosa.

Some postgame quotes:

Hess said he had all his pitches going well: "There was a lot working. I was able to throw the curveball, slider, changeup for strikes and where I wanted. And located my fastball. Got some great defense behind me so I let them work tonight. All of them were working well. I didn't have a go-to pitch, but one thing that really was a separator tonight was my changeup. Having a bunch of left-handed hitters in the lineup and being able to throw that and let it run away or get groundalls. It was working."

Hess on dealing with the pressure in a must-win game: "Yeah, it is one of those things, the more you think about it, the more pressure there is. So I tried to make it just like any other game as best as you can. You know, it's a big playoff game so it was fun to go out and compete. Just tried to make it as normal as possible."

Hess said his curveball was important also: "That has been a big thing throughout the year. Earlier I struggled and in those counts (behind on the hitter) I would go to my fastball primarily. The big adjustment I made this year was going to my offspeed pitches in hitter's counts and trying to keep them off balance."

Quincy Latimore on the benches-clearing incident in the seventh: "I think that's done with. We've got to focus on tomorrow going out, throwing strikes, playing defense and hitting the pitches we want and scoring runs. I really think that's going to be our main focus. That stuff that happened tonight is over with, and far as I'm concerned, our main goal tomorrow is going out, winning a baseball game and being champions."

Bowie manager Gary Kendall on Hess: "As Buck always says, starting pitching sets the tempo. David is getting better and better. He threw some really good changeups to their left-handed hitters tonight. He rises to the occasion. He provided us with a great mix of pitches and his competitiveness. He went after them with confidence tonight."

Kendall is confident in his team for Game 5: "I kind of like where we are at. These guys really want it and I know our staff does. I'm real excited for them and real excited for the Bowie franchise. You start the year and you think about getting to this point. Especially against such a good club. They're a good club over there. Last game of the Eastern League is tomorow and we get to play in it. We're really fortunate."

In Game 5 tomorrow at Prince George's Stadium at 6:05 p.m., right-hander Joe Gunkel will pitch for Bowie on three day's rest. He started Game 1 on Tuesday and took a 3-1 loss. He went six innings, giving up nine hits and three runs, throwing 87 pitches. Right-hander Reinier Roibal will start for Reading. He went 6-1 with an ERA of 1.66 in the regular-season in 25 games, making five starts but none since July 16.

For ticket information go to baysox.com.