BOWIE, MD – The Richmond Flying Squirrels exploded for ten runs over the first three innings and strolled through the heat and humidity to a, 14-4, win over the Bowie Baysox on Friday night at Prince George’s Stadium. The win represents the most lop-sided win of the season for the Squirrels.

Bowie right-hander Ryohei Tanaka looked like he was on his way to a quick first inning when Thomas Neal disrupted him with a two-out single. Brandon Belt followed and ripped double off the top of the wall in right-center field. The relay thrown to the plate beat an arriving Neal, but he bowled over catcher Caleb Joseph, knocking the ball loose for a 1-0 Richmond lead. Joseph was knocked from the ballgame. Tanaka then walked Conor Gillaspie, and Brad Boyer gave the Squirrels a 4-0 advantage when he crushed a three-run home run to right-center field.

The Baysox got on the board in the second when Joe Mahoney led off and launched a massive solo-home run down the right-field line against Squirrels’ right-hander Craig Westcott.

However, the floodgates opened as Richmond jumped on Tanaka again in the third. Tanaka hit Neal to start the inning and Belt followed with a single to left field. Gillaspie flew out, but Boyer lined an RBI single to left field to score Neal.  Sharlon Schoop then cracked a two-run double into the alley in left-center field. Tyler La Torrre kept the ball rolling with his own RBI double to the alley. Tanaka finally recorded the second out of the inning, but Darren Ford rifled a triple into left-center field to plate La Torre. Tanaka was lifted in favor of lefty Pedro Viola who was greeted by a Nick Noonan RBI single. When the dust cleared, the Squirrels had matched their franchise-record with six runs in the inning, and held a 10-1 lead.

Tanaka (4-11) was charged with 10 earned runs as he endured his 11th loss of the season over just 2 2/3 innings. He fell to 1-5 against Richmond on the season, surrendering eight hits, walking one and logging no strike outs.

Joel Guzman launched a solo-home run off Westcott in the third and then struck again with a two-run blast in the fifth.  Those two home runs gave Guzman the league-lead back with 22 on the season and pulled Bowie to within six runs, 10-4.

Westcott (2-1) ultimately worked through six innings for his second straight victory over the Baysox. He allowed four runs — two earned — on eight hits.  He walked just one and struck out three.

Boyer contributed another RBI single in the eighth inning. He hit drove in Belt, and allowed Boyer to match the franchise record with his 5th RBI of the night. It also marked a career-high for Boyer.

Neal added the exclamation point when he crushed a three-run home run to left-center field in the ninth inning to establish a new franchise record for runs in a single game. Neal’s blast also gave him 50 RBIs for the season, the first Squirrel to reach that plateau.

Game three of the series is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. on Saturday night at Prince George’s Stadium. RHP Michael Main (0-2, 7.84) will make the start for Richmond against RHP Eddie Gamboa (3-4, 3.21) for Bowie.