RICHMOND, Va. – The Richmond Flying Squirrels completed their largest ninth-inning, come-from-behind win in franchise history on Saturday night at CarMax Park, scoring six runs in the last frame to beat the Erie SeaWolves, 8-7.
The Flying Squirrels (37-18) walked off against the SeaWolves (27-29) for the second straight game.
With Richmond trailing, 7-2, entering the bottom of the ninth, Maui Ahuna led off with a single and Dayson Croes was hit by a pitch. Both runners advanced on a passed ball and Parks Harber hit a two-run double to close the score to 7-4.
Sabin Ceballos followed with a double to score Harber and bring the potential tying run to the batter’s box.
On a 3-2 pitch from Wandisson Charles, Bo Davidson launched a two-run homer to center to tie the score, 7-7. It was Davidson’s fourth homer in his last five games. Since Tuesday, Davidson is batting .364 (8-for-22) with four homers, a double and seven RBIs.
Charles retired the next two batters before being replaced on the mound by infielder Andrew Jenkins (Loss, 0-1). Diego Velasquez singled and came in to score on a double by Onil Perez to left-center, winning the game.
The win kept the Flying Squirrels’ Southwest Division lead at 6.5 games over second-place Akron with 13 games remaining in the first half of the Eastern League season.
The SeaWolves opened a 5-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Their first five batters reached base and scored, including an RBI double by John Peck, a three-run homer by Brett Callahan and a run scored on a pick-off attempt error.
Velasquez brought in a run with a groundout in the second and Zane Zielinski doubled before scoring on a groundout by Davidson in the third to close the score to 5-2.
In the top of the fourth, Peyton Graham hit an RBI single to push Erie’s lead to 6-2. Peck hit an RBI single in the eighth for a 7-2 SeaWolves lead.
Manuel Mercedes entered out of the Richmond bullpen in the fourth and threw 3.1 scoreless innings, working around two hits with three strikeouts. Dylan Hecht (Win, 2-1) sat down the SeaWolves in order in the top of the ninth, striking out two.
The five-run, ninth-inning deficit was the largest surpassed by the Flying Squirrels in franchise history, passing the previous high of four. On August 15, 2010, Darren Ford capped a five-run ninth inning with a two-run single in a 5-4 win at The Diamond against the Portland Sea Dogs. On August 17, 2023, Victor Bericoto hit a walk-off single to cap a five-run ninth in a 7-6 win over the Harrisburg Senators.
On Friday night at CarMax Park, the Flying Squirrels rallied from an early five-run deficit and won, 9-8, in 10 innings, capped with a walk-off double by Velasquez.
The series concludes on Sunday evening at CarMax Park. Right-hander Yunior Marte (0-0, 3.86) will take the mound for Richmond in his second Double-A start, opposed by Erie right-hander Max Alba (0-2, 7.16). First pitch is scheduled for 5:05 p.m.
Sunday’s game at CarMax Park features pregame music from The Hashberry Collective as part of the Summer Music Series. The first 2,500 fans of all ages will take home a Tie-Dye Terry Cloth Bucket Cap. Select members of the Flying Squirrels will be signing autographs at The Backstop from 3:45-4:15 p.m. Fans can play catch on the field postgame.
Tickets are available online at SquirrelsBaseball.com/Tickets, by phone at 804-359-FUNN (3866) or in person at the CarMax Park ticket office.