Harrisburg Senators victim of no-hitter

BOWIE, Maryland – Right-hander pitcher Morgan McSweeney of Bowie was letting it rip and Harrisburg infielder K.J. Harrison was doing the same.

McSweeney threw a fastball in the mid-90s here on a chilly, windy Sunday afternoon while Harrison ripped a line drive down the left-field line.

But the ball hooked just foul and two pitches later Harrison flew out to short right field as host Bowie completed a seven-inning no-hitter with a 4-0 win over the Senators in the first of two games Sunday.

Virginia native Garrett Stallings went the first six innings while McSweeney finished up the 11^th no-hitter in the history of the Baysox, who have been playing in Bowie for nearly three decades.

Stallings gave up two walks with five strikeouts and lowered his ERA to 2.63. He played in college at the University of Tennessee, began his pro career in the Angels’ system in 2019 and came to the Orioles in a trade with the Angels after the 2020 season.

Lefty Evan Lee was the starter for Harrisburg and he allowed just one run on two hits in five innings with eight strikeouts and two walks.

He threw 81 pitches – 47 for strikes.

The series began Tuesday and then had day games on Wednesday and Thursday before rain wiped out play on Friday and Saturday.

The offensive struggles continue for Harrisburg infielder Jackson Cluff, who was the top defensive player in the Arizona Fall League last year.

Batting ninth in the order, he fanned in his only official at-bat and also drew a walk as his average fell to .113.

Harrison was 0-for-3 as his average fell to .243.

Harrisburg third baseman Jake Alu, drafted by the Nationals out of Boston College in 2019, was 0-for-3 as his average fell to .281.

Taylor Gushue was the starting catcher in the first game for the Senators. He played in two games with the Cubs last year as he made it to the majors for the first time.

“I think just the perspective, it always helps when you have somebody with experience,” he told Federal Baseball of his role with the Senators. “I have caught a lot of pitchers, I have seen a lot of pitches at the higher level. That is my biggest thing here, being a resource for everybody, giving them my honest feedback on how that would play at the next level. I think that is one of the best things about me being here, too. I think it is super helpful for me too.”

In the second game Sunday, Brady Lindsly was the starting catcher for Harrisburg while right-hander Steven Fuentes got the start on the mound for the Senators.

Fuentes was called up to Washington on April 20 of last year but didn’t pitch before he was optioned out 10 days later.

He pitched in seven games with five starts last year for Triple-A Rochester; he allowed just four earned runs in his previous starts over 17 innings before Sunday and didn’t allow a hit or run in the first inning Sunday.

Outfielder Dondrei Hubbard, signed by the Nationals in March after a long indy pro career, was 0-for-2 in the first game Sunday and was still hitting .571 for the Senators.

The Senators return to action Tuesday with a home series against Richmond, a farm team of the Giants.