SOX ON DECK: Bowden bears down, wins game for Sea Dogs

The worst thing the Connecticut Defenders could have done to Michael Bowden occurred in the fourth inning Tuesday night when Ryan Rohlinger hit a two-run homer that tied a game against the Portland Sea Dogs at 3-3.

Bowden then retired 10 of the last 11 batters he faced (the only Defender who reached was Ben Copeland on a sixth-inning infield hit) as Portland won, 6-5.

Bowden’s body language revealed how upset he was at serving up the homer and how intent he was on finishing off the last two batters - which he did by fanning Carlos Sosa and Adam Witter.

“He’s a bulldog guy and he was upset at the breaking ball he hung (to Rohlinger),” said manager Arnie Beyeler. “He’s the kind of guy who’ll go out and bury some people.

“He’s the guy I want in a foxhole.”

Bowden (7-3) worked seven innings and allowed three runs on five hits. And has been his tendency he didn’t issue any walks but he struck out six. He also threw 68 of 99 pitches for strikes.

“Of course I was disappointed … I was disappointed in myself because I didn’t execute the pitch the way I would have liked,” said Bowden. “I think I did go after the next hitters with something extra because I was disappointed and was trying to get back on the right track.”

That Bowden has been on the “right track” this season is an understatement.

For example:

• He’s allowed fewer hits (58) and walks (19) than innings pitched (89).
• Including Tuesday’s game, he’s walked only eight over his last 12 starts.
• Over his last 70 1/3 innings, his ERA is 1.66.

“I know a year ago or the first couple of starts this year, if I gave up that home run I might have been done for the rest of the game,” Bowden said of how his intensity level rose after Rohlinger’s homer. “I would have been thinking about that and a lot of other stuff would have happened.

“Just growing up I know I can learn not to make that mistake again and I can come out with a quality start.”

Portland utilized a combination of the long ball and wildness on the part of Connecticut pitchers to beat the Defenders for the seventh time in eight games.

Sandy Madera commenced the hit parade in the first when he lined a two-run homer to left off Adam Cowart (5-6).

The Sea Dogs upped their lead to 3-0 in the second when Andrew Pinckney doubled and scored on Iggy Suarez’s two-out single.

Connecticut nicked Bowden for a run in the bottom of the second on two hits plus Sosa’s fielder’s choice.

After Rohlinger tied the game, Bubba Bell untied it with a leadoff homer in the fifth.

Portland quickly loaded the bases on singles by Tony Granadillo, Jeff Corsaletti and Madera which prompted Connecticut manager Bienvenido Figueroa to remove Cowart in favor of Jason Waddell.

Waddell sandwiched bases-loaded walks to Zach Daegas and Pinckney around an out to give Portland a 6-3 lead.

After the Defenders placed runners on first and third with one out in the ninth against Mike James, Witter lined an RBI single to right and Dave Maroul’s infield hit pulled Connecticut within 6-5. But James fanned pinch-hitter Simon Clink to earn his second save.