Dale Stanavich was one out from carrying Richmond’s one-run lead through the eighth inning, having struck out Vance Honeycutt and Aron Estrada with two runners aboard. Wehiwa Aloy erased all of it with one swing, driving a two-out fly ball over the wall in left-center and turning the Flying Squirrels’ regular-season finale into a 3-1 loss to the Chesapeake Baysox on Sunday at CarMax Park.
The three-run shot, Aloy’s 10th homer, scored Griff O’Ferrall and Frederick Bencosme and spoiled seven scoreless innings from Richmond’s first four pitchers. Stanavich struck out Victor Figueroa to end the inning, but the damage had been done. He took the loss and a blown save after allowing three earned runs, a walk and three strikeouts in one inning.
Richmond’s lineup could not answer. Alex Pham retired the Squirrels in order in the eighth, and Brock Moore worked around Dakota Jordan’s one-out single in the ninth by inducing Lisbel Diaz to ground into a game-ending double play.
That abrupt finish obscured an afternoon in which the Squirrels had spent nearly the entire game protecting the run Sabin Ceballos delivered in the first. With two outs and Dayson Croes on first, Ceballos attacked Patrick Reilly’s first pitch and ripped it back through center field, sending Croes home without a play.
Ceballos nearly added another run in the fourth. His drive carried toward the wall in left-center, chased the outfielder to the warning track and struck near the top of the fence. Ceballos settled for his 17th double, then was left aboard as Richmond again came away empty.
He finished 2-for-4 with the double and Richmond’s only RBI, an apt closing performance after being recognized before the game as the club’s Dirtiest Squirrel of the Year. Manager Dennis Pelfrey said Ceballos’ growth went beyond the damage in his swing.
“But what really impressed me the most with him and probably a big reason why he got this award because his ability to be able to start impacting the game on the bases, you know, drawing walks, having more patient at bats, turning into professional at bat after professional at bat.”
— Dennis Pelfrey, Flying Squirrels Manager
That damage was evident Sunday, even if Richmond could not build around it. The Squirrels collected nine hits but scored only once. Diaz went 2-for-4 with a double, a stolen base and a caught stealing, while Ceballos supplied their only other extra-base hit.
Pelfrey sees the more selective at-bats as the piece that could elevate everything else in Ceballos’ game.
“And I think that’s going to separate him from a lot of people and that’s going to help push him to the big leagues when he starts having those bats because now when he does swing, he does a lot of damage.”
— Dennis Pelfrey, Flying Squirrels Manager
Richmond’s pitching and defense made the early run stand for seven innings. Greg Farone worked three scoreless frames despite three walks, striking out one. Shane Rademacher followed with two scoreless innings, and Esmerlin Vinicio and Ryan Vanderhei carried the shutout through the seventh.
The lead required more than pitching. In the second, Thomas Sosa lined a single to left with Aloy trying to score from second. Diaz gathered the ball and delivered a difficult throw home; catcher Jancel Villarroel reached for it and applied the tag to cut Aloy down at the plate.
The Baysox threatened again in the seventh when Estrada singled and Aloy’s hit to right was compounded by Jordan’s fielding error, leaving two runners in scoring position with nobody out. Vinicio retired Figueroa before Vanderhei entered, walked Dom Keegan to load the bases, then escaped on Sosa’s lineout and Colin Tuft’s strikeout.
Richmond had its own chance in the bottom half. Maui Ahuna and Zander Darby produced consecutive two-out singles, putting runners at the corners, but Keagan Gillies struck out Villarroel. It was the Squirrels’ last serious opportunity to extend the lead before Aloy flipped the game.
Richmond finished the regular season 74-61. The announced crowd of 8,227 lifted season attendance at CarMax Park to a franchise-record 468,961, leaving one final packed-house memory of a game held tightly for seven innings and lost on one late drive into left-center.