By ERIC BENEVIDES

Sports writer

PAWTUCKET --- The two-time National League All-Star locked horns with the top pitching prospect in the Boston Red Sox organization in a marvelous pitchers’ duel on Wednesday night.
And while Detroit Tigers pitcher Dontrelle Willis turned in a superb outing in a rehab start with the Toledo Mud Hens, it was Pawtucket Red Sox rookie Michael Bowden that stole the show and kept the 5,240 at McCoy Stadium on the edges of their seats.
Bowden flirted with a no-hit bid for 6 2/3 innings before losing his no-no, a shutout, and a chance at his second win of the year on a two-out RBI double lined into the left-field corner by Ryan Roberson that tied the score at 1-1.
But Angel Chavez, the No. 9 batter in the PawSox’s lineup, saved the day by belting a solo home run with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning to help the hosts score a 2-1 victory for their fifth straight triumph.  
Bowden, who threw 93 pitches (53 for strikes) and lowered his ERA to 1.01 (the second-best mark in the International League), struck out a season-low two and walked four -- a number he was not happy with when he discussed his no-hit bid in his post-game remarks.
“I had four walks, so (the no-hit bid) didn’t cross my mind,” added Bowden. “With four walks, I wasn’t satisfied. If for some reason it did happen, there’s still four (walks) on the line, so that kind of offsets it. I never really thought about it because I was so upset about the walks.”
While the fans on hand sweated out Bowden’s no-hit bid, PawSox manager Ron Johnson sweated out his pitch count and feared it would rise into triple digits as the game progressed.
“It was getting kind of hairy from a development standpoint because he was getting close to that 90-pitch range,” offered Johnson. “We would have gone 100, but not 125 to see if he can get the no-hitter.”
But once the no-no was gone on Roberson’s hit that drove in Brent Clevlen, who worked a walk with one gone and advanced to second on a two-out free pass to Mike Hessman, Johnson didn’t have to worry anymore.
“The decision was made even before the hit had occurred,” added Bowden. “Everything has to line perfectly for a pitcher in the minor leagues to throw a complete-game no-hitter. I’m not saying that can’t be done, but the focus here is always (on Boston).
“I was mostly thinking about how I was going to get the ball from Michael with a no-hitter and have the McCoy crowd rip me up to shreds. Of course, taking the ball away from Michael is never an enjoyable experience, but you look at what he did tonight and he was outstanding.”
Before Hessman walked, he hit a high pop fly in foul ground in front of the Toledo’s dugout that Bowden, catcher Dusty Brown, and first baseman Paul McAnulty pursued. McAnulty nearly collided with Brown as he called him off to catch the ball, but he failed to get a glove on it.
“It should have been caught,” said McAnulty. “I didn’t hear anything, so at the last second, I called it and tried to go get it. I can’t really look to see who else is around there because I’m coming from a pretty long way away, but I guess I called it a little too late.”
“It was a pretty high ball,” added Bowden. “I usually stay out of the way. I saw Dusty camped, but then (McAnulty) called him off right at the end. It was a little bad communication, but it was a tough ball to catch.”
After Roberson’s hit knotted the score and put runners in scoring position, Johnson quickly made the move to bring in reliever Marcus McBeth, and the former Cincinnati Reds reliever needed just one pitch to keep the score tied at 1-1 as he got Wil Rhymes to sky out to right. 
“I wish we could put more runs on the board for him,” said McAnulty. “He’s a bulldog out there and pitches his (butt) off, and he did an awesome job.”
Like any no-hit bid, Bowden was backed by a few superb defensively plays, including some on hot grounders that were gloved by Chavez at third base and Gil Velazquez at shortstop.
The best outfield catch was turned in by left fielder Chip Ambres, who sped after a line drive belted deep into the gap by Don Kelly and flagged it down on the run.
Bowden also made a stellar play himself for the final out of the fifth inning. Rhymes tapped a sharp grounder to the right of McAnulty, who fielded the ball, but dished off a low throw that Bowden caught with a diving lunge and slapped the base with his glove as he hit the dirt.  
As for Willis, who was the N.L.’s Rookie of the Year in 2003 and a 20-game winner in ’05 with the Florida Marlins, he was making his fourth rehab start after the Tigers put him on the disabled list at the end of spring training with an anxiety disorder.
Willis worked 7 2/3 innings and tossed a whopping 118 pitches (74 strikes). He gave up five hits (including a pair of doubles to Ambers), struck out four batters, and walked four.  
The PawSox snapped a scoreless tie in the bottom of the sixth when Ambres blooped a one-out double just in front of a dive by Clevlen in right field and crossed the plate on a two-out line single to left by Brown. 
After the Mud Hens tied the contest in the seventh, the PawSox untied it in their half of the inning, when with two gone, Chavez lined the first pitch he saw from Willis into the PawSox’s bullpen in left for his first homer of the season.
MacBeth worked a full inning to pick up the win, and rookie flamethrower Daniel Bard got the final four outs on strikeouts to earn his IL-leading sixth save. Bard did allow up a double to Clevlen with one gone in the ninth, but quickly struck out the next two batters he faced.
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EXTRA BASES: Woonsocket native and Boston Red Sox outfielder Rocco Baldelli was back in Boston on Wednesday morning receiving treatment on his injured hamstring. … The PawSox have allowed five or less hits in each game of their win streak. … Chavez was 3-for-38 in games at McCoy this year before his home run. … The series with the Mud Hens concludes this afternoon at 12:15 p.m. The PawSox will send Enrique Gonzalez (3-1, 4.50) to the hill and the Hens will counter with Chris Lambert (1-2, 5.72). After today’s contest, the PawSox will head to Ohio for four-game series against the Columbus Clippers and Mud Hens. 
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Toledo        000    000    100--1-2-0
Pawtucket    000    001    10x--2-5-1
Dontrelle Willis, Freddy Dolsi (8) and Max St. Pierre; Michael Bowden, Marcus McBeth (7), Daniel Bard (8) and Dusty Brown. W -- McBeth (2-0). L -- Willis (0-1). S -- Bard (6). HR -- Chavez (1).