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Southern Maryland 21, Lexington 8

(Lexington, KY, April 23, 2022) The runs kept on coming for the Blue Crabs in Saturday night’s 21-8 win over the Lexington Legends.  Southern Maryland scored at least one run in seven innings and had multiple runs in five innings.   

The Blue Crabs got to Lexington’s starter, Thomas Dorminy (L, 0-1), in the first inning. Matt Hibbert blasted a home run to left field and Jared Walker went back-to-back when he lined a homer to right-center.  Southern Maryland added another run from a Ryan Haug base hit, putting the Blue Crabs up 3-0. 

Lexington got three runs back in the bottom of the first inning, but the Blue Crabs kept the scoring going in the second.  Jack Sundberg, Matt Hibbert, and David Harris all walked, before coming around to score. Alex Crosby, who had five hits in the game, drove in a pair of runs when he bounced a single to right field.  Later in the inning, Ryan Haug served a base hit into right, scoring two more runs, giving Southern Maryland an 8-3 advantage. 

The Blue Crabs led 8-4 going into the fourth inning and put up another crooked number. After David Harris and Alex Crosby singled, Connor Lien smashed a sky-high homer to dead-center field, putting the Blue Crabs up 11-4.  

Mitch Lambson allowed six runs in four innings of work for the Blue Crabs. Then, Pedro Echemendia (W, 1-0) pitched two scoreless innings in relief, allowing just one hit, and picking up the win. 

Southern Maryland added a run in the sixth and kept the scoring going in the seventh.  Matt Hibbert and David Harris singled in the inning.  The Blue Crabs took a 15-6 lead when Alex Crosby smashed a three-run home run over the high wall in right field. 

The Blue Crabs scored another run in the eighth inning on Raul Shah’s solo homer and rallied again in the ninth. With two runners on base, Connor Lien tripled to deep center, giving the Blue Crabs an 18-8 lead.  Later in the inning, with the bases loaded and Southern Maryland up 19-8, Matt Hibbert kept the party going by driving in two additional runs, giving the Blue Crabs a 21-8 lead.   

In this lengthy game, a few players stood out on both sides.  Alex Crosby did not have a hit in his first eight at-bats of the season.  But he broke out in today’s game, with hits in each one of his last five at-bats.  Connor Lien also produced at the plate, smashing a three-run shot and driving in six runs.  For Lexington, Blake Swihart, a former Red Sox catcher, walked five times in five plate appearances in today’s game.  

The Blue Crabs look to keep the winning ways going tomorrow at Wild Health Field.  Southern Maryland wraps up the four-game set with the Legends tomorrow at 2:05 pm.  The Blue Crabs’ home opener will be on Wednesday, April 27 at 6:35 pm in their first-ever series against the Staten Island FerryHawks.

Long Island 8, York 0

CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. - The Long Island Ducks shut out the York Revolution 8-0 on Saturday night in the middle game of a three-game series at Fairfield Properties Ballpark. A three-run second inning against Revolution starter Austin Nicely gave the Ducks an early 3-0 lead. Joe DeCarlo and Vladimir Frias collected RBI singles, while Deven Marrero lifted a sacrifice fly to center field.

Marrero collected another sac fly in the fourth to score DeCarlo, making it a four-run advantage for the Flock. It stayed that way until the bottom of the seventh when Sam Travis uncorked a grand slam over the left field fence, doubling Long Island’s lead to 8-0. Ducks starter Bennett Parry did not factor into the decision but tossed four scoreless innings, allowing just four hits while striking out five. Joe Iorio (1-0) earned the win with three scoreless innings of relief, yielding one hit while striking out one. Nicely (0-1) suffered the loss, surrendering four runs on nine hits and two walks over six innings. Anderson DeLeon and James Varela each threw a scoreless inning for the Flock as well. DeCarlo led the Ducks offense with three hits, an RBI and two runs scored. Travis added two hits, four RBIs and two runs, while Dustin Woodcock chipped in with two hits.

The Ducks and Revolution wrap up their three-game set on Sunday afternoon. Game time is slated for 1:35 p.m., with the Fairfield Properties Ballpark gates opening at 12:35 (12:20 for full season ticket holders). The first 1,500 fans in attendance will receive Ducks Magnet Schedules, courtesy of The QuackerJack Foundation. It’s also a Sunday Family Funday, presented by Bethpage Federal Credit Union. Prior to the game, fans will be invited down for a Catch on the Field from 12:40 to 1:00. After the game, fans are also invited to take part in Kids Run the Bases. Right-hander Scott Harkin toes the rubber for the Ducks against Revolution righty Jorge Martinez.

Gastonia 8, Lancaster 1

GASTONIA, NC - The Gastonia Honey Hunters slugged four homers and two doubles, walked only one batter and played flawless defense on Saturday evening to top the Lancaster Barnstormers, 8-1, at CaroMont Health Park.

The home runs produced four of the five insurance runs scored by Gastonia. Luis Roman connected for the second straight night. Johnny Davis greeted reliever Ben Wanger with a liner down the right side in the fifth. Jack Reinheimer and Joseph Rosa, the first two batters to face Donald Goodson, also homered in the seventh. Those all came after the Honey Hunters opened a 3-0 lead early.

Johnny Davis led off the game with a single to the hole at shortstop. Reinheimer followed with a walk, and Davis rode home on Rosa’s double to left center. Zach Jarrett produced the second run off Augie Sylk (0-1) with a sacrifice fly to center.

The third run scored when Alex Holderbach doubled into the right field corner with one out in the second and scored when Davis beat out a two-out scratch single.

Five Gastonia pitchers limited the Barnstormers to five singles on the night. Lancaster managed to close to within 3-1 in the top of the third. Melvin Mercedes walked, took third on a smash through the right side by Trace Loehr and scored when Anderson Feliz dropped a flare into right center. Starter Jerry Keel worked out of the inning with a strikeout and fly ball.

From there, the Barnstormers sent the minimum of 18 batters to the plate over the final six innings. Only a single to center by Mark Zagunis broke the spell, but he was quickly erased as Rosa smothered a hot ground ball toward the middle and turned it into a double play.

The series concludes on Sunday afternoon at 4:15. Brent Teller (5-2 in 2021) makes his season debut against right-hander Reilly Hovis. Fans may tune into the Barnstormers YouTube Channel, beginning at 4:10.

NOTES: Only Loehr and Feliz have batted safely in all three games…Gastonia pitchers have walked only three on the weekend, two in the ninth inning on Thursday…The Honey Hunters have played 26 error-free innings, including 24 straight since the third inning Thursday night…The first batter faced by all four Lancaster pitchers, including Hunter Speer in the eighth, scored.

Kentucky Genomes 3, High Point Rockers 1
 

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point Rockers managed just six hits in dropping a 3-1 decision to the Kentucky Genomes Saturday night in front of 2,415 fans at Truist Point.

“Our pitching was really good,” said Rockers manager Jamie Keefe. “We just need better at-bats. We need to barrel up some balls. Our guys have been here less than two weeks and it’s Day Three of the season so I’m not ready to push the panic button. We just need to put the ball in play more and we’ll be fine.”

The Rockers were three-hit on Friday night and with six hits on Saturday, have just nine hits over the last 19 innings.

The Genomes jumped on Rocker starter Brady Lail for a run in the first. With one out, Demetrius Moorer reached on an error before he moved to second on a single by Riley Mahan and then scored on a single by Chris Shaw. Another single by Felix Pie loaded the bases but Cleuluis Rondon bounced into a double play to end the threat.

Lail went six innings and walked one while striking out six. After giving up three hits in the first, he held the Genomes to just two more safeties over the next five innings.

The Rockers put two runners on base in the first, third and fifth innings but were not able to capitalize on any of the opportunities.

Kentucky starter Max Povse, the former Rocker, allowed just two hits in his five innings, yielding a double to Jay Gonzalez in the third and a single to Chris Proctor in the fifth. Nate Peden, Jhonathon Ramos and Tim Peterson each threw shutout innings in relief of Povse.

The score remained 1-0 until the seventh when Kentucky’s Luke Becker reached on a passed ball that was scored as a base hit. Rockers reliever Jonathon Crawford then loaded the bases by walking Robbie Kellerman and hitting Andrew Keefer with a pitch. Anderson Miller then lifted a sacrifice fly to center that scored Becker for a 2-0 Kentucky advantage.

The Genomes added another run in the ninth when Moorer reached on an infield single, moved to third on a single by Riley Mahan and scored on Chris Shaw’s sacrifice fly.

The Rockers tallied their lone run of the game when Miles Williams hit a ground rule double with one out in the ninth, move to third on a balk by Kentucky reliever Diego Moreno, and scored on an infield single by Jay Gonzalez.

Lail (0-1) took the loss while Povse (1-0) earned the win. Moreno earned his first save of the season.

The Rockers and Genomes will play the final contest of the four-game series on Sunday afternoon at 4:05 p.m. at Truist Point.

Charleston 6, Staten Island 5

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -  The Charleston Dirty Birds remained the only undefeated team in the Atlantic League following Saturday’s 6-4 win over the visiting Staten Island FerryHawks.

Shortstop Connor Justus led the Dirty Birds with two hits, a triple and two RBI while rightfielder J.C. Perez homered.

Charleston took an early 3-0 lead but Staten Island scored four times in the fifth for a 4-3 advantage. The FerryHawks’ Angel Aguilar doubled in two runs and Brantley Bell hit a two-run homer.

Charleston went ahead for good with a pair of runs in the sixth. Justus clubbed a two-run double to highlight the inning and give the ‘Birds a 5-4 lead.

Jose Mesa, Jr. earned the win with two innings of relief work, allowing just one hit while striking out two. Dirty Bird starter Joe Testa went five innings and struck out seven. Staten Island’s Jose Velez took the loss after giving up both runs in the sixth. Tyler Wilson earned his second save of the season by pitching a scoreless ninth inning.