Charleston 16, Kentucky 2

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Charleston Dirty Birds put up crooked numbers in four different innings en route to a 16-2 over Kentucky on Tuesday night at Wild Health Field.

The Atlantic League history during the contest when the Wild Health Genomes had two female base coaches. Alexis “Scrappy” Hopkins coached first and Lindsay Gardner was coaching third.

Charleston centerfielder Anfernee Seymour led the 24-hit attack with four hits and a pair of cougles. Nick Longhi drove in five runs with a homer and Connor Justus and J.C. Perez each had three hits for the Dirty Birds.

Riley Mahan and Carlos Castro each had a double for the Wild Health Genomes.

The Dirty Birds put up three runs in the second inning highlighted by a two-run homer by Yovan Gonzalez. Charleston scored five times in the fourth inning with Longhi hitting a grand slam.

Kit Scheetz held Kentucky to two hits over five innings in improving to 3-0 on the year. Max Povse (2-2) allowed nine hits and nine runs over his four innings of work.

Southern Maryland 5, Gastonia 4

GASTONIA, N.C. - The Gastonia Honey Hunters returned home from an 11-game road trip to take on the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs in a battle of division leaders.

John Anderson got the ball for Gastonia, seeking his third win of the season. The southpaw would work against another lefthander, Mitch Lambson. Lambson pitched a complete game shutout last Wednesday in Waldorf, Maryland.

Both clubs scratched runs across in the first, as Ian Yestko scored on a wild pitch to give the Blue Crabs a 1-0 lead.

Joseph Rosa would immediately respond for Gastonia, lifting a fly ball over the wall in left field to knot things up at 1-1. The home run was Rosa´s fifth, all coming at home this season.

In the third inning, Gastonia went on top, as Jack Reinheimer singled home Eric Jones from second. The RBI was Reinheimer´s 23rd on the year, the club high.

Southern Maryland would retaliate in the sixth against Anderson, as Zach Collier scored on a single from Alex Crosby, knotting things up at two. Later in the frame, Crosby would score from third on a strikeout, breaking home as catcher Stuart Levy looked to complete the out with a throw to third. Crosby made a break on the throw from Levy, causing an errant relay from Luis Castro.

The back and forth contest would continue, as Reece Hampton ripped a homer off Lambson in the bottom of the seventh to draw even at 3-3. The homer was Hampton´s third and his first from the right side.

Later in the inning, with the bases loaded, Joseph Rosa walked, scoring Rayder Ascanio to give the Honey Hunters a 4-3 lead.

In the ninth, Southern Maryland would get a leadoff double from Raul Shah to give the Blue Crabs immediate hope. The next batter, Braxton Lee, reached on a fielding error to put runners on the corners.

Gastonia manager Mauro Gozzo lifted pitcher Sam Bordner for Jesus Balaguer.

Austin Rei singled to left, scoring Shah and leveling the game at 4-4. Two batters later, Matt Hibbert would come to the plate with a chance to put Southern Maryland on top. In the at-bat, Lee and Rei would pull off a double steal, putting runners at second and third. That prompted Hibbert to hit a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Lee and giving Southern Maryland a 5-4 advantage.

Mat Latos would come on in the ninth to earn his ninth save and extend the Blue Crabs winning streak to six straight.

Bordner would be saddled with the loss, his second in a week against the Blue Crabs, moving his mark to 3-2 on the year. Bradley Roney picked up the win for Southern Maryland(19-3).

Marcus Walden of Gastonia (16-6) will go opposite Eddie Butler tomorrow in the second game of the series. Game time is set for 6:15 and will be on WGNC am1450 and 101.1fm at 6pm with the pregame show.

Long Island 1, Staten Island 0

(Central Islip, N.Y., May 17, 2022) – The Long Island Ducks shut out the Staten Island FerryHawks 1-0 on Tuesday night in the opener of a three-game series at Fairfield Properties Ballpark.

Both starters locked up in a pitcher’s duel, with neither factoring into the decision. Anderson DeLeon pitched five scoreless innings for the Ducks, giving up just four hits and a walk while striking out four. Matt Solter threw seven scoreless innings for the FerryHawks, allowing six hits and a walk with two strikeouts.

Neither side dented home plate until the bottom of the eighth inning. After a single by Vladimir Frias to open the inning, Sam Travis reached on a dropped third strike and Deibinson Romero walked to load the bases. That set the stage for L.J. Mazzilli, who drew a walk with two outs to force home the game’s only run.

Joe Iorio (3-0) picked up the win, pitching a scoreless eighth inning and working around a walk. Chris Nunn (0-1) took the loss, conceding one run on one hit and two walks in one inning with two strikeouts. Tyler Webb picked up his third save of the season with a scoreless ninth, pitching around a hit and a walk while striking out one.

Frias led the Flock with two hits and scored the game’s lone run. Brady Feigl, Cody Beckman, Iorio and Webb combined to toss four scoreless innings of relief for Long Island.

The Ducks and FerryHawks continue their three-game set on Wednesday night. Game time is slated for 6:35 p.m., with the Fairfield Properties Ballpark gates opening at 5:35 (5:20 for full season ticket holders). It’s a Waddle In Wednesday at the ballpark! Fans will be able to purchase brand new Rubber Duckie Pop Its for just $10 (normally $12) in the Waddle In Shop throughout the ballgame. Left-hander Stephen Tarpley (0-1, 14.73) takes the mound for the Ducks against FerryHawks righty Anthony Gonzalez (0-1, 6.35).

York 5, Lancaster 4

Before the second out of the game, the Lancaster Barnstormers had three runs on the board.  After that, the offense fizzled, and the York Revolution rallied for a 5-4 victory in the opener of a three-game series at People’s Bank Park.  It was the 12^th straight road loss for Lancaster.

Melvin Mercedes opened the night with a walk and took second on a single by LeDarious Clark.  After Kelly Dugan struck out, the runners moved up on a passed ball.  Colton Shaver produced both runs with a long single to right off Alex Sanabia (2-1).  Shaver grabbed second on a wild pitch and scored when Andretty Cordero singled up the middle.  Sanabia also walked Anderson Feliz in the inning but escaped from there.

York responded against Brent Teller (2-2) immediately.  Elmer Reyes launched a one-out solo homer into the playground in left center.  Melky Mesa followed with a double off the wall in left, and Nellie Rodriguez walked.  Teller got past Carlos Franco, striking him out, but Josue Herrera launched a three-run homer down the right field line for a 4-3 York lead.

Mercedes scored the tying run on a throwing error by catcher Paul Mondesi in the second, but Sanabia struck out Cordero and Mark Zagunis in succession to end the inning. 

After consecutive doubles opened the top of the fourth without producing a run, a sacrifice fly by Mondesi snapped the deadlock in the bottom of the inning.

The Barnstormers were not without chances afterward.  Zagunis and Anderson Feliz started the fifth with singles and advanced on a sacrifice by Trace Loehr.  Jake Hoover’s comebacker resulted in Zagunis being tagged out, and Mercedes flied to left to end the threat.

Three innings later, pinch hitter Connor Lien lined a single off Reyes’ glove at short and moved up on Hoover’s bunt.  Mercedes was hit by a pitch, but Adrian Almeida struck out Clark and coaxed a pop up by Dugan to end the inning.

Jim Fuller retired the side in order in the ninth to earn his third save.

Augie Sylk (0-3) and Austin Nicely (0-3) will start on Wednesday in a matchup of left-handers.  Fans may tune into the YouTube broadcast at 6:25.

NOTES:  Lancaster had one hit in its last 12 at bats with a runner in scoring position with no RBI…The ‘Stormers left 11 runners on base in the game, four at third…Shaver threw out two runners in the bottom of the eighth…Clark has hit safely in a season-high 10 games.

Lexington 8, High Point 4

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The Lexington Legends hit four home runs in an 8-4 win over the High Point Rockers on Tuesday night at Truist Point.

Phillip Ervin, who had played 21 games for the Legends and logged 77 at-bats, had not hit a home run until notching two against the Rockers. Atlantic League home run leader Courtney Hawkins added a solo shot in the fourth and Isaias Tejeda hit a solo homer leading off the second inning.

The Legends went up 1-0 in the second inning when Tejeda led off the inning with a solo homer, his first of the year.

The Rockers tied the game in the third when Ben Aklinski got things started with a double into the left field corner. He moved to third on a single by Mike Gulino then scored on a ground out by Johnny Field.

Lexington put up three runs in the fourth to take a 4-1 lead.  Hawkins blasted a solo shot to dead center to lead off the top of the fourth and then Ervin hit a two-run homer, bringing in Jose Briceno ahead of him.

In the fifth, the Legends made it a 5-1 game when Montrell Marshall singled, moved to third on a double by Boog Powell, and scored on a passed ball.

Ervin’s second home run of the game, a solo shot with two outs in the sixth, put Lexington ahead 6-1.

The Rockers made it a three-run game at 6-3 when Field walked to start the sixth and Logan Morrison hit his second homer of the year.

In the eighth, the Legends added a pair of runs on a pair of walks, a hit batter and an RBI single by Blake Swihart.

Craig Stem (0-1) took the loss, pitching six innings and allowing seven hits while striking out five. Lexington starter Thomas Dorminy (2-2) went six innings and struck out in earning the win.

“Craig pitched well except for those few pitches that he left out over the plate,” said Rockers manager Jamie Keefe. “When he left it out over the plate, he got hurt. But we will comeback tomorrow and it will be a new day.”

High Point and Lexington will play the second game of the three-game series on Wednesday at 6:35 p.m. at Truist Point.