Southern Maryland 8, Gastonia 6

(Gastonia, NC, May 18, 2022) Despite trailing for most of the game, the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs added four critical runs across the seventh and eighth innings, defeating the Gastonia Honey Hunters 8-6.

The Blue Crabs turned to Eddie Butler for game two of the series.  Butler pitched five and one-third innings tonight, striking out three batters.  But Gastonia also collected six runs on ten hits and three homers.  From there, the bullpen was dominant again, allowing only one hit across the final three and two-thirds innings. 

The Blue Crabs and Honey Hunters were scoreless until the bottom of the fourth inning.  After a leadoff triple from Luis Roman, Jake Skole launched a two-run homer over the wall in left field, putting the Honey Hunters ahead 2-0. 

The Blue Crabs responded in the top of the fifth inning. Southern Maryland posted back-to-back singles with one out in the inning. Two batters later, with two outs and runners on second and third, Michael Baca struck a two-RBI double into the gap in left-center field, tying the game. 

The Honey Hunters regained a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the fifth inning on a home run from Jack Reinheimer.  But in the top of the sixth inning, the Blue Crabs struck again.  Zach Collier walked with one out.  The next batter, David Harris, belted a two-run shot over the wall in left field, giving the Blue Crabs a 4-3 lead. 

In the bottom of the sixth, the Honey Hunters added another crooked number.  Jake Skole led off the inning with his second home run of the game on a line drive over the wall in left field.  Honey Hunters strung together four hits in the inning, adding two additional runs to take a 6-4 lead. 

In the top of the seventh inning, the Blue Crabs added a run.  With two outs, Michael Baca was hit by a pitch and advanced to second on a wild pitch by Luis Perez.  Jack Sundberg then drove a double into the left-center field gap, scoring Baca and getting the Blue Crabs back within a run.  

In the eighth, The Blue Crabs continued to hit. After a leadoff walk, Alex Crosby laced a single into center field.  Braxton Lee tied the game with a sacrifice fly to right, scoring David Harris. After Raul Shah roped a single into center, the Blue Crabs had runners on the corners with one out.  Austin Rei grounded into a fielder’s choice, scoring Crosby, and putting Southern Maryland ahead 7-6.  Southern Maryland added to their lead when Michael Baca singled to left, scoring Shah and putting the Blue Crabs up 8-6. 

Meanwhile, the bullpen was rolling.  Dario Polanco (W, 2-0) did not allow a hit in the seventh inning, and the Blue Crabs turned to Briceno in the eighth.  He struck out a pair and kept the Honey Hunters off the board.  In the ninth inning, Mat Latos (SV, 10) entered the game.  Latos opened the inning with a strikeout and picked up his tenth save of the season.  The Blue Crabs move to 20-3 with the win and maintain a 9.5-game lead in the division.  Southern Maryland goes for the sweep tomorrow against Gastonia. 

Lancaster 6, York 3

YORK, Pa. - Recently acquired leadoff hitter B.J. Boyd went 3-for-4 in his Atlantic League debut to boost the Lancaster Barnstormers to a 6-3 win over the York Revolution Wednesday evening at People’s Bank Park in York.

The win was Lancaster’s first on the road since April 21, ending a 12-game travel skid.

Boyd opened up the game with an infield single and scored the first run.  He added a pair of line drive singles later in the game and was also hit by a pitch.

Kelly Dugan drove home Boyd with a grounder to second in the first inning.  Lancaster would stretch the lead to 2-0 in the third when Jake Hoover took Austin Nicely’s first pitch of the inning down the right field line for a triple.  He came home on a one-out single to left, also by Dugan

Augie Sylk (1-3) threw shutout baseball through four innings for the second consecutive start before running into trouble in the fifth.  The lefty allowed a leadoff single by J.C. Encarnacion, who scored on a Lenin Rodriguez double past third.  One out later, Elmer Reyes also doubled to left to tie the game.  Sylk was able to finish the fifth, and preserve Lancaster’s DH, by getting Melky Mesa to ground to short.

The Barnstormers were able to break the tie in the top of the sixth when LeDarious Clark doubled into left center, stole third and came home on a grounder by Andretty Cordero.  Chase Johnson picked up in the sixth after Sylk walked a pair and got the Barnstormers through the sixth and seventh to hold the lead.

Dugan and Clark teamed up with a pair of doubles in the eighth to stretch the lead.  In the ninth, Connor Lien opened with a double and scored on Boyd’s single to center.  Dugan drew a two-out walk, and Colton Shaver followed with a long double off the high wall in left, scoring Boyd.  Dugan was thrown out at home.

York fought back on a double by Lenin Rodriguez and single by Reyes in the ninth, but Reyes was thrown out at second before Josh Graham wrapped up the night by getting Mesa to ground to first.

The three-game series will conclude on Thursday at 11:00.  Right-hander Nile Ball (0-1) will make the start for Lancaster against right-hander Marandy Gonzalez (0-1).  Fans may tune into the Barnstormers YouTube Channel, beginning at 10:55.

NOTES:  Clark has hit safely in 11 straight and has 16 hits in the eight games against York…Lancaster produced more than 10 hits in a road game for the first time this season…The team produced five doubles…Johnson has fanned seven in his last 4 1/3 innings…Six of Lien’s 10 Lancaster hits have been doubles.

Long Island 10, Staten Island 9

(Central Islip, N.Y., May 18, 2022) – The Long Island Ducks defeated the Staten Island FerryHawks 10-9 on Wednesday night in the middle game of a three-game series at Fairfield Properties Ballpark.

Staten Island jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning against Ducks starter Stephen Tarpley on Angel Aguilar’s sacrifice fly to center field and John Nester’s two-run double to right-center. The FerryHawks doubled their lead to six in the fourth on a three-run double to right-center off the bat of Rymer Liriano. 

The Ducks offense then erupted for 10 runs in the bottom of the fourth, including six off FerryHawks starter Anthony Rodriguez, to take a 10-6 lead. RBI singles by Alejandro De Aza and Rusney Castillo, a two-run single by Deven Marrero, and three-run home runs by Johnni Turbo and Sam Travis did the damage. 

The FerryHawks closed to within a run on a run-scoring error in the fifth and RBI singles by Alfredo Reyes and Liriano in the seventh. However, Sandy Baez and Tyler Webb pitched 1-2-3 innings in the eighth and ninth to preserve the win.

Neither starter factored into the decision. Tarpley lasted two and two-thirds innings, giving up three runs on three hits and a walk with one strikeout. Rodriguez pitched three innings, conceding six runs (five earned) on seven hits and two walks. Dylan Peiffer (1-0) picked up the win, yielding one unearned run on one walk in one and one-third innings. Eddy Reynoso (1-2) took the loss, allowing four runs on four hits in one inning. Webb earned his fourth save with a perfect ninth inning.

Turbo and Travis led the Flock offensively with three hits and three RBIs apiece. Turbo walked and scored a run, while Travis scored twice. 

The Ducks and FerryHawks wrap up their three-game set on Thursday 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 Thirsty Thursday at the ballpark! Fans will be able to enjoy a special buy one, get one half-price offer on all EBBS beer products and Fountain Hard Seltzer throughout the game. Right-hander Brett Kennedy (1-1, 3.51) toes the rubber for the Ducks against FerryHawks (0-2, 19.29).

High Point 11, Lexington 6
 

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point Rockers used a five-run seventh inning to break a 6-6 tie and post an 11-6 win over the Lexington Legends on Wednesday night at Truist Point. The Rockers trailed 5-0 early in the game and tied a club record by erasing a five-run deficit in a win.

The big inning was highlighted by a two-run single by Jay Gonzalez and a three-run inside the park homer from Ben Aklinski.

High Point got off to a rocky start, gifting the Legends four runs in the top of the first on two hits and a pair of errors. The Rockers we able to escape when rightfielder Ben Aklinski caught a fly ball in right and then cut down Isaias Tejeda at the plate as he was trying to score from third.

The Legends went ahead 5-0 in the second when Boog Powell walked, stole second and third then scored on a sac fly by Isaias Tejeda.

The Rockers bounced back with four runs in the second, starting the inning with three consecutive hits. Singles by Quincy Latimore, Zander Wiel and Jerry Downs loaded the bases. Michael Martinez grounded to first but the throw to the plate was dropped by the Lexington catcher, allowing Latimore to score. Chris Proctor followed with an RBI single and Jay Gonzalez brought home a run with a ground out to second. Aklinski then singled home a run to make it a 5-4 game.

Jerry Downs blasted a long home run to right, his fourth of the year, with one out in the third to tie the game at 5-5.

The Legends took a 6-5 lead in the fourth when Tillman Pugh walked, stole second then scored on a Briceno bloop single to center. The Rockers knotted the game at 6-6 in the bottom of the fifth when Michael Martinez drew a two-out walk and scored when Chris Proctor tripled with a shot off the wall in right field.

High Point broke the game open with a five-run seventh inning, highlighted by Aklinski’s inside the park home run.

John Hayes (1-0) got the win by pitching a scoreless seventh inning for the Rockers. Lexington’s Henry Owens (0-1) took the loss.

High Point and Lexington will conclude their three-game series on Thursday at 6:35 p.m. at Truist Point.

Kentucky 2, Charleston 0

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Demetrius Moorer doubled home Anfernee Seymour to break a scoreless deadlock in the fifth inning and the Kentucky Wild Health Genomes went on to defeat the Charleston Dirty Birds 2-0 in a Thursday matinee at Wild Health Field.

Starters Jose Mesa, Jr. (4-1) of Charleston and Robby Scott (2-3) of Kentucky matched pitching excellence through the first six innings. Mesa, Jr., who suffered his first loss of the year, allowed just two hits while striking out five. Scott held the Dirty Birds to three hits while striking out two.

After Seymour scored on the Moorer double, Moorer stole third and then came around to score on an errant throw by the Charleston catcher. And those were the only runs of the game.

Three Genome relievers held the Birds to two hits over the final three innings with Diego Moreno earning his second save of the year.