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Southern Maryland 6, Long Island 5

(Waldorf, Md., July 19, 2022) – The Long Island Ducks were defeated by the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs 6-5 on Tuesday night in the opener of a three-game midweek series from Regency Furniture Stadium.

 Long Island jumped out in front 1-0 in the top of the third inning against Southern Maryland starting pitcher Eddie Butler courtesy of a two-out run-scoring single to the opposite field in left off the bat of Alejandro De Aza that plated Johnni Turbo after he led off the frame with a double. The Blue Crabs made it 2-1 in their favor in the last of the third versus Ducks starter Scott Harkin by way of a two-run home run over the Mini Monster in left field produced by Michael Wielansky.

 The Flock went back out in front 4-2 in the fourth thanks to a bases clearing three-run double into the left field corner by L.J. Mazzilli that scored Joe DeCarlo, Vladimir Frias, and Turbo. The visitors made it 5-2 in the fifth as Deibinson Romero plated De Aza with an RBI base knock. Trailing 5-4 in the seventh, Southern Maryland tied the ballgame at five in the on an RBI base hit from Wielansky against Nick Goody. In the last of the ninth, David Harris flared a single just in front of leftfielder Sam Travis off Edubray Ramos that enabled Zach Collier to cross the plate with the winning run which gave the Blue Crabs the walk-off victory.

 Neither pitcher factored in the game’s final outcome, as Harkin gave up four runs on nine hits (one home run) in five innings pitched, walking one and striking out four, while Butler surrendered five runs on 11 hits across six innings on the mound, walking two while striking out six. Ramos (2-1) suffered the loss, allowing one run on two hits in two-thirds of an inning pitched, striking out one. Mat Latos (3-2) tallied with a scoreless inning of relief on one strikeout. De Aza had three hits for Long Island, along with an RBI, run scored, and stolen base.

 The Ducks and Blue Crabs continue their three-game set on Wednesday evening. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. from Regency Furniture Stadium. 

Gastonia 19, York 5

YORK, Pa. - The Gastonia Honey Hunters celebrated a pair of birthdays on Tuesday night with a 16-hit outburst, taking down the York Revolution 19-5 at Peoples Bank Park.

Five Gastonia players garnered multi-hit games, including Reece Hampton and Jack Reinheimer, who celebrated their birthdays by collecting six hits and two homers, while driving in four runs.

The offensive onslaught came as part of a run that saw Gastonia score 14 unanswered runs. Gastonia scored three runs in the second, followed by two in the third, four in the fourth and five in the fifth inning.

York was able to strike first in the first inning as Melky Mesa, fresh off his walk-off single on Sunday, drove his seventh home run of the season, a two-run blast to left center measured at 435 feet, putting York up 2-0.  It was the 65th home run of his Revs career, pulling within one of matching Andres Perez for second on the franchise’s all-time list.

Hampton opened the scoring for Gastonia, launching his fifth homer to right field against Eduardo Rivera.

The Reinheimer home run, his eighth, came in the fifth inning off Revs reliever Josh Martin and was part of a four-hit day. The Gastonia shortstop now has three homers in his last two games played at Peoples Bank Park, owning a .500(9-18) average against York on the road.

Zach Jarrett collected three hits in the contest, bumping his average to .289 on the season.

York was able to get back on the board in the fifth against Honey Hunters starter John Anderson. Yefri Perez kicked off the rally by slicing a leadoff triple to right and coming around to score on an Elmer Reyes single. Singles from Mesa and Nellie Rodriguez loaded the bases and a Carlos Franco walk provided Franco with his league-leading 82nd RBI as the Revs cut the margin to 14-4. 

York pushed across one more in the seventh as JC Encarnacion led off the inning by ripping a solo homer to left field on the first pitch, his eighth of the year. Encarnacion had entered the game in the previous inning as a defensive replacement for Mesa.

Luis Castro, who homered, and Joseph Rosa collected two hits apiece in the win, moving Gastonia to a twelve game winning streak. The streak for the Honey Hunters is a franchise high.

Jake Skole added his thirteenth dinger of the season in the five-run fifth, putting Gastonia up 11-2.

John Anderson earned his eighth win of the year for Gastonia(56-21), as the 19 runs was a season´s best and the 14-run margin of victory is a high water mark for 2022.

Wednesday, Reilly Hovis works opposite Alex Sanabia at 6:30 pm.

Lexington 6, High Point 1
 

LEXINGTON, KY, - The High Point Rockers lost to the Lexington Legends 6-1 on Tuesday night at Wild Health Field in Lexington.

Jay Gonzalez led the Rockers with three hits including a double. Jonah Scolaro took the loss, allowing six hits and four runs over 3.1 innings while striking out five.

The Rockers are now 40-38 overall and 1-11 in the second half of the Atlantic League season.

The Rockers took a 1-0 lead with a run in the second when Tyler Ladendorf led off the inning with a walk, moved to second on a single by Jay Gonzalez and scored on a single by Giovanny Alfonzo.

Scolaro allowed a double to Courtney Hawkins leading off the third before walking Manuel Geraldo. Rusber Estrada then hit a three-run homer that was followed by a solo homer from Montrell Marshall to give the Legends a 4-1 lead.  Estrada added a solo homer in the fifth to go ahead 5-1.

In the sixth, Boog Powell tripled and Hawkins walked. With runners on first and third, the Legends executed a double steal with Powell taking home to put Lexington up 6-1.

Lexington starter David Lebron (W, 3-2) went five innings and allowed five hits and five walks while striking out six.

High Point and Lexington will play the middle game of this three-game series at noon on Wednesday at Wild Health Field.

Lancaster 6, Charleston 4

They say that one good turn deserves another.  Based on Tuesday night’s game between the Lancaster Barnstormers and Charleston Dirty Birds, the same might be true about a bad throw.

Charleston tied the game in the top of the eighth when a wide throw to first kept the Barnstormers from an inning ending double play, but the Barnstormers grabbed the lead to stay on a thrown away comebacker as Lancaster won, 6-4, in the fourth game of a six-game series.

With the win, the Barnstormers have taken a two-game lead over Staten Island in the Atlantic League North.

Lancaster jumped ahead with a big third inning.  A walk to Devon Torrence and single by Shawon Dunston, Jr. set the stage.  After Melvin Mercedes flied to right for the second out, Andretty Cordero banged a single into right to score Torrence.  Trayvon Robinson followed with a three-run blast to the hillside in left to go ahead, 4-0.

Starters Michael Gunn and Oscar De La Cruz kept the opposing teams in check from there through the sixth inning, but the Dirty Birds got to reliever Chase Johnson in the seventh.  With one out, Yovan Gonzalez drilled a single into center.  Scott Burcham walked, and Anfernee Seymore reached the picnic deck in right with a line drive home run to cut the lead to 4-3.  After a walk to Nick Heath, Josh Graham was summoned and pitched out of the rest of the inning.

In the top of the eighth, Engel Beltre and Diego Goris reached Graham for consecutive one-out singles.  Yovan Gonzalez stroked a grounder to third baseman Trace Loehr, who got the force at second.  The relay throw back to first from Melvin Mercedes was wide of Andretty Cordero as the tying run scored.  Burcham followed with a base hit up the middle, again putting runners at first and third.  West Tunnell (2-0) entered and struck out Seymour to close the inning.

With one out in the bottom of the eighth, Cordero singled to right center, and Robinson doubled in the same direction.  Charleston walked Anderson Feliz intentionally to set up a double play.  Joe Testa (0-4) struck out Tyler Hill for the second out.  Anthony Peroni bounced a full count pitch to the third base side of the mound.  Testa fielded the ball and lobbed a soft throw to first baseman Tyler Blaum.  Blaum was pulled to the infield side of the bag, then slipped trying to get back.  He dove for the bag with Peroni’s foot touching down first.  Cordero and Robinson both scored on the play for the 6-4 lead.

Tunnell struck out the side in the ninth around a four-pitch walk to Alfredo Gonzalez to lock up Lancaster’s 14^th win in the last 15 home games.

The Barnstormers send Nile Ball (6-3) to the mound on Wednesday evening against right-hander Stephen Chamblee (1-3).  It is a Wet Nose Wednesday at Clipper Magazine Stadium.  Fans may tune into the Barnstormers YouTube channel or Blue Ridge 11, beginning at 6:30.

NOTES:  Mercedes singled in the fifth inning to extend his hitting streak to 16, the longest on the club this season…Dunston stretch his hitting streak to 10…Cordero drove home his 68^th run of the season…He has an RBI in nine of the last 11 games…His league-leading hit total increased to 103…Robinson’s homer was his fifth in nine games…He has 19 RBI in the last 10 games…De La Cruz has a 1.57 ERA over his last four starts.

Kentucky 3, Staten Island 0