(Bridgewater, NJ., Jun. 24, 2018) - The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs (22-31) dropped the series finale against the Somerset Patriots (30-22) 6-2, coming up short of the series sweep.
A scoreless first started the series finale, before the Patriots got on the board in the bottom of the second. After two quick strikeouts from Paul Clemens (1-3) started the inning, the right-hander issued a walk to Kyle Roller that extended the frame. Mike Fransoso capitalized on the opportunity, launching a two-run homerun to open the scoring.
Somerset added another run in the third, extending their early advantage to 3-0. Adam Weisenberger singled to lead off, but was replaced at first by Julio Borbon on a fielder’s choice. A double from Craig Massey moved Borbon around to third, where he would score on an Alfredo Rodriguez single.
Rick Teasley (3-2) was strong on the mound for Somerset early, allowing just one hit through the first four innings. Southern Maryland finally got some offense going against the southpaw, scoring two in the fifth. Austin Green singled to start the inning, before two batters later Cory Vaughn launched a two-run homerun. Vaughn’s team-high ninth long ball of the season cut the deficit to just one run.
The Patriots responded immediately, putting two of their own on the board in the bottom of the inning. Weisenberger singled again as the leadoff man in the inning, getting the offense started once more. Borbon followed with a two-run shot, the third homerun of the game, to regain the three-run advantage for his team.
Teasley bounced back from the rough fifth inning to pick up a quality start on the mound. The left-hander allowed just the two runs on five hits, exiting with a 5-2 lead. The offense continued to add to their total in the eighth, first on a solo homerun from Roller. Fransoso walked behind him, stealing second and then moving up to third on a single from Scott Kelly. Weisenbeger followed with a single, easily scoring Fransoso to put the lead at 7-2.
Despite the non-save opportunity, closer Ryan Kelly got the ball in the ninth for the Patriots looking to finish the victory. The right-hander struck out the first batter in the inning, before forcing back-to-back groundouts to shut the door on the game. The 7-2 win for the Patriots allowed them to avoid the sweep in the series, and extend their lead in the Liberty Division to 3.5 games over the Long Island Ducks.
The Blue Crabs return to action Tuesday, June 26th for the series opener against the Road Warriors. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 P.M. on Tuesday at Regency Furniture Stadium.
For more information on the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, or to reserve your seat today for any of the Blue Crabs upcoming home games, please visit our website at somdbluecrabs.com or call us at 301-638-9788.