The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs (23-31) took the series opener against the Road Warriors (12-42) 5-1, behind a strong pitching performance.
The Blue Crabs jumped on the board right away, as Ryan Strausborger led off the bottom of the first with a solo homerun. Brandon Bargas (0-4) immediately settled down after that, retiring the next nine batters he faced.
Edwin Garcia ended that streak with a single to start things off in the bottom of the fourth. Frank Martinez followed with another single, moving Garcia into scoring position at second with nobody down. Jon Griffin added a third straight hit, singling up the middle to bring Garcia across and take a 2-0 lead.
Casey Delgado (4-4) was strong on the mound for the Blue Crabs, allowing just two hits through his first five innings. The right-hander came back out for the sixth, and allowed a hit to Jorge Fernandez to get the inning started. Fernandez moved up to second on a groundout, setting up an RBI single from Edwin Gomez to cut the lead down to just one run.
The offense came alive in the bottom of the seventh, adding three insurance runs to the lead. Angelys Nina and Struasborger started the frame with back-to-back singles, putting runners on the corners with nobody out. A wild pitch during the next at-bat allowed Nina to score, before a strikeout recorded the first out in the inning. A ground-rule double from Frank Martinez allowed Strausborger to score, before a single from Devon Rodriguez plated Martinez to push the lead to 5-1.
The Southern Maryland bullpen picked up right where Delgado left off, allowing just one runner to reach between the seventh and the eighth. Cody Eppley came on for the ninth, and allowed a one-out hit to Alfredo Silverio. Eppley bounced back with a fielder’s choice and a flyout to finish off the win in the series opener.
The Blue Crabs return to action Wednesday, June 27th for the second game in the series against the Road Warriors. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 P.M. on Wednesday 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.
About the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs
The Blue Crabs play 126 regular season games in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball Clubs. The Blue Crabs play at Regency Furniture Stadium in Waldorf, Maryland with affordable family fun. The franchise will begin its 11th season in April 2018. Please call 301-638-9788 or visit http://www.somdbluecrabs.com for more information.
About the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB)
The Atlantic League has been a leader in professional baseball and a gateway to Major League Baseball since 1998. Over 38 million fans have attended Atlantic League games and more than 900 players and 50 managers and coaches have joined MLB organizations directly from the ALPB. The Atlantic League emphasizes winning baseball games, showcasing the talent of top-caliber players and offering affordable family entertainment.
For more information, please visit www.AtlanticLeague.com.