The Blue Crabs started the scoring in the bottom of the first inning. With one out, Rubi Silva launched a triple to center field. Frank Martinez drove in his team high 16th RBI of the season on a sacrifice fly to put the Blue Crabs up 1-0.
The High Point starter, Matt Sergey (L, 1-1), escaped the inning without any additional damage.In the following half inning Craig Stem (W, 2-2) allowed a rare run in what has been a terrific start to the young season. With Brett Austin leading off of first base, Richie Shaffer hammered a two-run home run to left field, putting the Rockers up by a score of 2-1. The Rockers added one more in the top of the third when Hector Gomez was hit by a pitch, forcing Myles Schroder home. Southern Maryland battled back in the bottom of the fourth inning, starting with an RBI sacrifice fly by Charlie Valerio driving in Frank Martinez.
Then, in the bottom of the fifth inning Kent Blackstone came through in just his second start of the season. After Edwin Garcia doubled to start the inning, Kent Blackstone blasted a two-run home run over the left field mini monster to put the good guys in the lead 4-3.Blackstone’s bat stayed red hot as he came up big yet again in the bottom of the seventh inning. The second baseman tattooed a line drive down the left field line to score Tony Thomas. The next batter, Rubi Silva, drove in Blackstone to put the Blue Crabs up 6-3.
The Rockers responded in the top of the eighth inning. After Brett Austin walked, Hector Gomez laced a homer to left field, cutting the Blue Crabs’ lead to 6-5. After Southern Maryland reliever Kevin Munson worked out of the eighth inning, Mat Latos (S,3) entered the game in the ninth and shut down the Rockers’ bats, giving the Blue Crabs a 6-5 win.
The Blue Crabs will return home tomorrow, Wednesday, May 29th for the final game of the homestand, and it’ll be Game of Thrones Night at Regency Furniture Stadium, with the first pitch at 6:35 PM.
About the Southern Maryland Blue CrabsThe Blue Crabs play 140 regular season games in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball Clubs. The Blue Crabs call Regency Furniture Stadium in Waldorf, Maryland home. The 12th franchise season will begin April 2019. For more information on the SOMD Blue Crabs, please call 301-638-9788 or visithttp://www.somdbluecrabs.com for more information.About the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB)With eight teams in the Mid-Atlantic and Texas, the ALPB is a leader in baseball innovation and a player gateway to Major League Baseball. Through its exclusive partnership with MLB, the Atlantic League tests Major League Baseball rules and equipment initiatives. The Atlantic League has sent over 900 players to MLB organizations while drawing more than 40 million fans to its affordable, family-friendly ballparks throughout its 22-year history.For more information, please visit www.AtlanticLeague.com.###