(Waldorf, MD, July 24th, 2021) After a heart-breaking series opening loss on Friday, early offense and a clutch bullpen secured a 3-2 Blue Crabs victory over the High Point Rockers on Saturday evening.
Carl Brice (W, 1-0) came out firing in his Blue Crabs debut on Saturday evening. In front of a 5,346 screaming Blue Crabs fans at Regency Furniture Stadium, the Mississippi native struck out eight batters through three innings.
The crowd erupted when Southern Maryland broke the scoring seal in the bottom of the third inning. It was an inning that appeared bleak for the Blue Crabs after Michael Baca was caught stealing one pitch before Matt Hibbert was fanned for the second out. Kent Blackstone extended the frame when High Point’s starter, Craig Stem (L, 1-7) plunked him with a pitch, and Rubi Silva took full advantage of the miscue. The Cuba native, Silva, hammered an opposite field homer over the Mini-Monster in left field to put the Blue Crabs on top, 2-0.
Stem, an Atlantic League All-Star in 2019 as a member of the Blue Crabs allowed another run in the fourth after a trio of hits. Sparking another two-out rally, Joe DeLuca singled before Cesar Trejo pounded a double, putting two in scoring position. Baca came up clutch, roping a single to left field to score Trejo, but DeLuca was cut down at home on a strong throw from the Rockers’ left fielder, James McOwen.
After sawing through the Rockers in innings one through four, Brice struggled in the fifth. With one on and one down, Giovanny Alfonzo drove in the first High Point run of the game. After walking Johnny Field, another run scored on a passed ball, trimming Southern Maryland’s lead to one. Despite walking the next two batters he faced to load the bases, Brice squeaked out of the jam, exiting the game after five innings, holding a 3-2 lead.
Brice gave way to a trio of Crabs relievers, Cody Strayer (H, 1), Endrys Briceno (H, 3), and Mat Latos (S, 10) who picked up a four out save. Southern Maryland will put Blake Bivens on the mound for Southern Maryland for a rubber match on Sunday, looking to gain ground on the Atlantic League North Division Leading Long Island Ducks.
About the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs. The Blue Crabs play in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. The Blue Crabs, set to kick off their 13th season of baseball, call Regency Furniture Stadium in Waldorf, Maryland home. For more information on the Blue Crabs, 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 is the first Professional Partner League of Major League Baseball, a player gateway to the major leagues, and a leader in baseball innovation. ALPB has sent over 950 players to MLB organizations while drawing 42 million fans to its family-friendly ballparks over its 24-year history. Please visit www.AtlanticLeague.com.
###
10.1.3