(Lancaster, PA, July 31st, 2021) After posting season highs in runs and hits in a blowout series opening win, the Blue Crabs got a taste of their own medicine on Saturday. Lancaster pulled out to an early lead on the Blue Crabs, and picked up a series tying 9-2 victory.
The Stormers pounced on the Southern Maryland starter, Carl Brice, right out of the gates. Brice, in his second appearance since signing with the Blue Crabs, allowed four runs in the first inning. The first run came around to score on a wild pitch, and the latter three scored on a pair of throwing errors.
After allowing a quartet of runs on miscues, the next four Lancaster runs came in a different fashion. With the bases juiced, the Barnstormers’ centerfielder and ten-year MLB veteran, Alejandro De Aza, blasted a grand slam off of Brice to extend the Stormers lead to an 8-0 mark.
Brice would be pulled after five innings of work, allowing six earned runs while fanning half a dozen batters. The Blue Crabs avoided the shutout when Josh McAdams hit a home run in the top of the eighth inning, his second bomb in as many games, but the pair of runs wouldn’t push the needle enough.
The Barnstormers held their lead and secured a 9-2 victory to force a rubber match in Sunday’s series finale. Lancaster also caught the Blue Crabs in the Atlantic League North Division standings, tying Southern Maryland in second place. In an effort to finish the first half in the upper echelon of the division, Blake Bivens will get the ball for Southern Maryland in game three.
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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.
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