(Waldorf, MD, August 3, 2021) The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs shutout the Long Island Ducks in their final game before the second half of the 2021 season. Kolton Mahoney was untouchable, leading the Blue Crabs to a 4-0 win.
Southern Maryland and the Long Island Ducks have become de facto rivals in the Atlantic League due to divisional restructuring, and their neck and neck standing in the ALPB North Division. The Blue Crabs’ Kolton Mahoney and the Ducks’ Darin Downs staged a pitcher’s duel on Tuesday night. In a fast-paced contest, the Blue Crabs struck first when Josh McAdams grounded out to bring in Rubi Silva.
Southern Maryland tacked on one more in the sixth inning when David Harris singled Michael Baca home. Harris finished the contest with a trio of hits in four attempts.
Kolton Mahoney (W, 5-3) was dominant in eight innings of scoreless work. The right hander allowed just four hits while fanning three Ducks batters. In the bottom of the eighth, Mahoney’s offense gave him a pair of insurance runs to secure a 4-0 victory.
While the Blue Crabs didn’t get a playoff berth in the First Half, they still are heavily favored to reach the playoffs. The Blue Crabs were one game ahead in the ALPB North Division as recently as July 11th, but a 12 game win streak from the Ducks handed them the first half title. While the Ducks are playoff bound with their first half title, the Blue Crabs still have a multitude of avenues to reach the playoffs. The ALPB’s postseason abides by the following format: The 2021 ALPB Championship Season is split into two halves. The league is split in to two divisions, the Atlantic League North Division, and Atlantic League South Division. The season is split into two halves, each of which is 60 games long. The winner of each division in each half receives an automatic bid to the playoffs. Each team’s second half record is completely autonomous from the first half, meaning that the Blue Crabs will have a clean slate in the second half, and every team will have an equal opportunity to earn a playoff bid via the ALPB North Division Second Half title. In the event that the same team wins both halves, that playoff spot will open up to the team with the best record in the full 2021 season, regardless of division.
Daryl Thompson gets the start for the Blue Crabs to begin the second half of the season and Southern Maryland’s playoff push. Wednesday’s game will also be the debut of the pitching mound move back one foot to 61’ 6”, the first altercation in distance in professional baseball since 1893.
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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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