Southern Maryland 7, Charleston 6

(7/4/2022, Waldorf, MD)  Southern Maryland’s 7-6 win over Charleston on Monday night at Regency Furniture Stadium put a close to the Blue Crabs’ first half championship season and also marked the best winning percentage for a half-season by an Atlantic League club. The Blue Crabs finished the first half with a 48-18 record and a league-best .727 winning percentage.

Denson Hull was traded from the Blue Crabs to Charleston Dirty Birds prior to today's game and got the start for Charleston.  Hull pitched five innings, allowing three runs on five hits. 

The Blue Crabs got the bats going in the first inning when Zach Collier and Jared Walker posted back-to-back doubles.  The Blue Crabs kept the scoring going in the fourth inning. With runners on first and second, Michael Baca drove a base hit into right-center field, scoring Joe DeLuca.  Ryan Haug later came in on a throwing error by the catcher, Tyler Blaum, extending the lead to 3-0. 

 Daryl Thompson (W, 7-2) held the Charleston Dirty Birds without a hit for the first five innings, but the Dirty Birds got the bats going in the sixth. Charleston posted five hits in the inning and scored all four runs with two outs in the sixth.  The Dirty Birds took a 4-3 lead, their first advantage of the game.

 Southern Maryland picked up the slack in the seventh inning.  Max Tannenbaum (L, 1-4) entered the game for Charleston and struggled.  Michael Wielansky was hit by a pitch to start the inning.  The next batter, Zach Collier, ripped a triple down the right-field line, scoring Wielansky to tie the game.  Jared Walker then drove in Collier to give the Blue Crabs a 5-4 lead.   

 Southern Maryland kept the scoring going in the eighth. With runners on the corners and one out, Michael Baca bounced a base hit through the left side, scoring Braxton Lee.  Later in the inning, Zach Collier punched a line drive through the right side, scoring Ryan Haug to give the Blue Crabs a 7-4 edge. 

 In the top of the ninth inning, Mat Latos (SV, 18) entered for the Blue Crabs. Latos allowed a leadoff double to Scott Kelly before walking AJ Bumpass.  The next batter, Nick Heath, who pinch-hit for Joe Testa, lifted a triple to dead-center field, cutting the deficit to 7-6.  Mat Latos then induced a lineout from Engel Beltre before striking out Corey Bird, securing the 7-6 victory. 

 The Blue Crabs begin the second half of the season Tuesday, as they take on the Charleston Dirty Birds at 6:35 pm. 

High Point 8, Gatonia 1
GASTONIA, N.C. – The High Point Rockers closed out the first half of the Atlantic League season with an 8-1 win over South Division first half champion Gastonia on Monday night at CaroMont Health Park.

The Rockers finished second in the South Division with a 39-27 record. Gastonia claimed the first half at 44-21. The win was High Point’s first over Gastonia this season after having lost the first six meetings.

The Rockers started Liam O’Sullivan, an Atlantic League veteran who signed with the Rockers on Monday. O’Sullivan went four shutout innings, allowed just three hits and did not yield a walk while striking out one. Gastonia starter Jerry Keel sailed through the first two innings but walked High Point catcher Dakota Mulcay leading off the third. Mulcay moved to second on a ground out by Giovanny Alfonzo and took third on a wild pitch by Keel before scoring on a groundout by Jay Gonzalez.

The Rockers extended their lead to 4-0 by scoring three times in the top of the fourth. Logan Morrison started the rally by drawing a walk from Keel and moving to second when Quincy Latimore’s ground ball to third was misplayed by Luis Roman. Morrison and Latimore then executed a double steal before Tyler Ladendorf drew a walk to load the bases. Adam Taylor’s fly ball to center scored Morrison before Mulcay lined a single to center to score Latimore. Jay Gonzalez then singled home Ladendorf.

After a scoreless fifth, the Rockers added three more runs in the sixth to take a 7-0 lead. Mulcay singled with one out and Gastonia relieved Keel with Ezequiel Zabaleta. Alfonzo greeted Zabaleta with a single before Gonzalez then hit a three-run homer to center, his first home run of the season.

John Hayes took over for O’Sullivan to start the fifth and threw two hitless innings before Nathan Bates relieved to start the seventh. The Honey Hunters’ Jake Skole doubled and scored on a pair of ground ball outs to break-up the shutout.  The Rockers added their final run in the ninth when Latimore singled and scored on a double by Zander Wiel.

The Rockers return to Gastonia on Tuesday for a 6:15 meeting with the Honey Hunters. With two games in High Pont on Wednesday and Thursday and five in Gastonia, the two clubs will meet seven times this week.

NOTES: Giovanny Alfonzo had two base hits to collect his 231st career hit as a Rocker, surpassing Stephen Cardullo’s franchise record of 230.

Long Island 4, Staten Island 0

(Staten Island, N.Y., July 4, 2022) – The Long Island Ducks shut out the Staten Island FerryHawks 4-0 on Monday night in the opener of a two-game series at Staten Island University Hospital Community Park.

 The Ducks opened the scoring in the second inning when Sam Travis raced home from third to score on L.J. Mazzilli’s groundout to FerryHawks starter Dakota Freese. Back-to-back RBI singles by Alejandro De Aza and Travis in the third extended Long Island’s advantage to 3-0. Rusney Castillo’s sacrifice fly to right in the fifth scored Joe DeCarlo to make it a 4-0 ballgame.

 Ducks starter Scott Harkin (5-6) earned the win, tossing five scoreless innings, allowing four this and a walk while striking out two. Freese (1-5) took the loss, giving up four runs on four hits and six walks with one strikeout. Chris Cepeda, Chad Hockin, Kai-Wei Lin and James Varela combined for four scoreless innings of relief for the Flock.

 Travis led the Ducks offensively, with a hit, an RBI, a run and three walks.

 The Ducks and FerryHawks wrap up their two-game set on Tuesday night. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at Staten Island University Hospital Community Park. Fans can follow all the action on the Long Island Ducks Broadcast Network. Live streaming HD video and audio will be available via BoxCast on LIDucks.com as well as on the Ducks official Facebook page and YouTube channel. Right-hander Akeel Morris (4-4, 5.46) takes the mound for the Ducks against FerryHawks lefty Anthony Rodriguez (2-4, 7.01).

 Long Island returns home on Wednesday, July 6, to begin another two-game set with the FerryHawks.

Lancaster 3, York 1

(July 4, 2022 – York, Pa.): Despite the fireworks that would take place post game, Monday afternoon’s contest was a quiet one offensively for the York Revolution who mustered just two hits in a 3-1 defeat to the Lancaster Barnstormers in front of 5,769 fans at PeoplesBank Park. Aside from a ninth inning homer by JC Encarnacion to avoid a shutout, the biggest highlight offensively belonged to Carlos Franco who drew a walk in the bottom of the seventh to reach base in a 46th consecutive game, setting a Revs franchise record by doing so.

 Lancaster got to Revs starter Austin Nicely in the first inning, scoring on a LeDarious Clark double to left and on a wild pitch for a quick 2-0 lead.

 The Barnstormers threatened in the second with two singles to start the inning before the Revs caught a break on a line drive double play to Elmer Reyes as short.  That started a string of great defense for the Revs which included a spectacular running grab by center fielder Connor Lien on Kelly Dugan’s deep drive in the third and a caught stealing by catcher Lenin Rodriguez on Andretty Cordero’s delayed steal attempt, aiding Nicely who settled in to work the next four innings scoreless.

 One more crossed for the Barnstormers in the sixth on a seeing eye single up the middle from catcher Colton Shaver to extend their lead to 3-0.

 Nicely (2-6) battled through six strong innings, allowing just the three runs, striking out seven.

 After being no-hit through six innings against righty Brooks Hall, York finally got into the hit column to lead off the seventh when Reyes ripped an opposite field double down the right field line.  Three batters later, Franco took a two-out walk, which marked 46 games in-a-row in which he reached base, setting a new franchise record that dated all the way back to 2007 when Nate Espy reached in 45 straight. But with runners on the corners and two outs, Hall (1-1) notched his ninth strikeout to keep the shutout bid intact, finishing his day by allowing just one hit in seven innings.

 After Josh Martin had stranded two in a scoreless seventh out of the York bullpen, lefty Tuck Tucker maintained the scoreless start to his pro career through four outings, tossing a 1-2-3 eighth inning which included a strikeout.

 Nick Green followed with a 1-2-3 inning of his own in the ninth, keeping the score at 3-0 with his third consecutive scoreless appearance to begin his Revs career.  For York’s bullpen, they allowed just one hit over three innings to keep the Revs in the game.

 Lancaster righty West Tunnell retired the first two he faced on groundouts but allowed a home run to deep left-center by Encarnacion to break up the shutout. It was Encarnacion’s seventh on the season, but was all York could manage as Tunnell struck out the next hitter to close down a 3-1 decision with his third save.

 The two teams will play a single admission double header on Tuesday beginning at 5 p.m. with two seven inning contests taking place. Eduardo Rivera will get the ball in the opener against Lancaster lefty Augie Sylk.  

Kentucky 2, Lexington 1 (Game 1)
Kentucky 6, Lexington 5 (Game 2)