Southern Maryland 9, Lancaster 8

(7/26/2022, Lancaster, PA) The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs picked up the series opener in Lancaster on Tuesday night, despite a late push by the Barnstormers.  The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs led 8-1 before the Lancaster Barnstormers tied it in the eighth.  Alex Crosby’s ninth-inning solo shot was the difference in the 9-8 victory. 

 Southern Maryland got the bats going in the first.  Following a walk to Zach Collier, David Harris roped an RBI-double to left-center, scoring Collier to put the Blue Crabs ahead 1-0. In the second the Blue Crabs added two runs, as Ryan Haug ripped a double to left, scoring Braxton Lee.  Haug later scored on a single to right from Jack Sundberg, putting Southern Maryland on top 3-0. 

 In the third inning, Alex Crosby drove a liner over the wall in right field, giving the Blue Crabs a 4-0 edge.  Lancaster battled back in the third, scoring a run on a sac fly.  

 In the fifth inning, the Blue Crabs broke out. Nile Ball walked a batter before hitting two batters to load the bases.  With one out, Alex Crosby crushed a triple down the first baseline, clearing the bases to give the Blue Crabs a 7-1 lead.  Southern Maryland would extend the lead to 8-1 on a sacrifice fly. 

 Lancaster stormed back from there.  Melvin Mercedes hit a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth to cut the deficit to 8-2.  The Barnstormers linked four hits together in the sixth off of Daryl Thompson, cutting the Blue Crabs’ lead to 8-4.  In the seventh, Nick Wells retired the first two batters before he surrendered a single and an opposite-field two-run shot, putting the Barnstormers within two runs. 

 In the bottom of the eighth, Patrick Baker (W, 5-1) entered the game, recording the first two outs.  After a bunt single from Shawon Dunston, Melvin Mercedes smashed a two-run home run over the wall in right, tying the game. 

 With two outs in the ninth inning, Dominic DiSabatino (L, 3-3) retired the first two batters before Alex Crosby crushed a solo home run over the right field wall, giving the Blue Crabs a 9-8 edge.  From there, Mat Latos pitched a 1-2-3 ninth with a pair of strikeouts, giving Southern Maryland a 9-8 victory. 

 The Blue Crabs pick up their 60th victory with the win tonight, moving to 60-25 on the season.  The Blue Crabs are 12-7 in the second half, tied for the North Division lead in the second half.  Southern Maryland will send Alex Merithew to the mound tomorrow, as they look to win the series over Lancaster.

Long Island 6, Staten Island 3

(Central Islip, N.Y., July 26, 2022) – The Long Island Ducks defeated the Staten Island FerryHawks 6-3 on Tuesday night in the opener of a three-game series at Fairfield Properties Ballpark.

 The Ducks opened the scoring in the first inning on an RBI single to right field off FerryHawks starter Hector Guance. Joe DeCarlo’s RBI single up the middle in the second extended the lead to two. Kevin Whatley then doubled the Ducks advantage to 4-0 in the fourth with a two-run home run to right field.

 Staten Island cut their deficit in half in the fifth on Javier Betancourt’s RBI double to left and Dilson Herrera’s RBI single to left off Ducks starter Scott Harkin. However, the Ducks got one of the runs back in the bottom of the frame on Deibinson Romero’s RBI single down the right field line, making it a 5-2 game.

 A run-scoring groundout off the bat of Betancourt in the seventh closed the gap to 5-3. Long Island got the run back though in the seventh when Alejandro De Aza launched a solo homer to right.

 Harkin (7-6) earned the win, tossing six innings of two-run ball, allowing five hits and two walks while striking out four. Guance (2-5) took the loss, yielding five runs on 10 hits and three walks over five innings with three strikeouts. Tyler Webb picked up his eighth save with a scoreless ninth inning, striking out one.

 De Aza led the Flock offensively with four hits, an RBI and three runs. DeCarlo added a hit, an RBI, a run and two walks.

 The Ducks and FerryHawks continue their three-game set on Wednesday night. Game time is slated for 6:35 p.m., with the Fairfield Properties Ballpark gates opening at 5:35 (5:20 for full season ticket holders). Former New York Mets great Dwight “Doc” Gooden is scheduled to appear at the ballpark during the game. He is slated to throw out a ceremonial first pitch and is also scheduled to be signing autographs for fans on the main concourse for the first two innings of the game (limit one autograph per person). Right-hander Joe Iorio (6-3, 4.22) takes the mound for the Ducks against FerryHawks righty David Martinez (1-2, 6.26).

Kentucky 10, High Point 4
 

HIGH POINT, N.C. – Kentucky’s Khris Davis hit two home runs and drove in five in the Wild Health Genomes 10-4 win over High Point on Tuesday night at Wild Health Field.

High Point scored its four runs on four solo homers, one each by Quincy Latimore and Jerry Downs and  a pair of home runs by Zander Wiel. Wiel hit his 22nd homer of the year in the fourth and his 23rd in the ninth. Latimore’s round-tripper was his 13th of the year while Downs hit his 13th as well.

The Rockers signed lefty Casey Grimm (L, 0-1) prior to the game to make the start. Grimm went three innings and allowed five hits and five runs while walking one and striking out two.

Kentucky tied the game at 1-1 in the third on a sac fly by Austin Rei and then took a 4-1 lead when Davis hit a two-run blast later in the inning.

Wiel’s first homer of the night made it a 5-2 game in the fourth and the score remained that way until the bottom of the eighth. High Point relievers Nathan Bates, Cam Cotter, and Gabriel Castellanos threw four shutout innings to hold the Genomes at bay.

Jonathon Crawford came on in the eighth and lasted one-third of an inning, allowing four hits and a walk while the Genomes plated five runs. Davis hit his sixth homer of the year while Chris Shaw and Luke Becker each delivered RBI doubles. Joe Johnson relieved in the eighth to earn the final two outs as the Genomes surged ahead 10-2.

Wiel’s second homer of the night made it a 10-3 score in the ninth before Jerry Downs added a solo shot to account for the 10-4 final.

Kentucky’s Ryan Kellogg (W, 3-2) went six innings and struck out six while allowing five hits and two runs. Wiel, Downs and Jay Gonzalez each had two hits for the Rockers.

The Rockers are now 43-41 overall and 4-14 in the second half.

High Point and Kentucky will play a matinee on Wednesday with first pitch scheduled for 12:05 p.m. from Wild Health Field.

Charleston 6, York 1 (10 innings)

(July 26, 2022 – York, Pa.):  The York Revolution was provided an early spark on Tuesday night but was silenced thereafter, falling 6-1 in 10 innings to the Charleston Dirty Birds to open their series at PeoplesBank Park.