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Lexington 3, Staten Island 1

STATEN ISLAND, NY – Hits and runs came at a premium Wednesday night at Community Park in Lexington’s 3-1 win against Staten Island. Despite the game being tied for nearly five innings, the FerryHawks failed to record a hit in the final six innings, garnering all four of their knocks in the first three frames. 

For the third straight start, Matt Solter allowed just one earned run, but failed to earn the victory. The right-hander struck out three and walked two, with his only blemish coming in the first inning. Lexington would strike in the opening frame for the second straight game, again utilizing the big bat of Courtney Hawkins. After a Phillip Ervin double, Hawkins singled him in to give the Legends a 1-0 advantage just three batters into the game. Following the run, Solter settled in to retire 15 of the final 19 batters he faced. 

Dueling with Legends right-hander Daniel Corcino (1-2), the FerryHawks mustered just one tally against the 31-year-old. Trailing 1-0 entering the third inning, Javier Betancourt delivered a leadoff single to set the table. Ben Ruta traded places with Betancourt after a fielder's choice and later scored on Angel Aguilar’s two-out single. Aguilar’s 15^thhit and 8^thRBI lead the FerryHawks during the 2022 season. 

Corcino ended up lasting seven innings, allowing just the one run. He struck out two and issued one free pass in his third start of the Atlantic League season. 

The teams were deadlocked at 1-1 until the top of the eighth inning rally by the Legends. Lexington would send six batters to the plate, scratching across just one run in the process. After walking the first two batters of the inning, Alex Katz (0-1) was yanked for Connor Law. Law followed by walking his first batter, Jose Briceno, before a Blake Swihart sacrifice fly pushed home the eventual winning run to make it 2-1 Legends. FerryHawks relievers ultimately issued four walks and the sacrifice fly in the eighth inning. 

Having already crossed another insurance run in the ninth inning, Lexington’s Ryan Jackson was due up with two outs and the bases loaded when Edgardo Alfonso removed Yoel Espinal for Kelsie Whitmore. Appearing in her fourth game of the season, Whitmore became the first female to pitch in the Atlantic League when she needed just four pitches to induce a fly out to left field to end the ninth-inning threat. 

Austin Adams picked up his third save of the season but allowed the tying run to the plate in the form of Brandon Wagner after issuing a four-pitch walk to Rymer Liriano. Wagner, who had one of the four FerryHawks hits, grounded out to second to end the game.

Staten Island (1-10) and Lexington compete in the rubber game of their three-game set on Thursday night.  RHP Jordan Simpson takes the mound for the FerryHawks against a pitcher to be named for Lexington. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 at Community Park with the ‘FerryHawks Pregame Show’ getting started on the Staten Island FerryHawks Youtube page at 6:15 PM. 

Postgame Notes: Angel Aguilar (2-for-4) was the only FerryHawk to record a multi-hit game...Joe Kuzia tossed 1.2 IP of scoreless ball in relief of Soulter...Katz, making his FerryHawks debut (teammates with Kuzia at St. Johns) replaced him...both Staten Island errors were on pickoff attempts to first base...

Southern Maryland 3, Lancaster 0

(Waldorf, MD, May 4, 2022) The Blue Crabs’ pitchers allowed five total hits in tonight’s shutout victory, as Southern Maryland won 3-0.  With tonight’s win, the Blue Crabs extend their franchise-record win streak to ten games.   

The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs’ starter, Denson Hull (W, 1-0), pitched five scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and one walk.  This was Denson Hull’s longest start of the year, as he transitions from a reliever into a starter. 

The Blue Crabs struck first in the bottom of the third inning.  Ryan Haug led off the inning with a walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch from Augie Sylk (L, 0-1).  With Haug leading off of second base, Sylk sailed a pickoff attempt into center field.  LeDarious Clark, the center fielder, overran the ball, allowing Haug to come all the way around and score the game’s opening run. 

In the fourth inning, the Blue Crabs extended their lead.  Alex Crosby reached base via a hit by pitch with one out.  Two batters later, Matt Hibbert hit a ground ball under shortstop Jake Hoover’s glove. The Blue Crabs executed a double steal with runners on first and second and two outs.  Lancaster’s catcher, Anthony Peroni, threw the ball into left field, allowing Crosby to score.  The next batter, Ryan Haug, ripped an RBI double into the left-center field gap, scoring Hibbert and giving the Blue Crabs a 3-0 lead. 

Southern Maryland would hold that lead the rest of the way. The bullpen took over in the sixth inning and dominated again. Brandon Roney pitched a 1-2-3 sixth inning, picking up two strikeouts along the way. Dalton Geekie also pitched a perfect seventh, adding a strikeout as well. 

In the eighth inning, Endrys Briceno ran into trouble on the first pitch.  Former Blue Crab, Connor Lien, belted a double down the third baseline. From there, Briceno pitched perfectly.  After inducing a flyout to right field, Briceno earned back-to-back strikeouts to end the inning, with the Blue Crabs still leading 3-0.  

In the ninth inning, Mat Latos (SV, 5) allowed a leadoff hit to center field.  From there, the Blue Crabs’ closer sent down the Barnstromers’ batters in order via two flyouts and a popout.  

The Blue Crabs look to extend their record-setting 10-game win streak tomorrow in game three against the Lancaster Barnstormers. Southern Maryland closes out their eight-game homestand tomorrow morning at 11 a.m for the first of two Baseball in Education days. 

High Point 11, Staten Island 5

HIGH POINT, N.C. – While Truist Point wasn’t scheduled for a fireworks show on Wednesday, the Rockers offense went ahead and put one on, blasting the Long Island Ducks 11-5.

The Rockers put up three crooked number innings, scoring four times in the first, three in the fifth and three more in the sixth. Tyler Ladendorf and Johnny Field each hit a home run and drove in four runs in the game while the Rockers collected 16 total hits including nine extra base hits.

Four of High Point’s first five batters combined to hit for the cycle as the Rockers put up four runs in the first. Michael Russell led off the first with a triple that was followed by a two-run homer from Ben Aklinski. Zander Wiel then beat out an infield single before Quincy Latimore flew out to left. Tyler Ladendorf’s double into the left field corner completed the cycle and then set the table for a sac fly by Michael Martinez and an RBI double by Johnny Field to complete the inning but not the scoring.

High Point added a run in the third when Ladendorf walked, went to third on a single by Martinez and scored on a single to right by Johnny Field.

High Point put up a pair of three spots in both the fifth and sixth innings.  In the fifth, Field drove home two runs with a double while Ladendorf added an RBI double. In the sixth, Ladendorf collected his third of four extra base hits on the night with a three-run homer.

Andrew Church, a former pitcher in the Mets system who was tutored by Frank Viola during their time in AAA Las Vegas, was signed by the Rockers on Wednesday and earned his first start. He went 5.1 innings and held the Ducks to just four hits while striking out two. But Church shut out Long Island through the first five innings as the Rockers built an 8-0 lead. Relievers Bryce Hensley, Tanner Duncan and John Hayes completed the night.

With the Rockers ahead 8-0, the Ducks scored three times in the sixth. Church gave up a lead-off walk to Vladimir Frias and a single to Dustin Woodcock. Johnni Turbo knocked a two-run triple and scored on an RBI single by L.J. Mazzilli.

Long Island rallied for two runs in the ninth on a solo homer by Sam Travis and an RBI single from Deven Marrero.   

Church improved to 1-0 while Long Island Bennett Parry (0-1) took the loss after pitching the first inning and then leaving with an injury.

The Rockers and Ducks will conclude their three-game series on Thursday at 6:35 p.m. at Truist Point. It will be Thirsty Thursday and will feature $1 beers and, for Cinco de Mayo, a special $2 on Coronas.

Kentucky 7, Charleston 1

LEXINGTON, KY – The Wild Health Genomes scored four times in the first inning as Carlos Castro doubled home a pair of runs and Chris Shaw and Luke Becker each collected RBI as Kentucky went on to defeat Charleston 7-1.

Shaw finished the day with four hits while Castro and Becker each drove in a pair of runs.

Scott Kelly led the Dirty Birds with three hits.

Kentucky starter Elih Villanueva (1-1) earned the win, throwing six innings and allowing seven hits while yielding just the single run and striking out eight. Joe Testa (0-2) took the loss for Charleston, giving up seven runs and 12 hits in four innings.

York 5, Gastonia 4

YORK, Pa. The Gastonia Honey Hunters had their 10 game winning streak snapped on Wednesday, falling to the York Revolution by a 5-4 score.

Gastonia got on the board early, as Johnny Davis scored on a fielder's choice by Luis Roman in the top of the first inning to take a 1-0 lead.

Deck McGuire got the start for Gastonia and was in control from the outset.

The right hnder would strike out eight while allowing three hits in the first four innings of his outing.

The offense got a needed lift in the sixth inning, as Reece Hampton hit an infield pop between the first base line and the mound. As Alex Sanabia deferred to his infielders, Elmer Reyes was unable to track the baseball down, as Hampton would race to second with a double.

Jake Skole would make it count, launching his second homer of the season well beyond the center field wall. The long ball would stretch the lead to 3-0.

The lead would shrink the very next half-inning, as Nellie Rodriguez would single to center to get the rally going for York. Carlos Franco would hit a ground ball to shortstop Jack Reinheimer, with Reinheimer feeding the ball to Joseph Rosa for a would-be double play to escape the inning. Rosa bobbled the ball before recording the out, extending the frame and energizing the 1,390 people that came out to the game.

After McGuire walked Josue Herrera, spelling the end of his night, Elmer Reyes singled home Roriguez and Franco to cut the lead to 3-2.

McGuire would finish the night punching out nine York batters in his 5.1 innings.

In the seventh, Joseph Rosa would atone, with a double to the right field corner, scoring Johnny Davis to move the lead to 4-2. The base hit would be the first of the series for the Atlantic League Player of the Month for April.

York would respond again with two runs in the seventh as Nellie Rodriguez and Josue Herrera would single home runs to tie things up at four.

The game would move to extras, as neither club plated runs in the eighth or ninth frames.

In the tenth, Zach Jarrett would be stranded at third as Alberto Roriguez struck out Reece Hampton and Jake Skole to retire the side,

In the bottom half, Enwin Figuera would pinch-run for Franco and Herrera would play hero, scoring Figuera on a line drive to right center for the game winner.

Roriguez claimed the win for York, his first of the season. Jesus Balaguer was saddled with the loss to fall to 0-1.

Gastonia (10-2) will  look to bounce back in the rubber game, as Jerry Keel will go opposite Austin Nicely for the Revs (3-8). First pitch is set for 11am, as the game will be carried on WGNC, am1450 and 101.1fm, as Voice of the Honey Hunters Brian Rushing will bring the call. You can also catch the action at www.gohoneyhunters.com, where a live audio stream will be offered.