(Waldorf, MD., Jul. 6, 2018) - The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs (0-1) fell in the series opener against the York Revolution (1-0) 10-0, in the first game of the second half of the season.
It was a pitcher’s duel from the start of the night, as both Drake Britton (3-5) and Mitch Atkins (6-3) dominated through three. Britton allowed just two hits in that span, but Atkins allowed just one on the other side for York. The scoring finally opened up in the fourth, when a solo homerun from Melky Mesa put York ahead 1-0.
Britton bounced back to strike out the side in order in the fifth inning, but York added two more runs to their lead in the sixth. They sent the top of their order to the plate in the inning, with Jared Mitchell starting things with a double down the right field line. Two batters later, Welington Dotel launched his third homerun of the season, a two-run shot that extended the lead to 3-0 in favor of the Revolution.
The offense really got going for the Revolution in the seventh, as they sent 11 batters to the plate in the inning. Michael Burgess and Ryan Dent got the inning going with back-to-back singles, before Britton got a flyout for the first out in the inning. Travis Witherspoon followed that with an RBI single, scoring Burgess from second and ending the night for Britton on the mound.
The bullpen took over with runners on the corners, and were greeted with two straight singles to score Dent and Witherspoon. A double steal moved both Mitchell and Alexi Casilla into scoring position, before a strikeout picked up the second out in the frame.
Mesa and Jose Cuevas each added RBI singles behind that, as the Revs continued to add more to their lead. That brought things back around to Burgess, who previously started the inning with a single. The left-hander added his second hit of the inning, scoring Mesa to extend the lead to 9-0. David Wayne Russo came on after that and retired Dent to finish the inning.
The Revs offense wasn’t done yet though, as they added another to the total in the eighth. After two quick outs started the inning, Mitchel drew a walk to extend the inning. The count ran full to Casilla during the next at-bat, allowing Mitchell to take off on the pitch and score easily from first on a double and push the lead out to 10-0.
Atkins continued to shut down the Blue Crabs offense on the mound for York, as the right-hander retired 10 straight batters heading into the ninth. The right-hander headed back to the mound for the ninth, looking to finish what he started and get the complete game shutout. He allowed a one-out hit, but retired the next two batters to finish off the game. Atkins struck out a season-high 10 batters on the night, en route to his first career complete game shutout and the 10-0 Revolution win.
The Blue Crabs return to action Saturday, July 7th for the second game in a three-game series against the Revolution. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 P.M. on Saturday at Regency Furniture Stadium.
For more information on the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, or to reserve your seat today for any of the Blue Crabs upcoming home games, please visit our website at somdbluecrabs.com or call us at 301-638-9788.
About the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs
The Blue Crabs play 126 regular season games in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball Clubs. The Blue Crabs play at Regency Furniture Stadium in Waldorf, Maryland with affordable family fun. The franchise will begin its 11th season in April 2018. 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 has been a leader in professional baseball and a gateway to Major League Baseball since 1998. Over 38 million fans have attended Atlantic League games and more than 900 players and 50 managers and coaches have joined MLB organizations directly from the ALPB. The Atlantic League emphasizes winning baseball games, showcasing the talent of top-caliber players and offering affordable family entertainment.
For more information, please visit www.AtlanticLeague.com.