Sugar Land, TX. – In the first series of the Blue Crabs’ 2019 season, it has been a back and forth affair with the Sugar Land Skeeters, two heavy weights launching their punches one after the other. To begin game four of the seven game series, Southern Maryland connected a haymaker. Craig Maddox got the scoring started in the first inning with a line drive single to score Angelys Nina, making it four straight games that Nina has scored the first Blue Crab run of the game. Tony Thomas kept it going with a moonshot sacrifice fly that scored Frank Martinez to put the Blue Crabs ahead 2-0 in the first.
Southern Maryland household name Cory Vaughn tacked on another run in the third with a double that scored the 2018 Atlantic League Gold Glover Edwin Garcia. A 3-0 lead is by no means a comfortable lead, especially in a series that has seen the likes of a six run Skeeter comeback in the latter stages of a game. That’s why Craig Maddox connected on a punch that all but knocked the Skeeters out with a two-run home run to right field to cushion the Blue Crab lead.
Southpaw Pat Dean got the start for Southern Maryland today, and the former big leaguer didn’t disappoint. He would end up tossing a total of five scoreless innings, and allowing just five hits. As if that was an impressive enough introduction to the Atlantic League, he also fanned nine batters.
Martinez kept his bat hot in the top of the seventh with an RBI single, his seventh RBI in four games. Another lefty, Adam Choplick came into relieve Dean and kept the slate clean, going two innings strong to keep the Skeeters scoreless, and the Blue Crab lead at 5-0. It wasn’t until the eighth inning that Sugar Land got on the board with a Cody Asche single that knocked a run in off Blue Crabs’ reliever El’Hajj Muhammad in his first inning of work.
Blue Crabs’ manager Stan Cliburn called on right-hander pitcher Miguel Nunez in the bottom of the ninth to seal the deal on a Blue Crabs victory. Nunez worked around a leadoff walk by inducing a 6-4-3 double play and a flyout to set the Skeeters down 1-2-3, bringing Southern Maryland back to an even 2-2 thanks to a 5-1 victory.
The Blue Crabs’ home opener is May 3rd against the Lancaster Barnstormers. To save your seat at the ballpark for the upcoming season and other team news, visit www.somdbluecrabs.com or call 301-638-9788.
About the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs
The Blue Crabs play 140 regular season games in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball Clubs. The Blue Crabs call Regency Furniture Stadium in Waldorf, Maryland home. The 12th franchise season will begin April 2019. For more information on the SOMD Blue Crabs, please call 301-638-9788 or visit http://www.somdbluecrabs.com for more information.
About the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB)
With eight teams in the Mid-Atlantic and Texas, the ALPB is a leader in baseball innovation and a player gateway to Major League Baseball. Through its exclusive partnership with MLB, the Atlantic League tests Major League Baseball rules and equipment initiatives. The Atlantic League has sent over 900 players to MLB organizations while drawing more than 40 million fans to its affordable, family-friendly ballparks throughout its 22-year history.
For more information, please visit www.AtlanticLeague.com.