Blue Crabs Bounce Back
Waldorf, MD – Following a heartbreaking loss in the series opener to the High Point Rockers, Southern Maryland pounced back in emphatic fashion in a dominant 7-3 victory.
Daryl Thompson (W, 9-6) got the start for Southern Maryland in tonight’s contest. After allowing a first pitch Stephen Cardullo home run to lead off the game, Thompson rebounded en route to his seventh win in his last seven starts. He further extended his league lead in the wins category, while doing the same in the strikeouts column. He holds two of the three pieces to an Atlantic League triple crown.
Southern Maryland backed their ace immediately in the bottom of the first inning, as High Point’s starter, Tyler Herron (L, 2-7), struggled. Kent Blackstone led the contest off with a double, and Edwin Garcia followed with a single to bring in Blackstone, giving Garcia three first inning RBI’s combined in the first two games of this series.
Southern Maryland kept it going as Joe Benson singled to put runners on the corners for the powerful Cory Vaughn. Vaughn sent an atmosphere blasting home run out of the stadium to put the Blue Crabs ahead by a score of 4-1. Additionally, Vaughn extended his streak of games in which he has either driven in a run or reached base to 41 straight games. It was a dominant performance in the bottom of the first. Following a series opener in which Southern Maryland accumulated just five hits, tonight, five of their first six batters recorded hits.
Southern Maryland tacked on another run on a Josh McAdams solo shot in the bottom of the second. A pair of silent innings led to Southern Maryland adding on two more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Joe Benson started it off with a sacrifice fly to score McAdams, and Vaughn kept it going with an RBI single.
High Point got a pair back in the top of the fifth inning, Thompson’s final inning of work. Quincy Latimore hit a two-run double off the left field wall to cut the Blue Crabs’ advantage to 7-3.
In the bottom of the fifth, McAdams stole first base, becoming the second Blue Crab to do so since Tony Thomas became the first player in professional baseball history to swipe first back on July 13th.
Following three home runs in the first two innings, the power settled down, and the scoring did the same for the remainder of the contest.
James Dykstra took the mound for Southern Maryland in the top of the ninth inning, and held the Rockers scoreless. Southern Maryland took down the Rockers by a score of 7-3 thanks to stellar pitching and an early offensive outburst.
The Blue Crabs will return home tomorrow, Wednesday July 24th, for the series finale of a three game set with the High Point Rockers, and a 6:35 p.m first pitch.
Catch all Blue Crabs home games on the Blue Crabs Broadcast Network, live streamed on YouTube (@SOMDBlueCrabs) Facebook (@SOMDBlueCrabs) and Twitter (@BlueCrabs).
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, in their 12th season of baseball, call Regency Furniture Stadium in Waldorf, Maryland home. For more information on the 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.
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