May 16, 2025 – Charleston, WV – The Charleston Dirty Birds leaned on stellar pitching and timely hitting to secure a 3–0 shutout win over the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs on Friday night at GoMart Ballpark.
James Nelson singled in the bottom of the first and later came around to score on a sacrifice fly from Bobby Bradley, making it a 1-0 lead for the Birds. Starter Joey Hennessey left the game for Southern Maryland after just two innings, and Jalen Miller pitched four innings keeping the Crabs in the game.
Miller’s only blemish was when Nelson launched a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth inning — his sixth of the season to take a 2-0 lead.
Nelson, finished 2-for-3 with an RBI, a walk, and a stolen base.
Charleston capped off the scoring in the eighth when Alsander Womack punched an RBI single to center field, driving in Joseph Rosa and giving the Dirty Birds some insurance.
On the mound, Julio Henriquez (1–0) was dominant in his first win of the year, tossing 5.0 shutout innings while allowing just two hits and striking out eight. Charleston’s bullpen followed suit, with Manuel Alvarez, Lance Lusk, Carlos Meza, and Frank Moscatiello combining for four scoreless innings and six more strikeouts. Moscatiello picked up his first save of the season.
Southern Maryland’s offense couldn’t find answers, stranding 11 runners and managing only five hits. They were led at the plate by Brett Barrera, who had two hits, and Giovanni Digiacomo, who added a hit, two walks, and two stolen bases. Starter Joey Hennessey (0–3) was tagged with the loss, giving up one run over two innings after coming out of the game early.
The Crabs are back at it tomorrow night as they play game two of the three game set in West Virginia with first pitch at 6:35pm.
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