Southern Maryland has won five in a row after their 18-7 victory over the Dirty Birds. The Blue Crabs are now 26-20 and have won nine of their last 11 games.
The Crabs jumped in front early in the first when John Taylor smacked a triple to centerfield. Ethan Wilson grounded into a 4-3 putout to score Taylor from third and give Southern Maryland a 1-0 lead. After Jamari Baylor doubled, Giovanni Digiacomo singled him in to make it 2-0.
Southern Maryland exploded for five runs on five hits in the second inning, beginning with a leadoff single by Sam Dexter. Jackson Loftin brought him home with his third double of the season. With runners at the corners, Alejandro De Aza lined his seventh home run of the season over the fence in right field to give the Blue Crabs a 6-0 lead. It’s his second straight game with a three-run blast.
Baylor then reached with a single and Digiacomo with a walk before Brett Barrera singled in Baylor to make it 7-0.
Charleston nabbed two runs back in the fourth, but the Blue Crabs tacked on seven in the bottom of the frame. After a quick first out, Baylor, Digiacomo and Barrera reached to load the bases for Dexter, who singled in a run, making it 8-2. Loftin drew a bases loaded walk before Ryan McCarthy made it 10-2 with an RBI single. With two outs and the bases loaded, Ethan Wilson cranked a grand slam over the wall in left to give the Blue Crabs a 14-2 lead. It was his seventh blast of the season and gave him five RBIs on the night.
Charleston hit back with three runs of their own to make it 14-5 but the Crabs tallied two runs in the sixth, coming off of RBI singles from Baylor and Digiacomo. The Dirty Birds scored a pair in the seventh before Taylor and De Aza had RBI knocks in the bottom of the frame to make it 18-7.
Garrett Martin earned the win and improves to 2-1 on the season. He tossed five innings and allowed five runs on ten hits and two walks, while striking out four. Rafi Vazquez pitched two innings in relief while Jarod Wright and Noah Williamson combined for two scoreless innings.
The Blue Crabs have now won five games in a row for the first time since September of 2023. Their 18 runs were the most since they tallied 18 against Charleston on July 7th, 2024.
The Blue Crabs now sit at 26-20 and will be back in action for game two against the Dirty Birds on Wednesday night with first pitch slated for 6:35 p.m.