Sugar Land, TX. – In a series that has been a heavy weight match of two teams trying to over power the other, game five took a twist for the norm as small ball would get the scoring started.
The Skeeter second baseman Josh Prince laid down a perfectly placed bunt to reach base in the bottom of the third, and would advance to third on a passed ball. Later in the inning Juan Silverio poked a single to right field to score the first run of the ballgame. To keep on with the oddities, back-to-back line drives narrowly missed the outstretched glove of Blue Crab first baseman Jon Griffin to score a pair of Skeeter runs. Sugar Land plated a total of five runs in the inning, and it was all but determined that fate was working against Southern Maryland on this brisk Texas evening.
In his first appearance in a Southern Maryland uniform, starting pitcher John Richy allowed a total of six earned runs through 3 1/3 innings before Michael Kelly came in to keep the Skeeter lead stagnant at 6-0. Kelly kept the bats quiet and allowed the fate to twist in favor of Southern Maryland but for a moment in the sixth. A Sugar Land error scored Rubi Silva to plate the first Blue Crab run of the game, cutting into the Skeeter lead with the Blue Crabs still trailing 6-1 heading into the bottom of the inning.
After nearly two innings of scoreless work Kelly gave way to Andrew Johnston who allowed just one run, scoring off a wild pitch. Southern Maryland errors in the field and struggles to struggles to string together base hits plagued the squad in the fifth game of the season. The Blue Crabs’ platoon of bullpen arms kept the Skeeters’ bats calm in the latter stages of the game but the Skeeter lead was too steep of a mountain for Southern Maryland to climb, as they fell 7-1 at the hands of Sugar Land.
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.