(Lexington, KY, April 23, 2022) The runs kept on coming for the Blue Crabs in tonight’s 21-8 win over the Lexington Legends. Southern Maryland scored at least one run in seven innings and had multiple runs in five innings.
The Blue Crabs got to Lexington’s starter, Thomas Dorminy (L, 0-1), in the first inning. Matt Hibbert blasted a home run to left field and Jared Walker went back-to-back when he lined a homer to right-center. Southern Maryland added another run from a Ryan Haug base hit, putting the Blue Crabs up 3-0.
Lexington got three runs back in the bottom of the first inning, but the Blue Crabs kept the scoring going in the second. Jack Sundberg, Matt Hibbert, and David Harris all walked, before coming around to score. Alex Crosby, who had five hits in the game, drove in a pair of runs when he bounced a single to right field. Later in the inning, Ryan Haug served a base hit into right, scoring two more runs, giving Southern Maryland an 8-3 advantage.
The Blue Crabs led 8-4 going into the fourth inning and put up another crooked number. After David Harris and Alex Crosby singled, Connor Lien smashed a sky-high homer to dead-center field, putting the Blue Crabs up 11-4.
Mitch Lambson allowed six runs in four innings of work for the Blue Crabs. Then, Pedro Echemendia (W, 1-0) pitched two scoreless innings in relief, allowing just one hit, and picking up the win.
Southern Maryland added a run in the sixth and kept the scoring going in the seventh. Matt Hibbert and David Harris singled in the inning. The Blue Crabs took a 15-6 lead when Alex Crosby smashed a three-run home run over the high wall in right field.
The Blue Crabs scored another run in the eighth inning on Raul Shah’s solo homer and rallied again in the ninth. With two runners on base, Connor Lien tripled to deep center, giving the Blue Crabs an 18-8 lead. Later in the inning, with the bases loaded and Southern Maryland up 19-8, Matt Hibbert kept the party going by driving in two additional runs, giving the Blue Crabs a 21-8 lead.
In this lengthy game, a few players stood out on both sides. Alex Crosby did not have a hit in his first eight at-bats of the season. But he broke out in today’s game, with hits in each one of his last five at-bats. Connor Lien also produced at the plate, smashing a three-run shot and driving in six runs. For Lexington, Blake Swihart, a former Red Sox catcher, walked five times in five plate appearances in today’s game.
The Blue Crabs look to keep the winning ways going tomorrow at Wild Health Field. Southern Maryland wraps up the four-game set with the Legends tomorrow at 2:05 pm. The Blue Crabs’ home opener will be on Wednesday, April 27 at 6:35 pm in their first-ever series against the Staten Island FerryHawks.