Southern Maryland News

Blue Crabs on a roll after completing Texas trip

Team moves into first place in Freedom Division, riding 5-game win streak

- By TED BLACK tblack@somdnews.com

After opening their weeklong Texas trip with a setback, the Southern Mar yland Blue Crabs quickly regained their winning ways and fought through the heat and humidity and their rivals to end the journey on a five-game win streak that has catapulted into sole possession of first place in the Freedom Division of the Atlantic League.

Southern Maryland (29-23 overall) has won its last five games in a variety of ways and it now owns a one-game lead over the Lancaster Barnstorme­rs in the Freedom Division after rallying from a 4-2 deficit to upend the Sugar Land Skeeters, 9-4, on Wednesday afternoon at Constellat­ion Field. The Blue Crabs will host the New Britain Bees in a three-game set beginning at 6:35 tonight at Regency Furniture Stadium in Waldorf.

“Right now it’s just a total team effort,” Southern Maryland first-year manager John Harris said. “We’re getting good pitching, we’re playing good defense and we’re getting timely hitting. Everyone is playing with a lot of confidence and they’re all playing well. It’s tough to come to Texas and win five of six games. It’s awfully hot [there].”

Harris did not want to highlight any player in particular during the successful road trip, but Zach Cone was a major factor in helping the Blue Crabs erase a 4-2 deficit and eventually prevail.

Southern Maryland sent 11 batters to the plate in the top of the seventh inning and scored five times, with Cone breaking a 4-4 deadlock by delivering a two-run single. For good

 ?? PHOTO BY BERT HINDMAN ?? Gaby Hernandez, pictured here in a May 1 home contest versus Sugar Land, limited the Skeeters to two runs on five hits in seven innings and fanned eight while not issuing a walk in a 3-2 Blue Crabs win in Texas on Tuesday night. Hernandez improved his...
PHOTO BY BERT HINDMAN Gaby Hernandez, pictured here in a May 1 home contest versus Sugar Land, limited the Skeeters to two runs on five hits in seven innings and fanned eight while not issuing a walk in a 3-2 Blue Crabs win in Texas on Tuesday night. Hernandez improved his...

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