Blue Crabs split doubleheader in Lancaster
Lose on walk-off hit in Game 2 after blowing 3-run lead in 7th
The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs were in prime position to secure a sweep in Wednesday night’s doubleheader at Lancaster.
Leading 4-1 going into the bottom of the seventh inning of Game 2 — the final inning of the contest as Atlantic League doubleheaders are two seven-inning regulation contests — the Blue Crabs turned to reliever Zack Thornton to get the last three outs.
Thornton would only get two of those three outs as Cole Garner’s two-out, bases-loaded RBI single to deep left field brought home Anderson De La Rosa for a 5-4 walk-off victory over the Blue Crabs at Clipper Magazine Stadium.
Thornton got into trouble to start the frame, giving up three straight singles to load the bases and no outs.
A sacrifice fly to right by Josh Bell brought Lancaster to to within two runs, before Tyler Clark drew a walk to load the bases again.
Pinch-hitter De La Rosa then singled in Steve Clevenger to bring the Barnstormers to within 4-3. After a Beau Amaral fielder’s choice loaded the bases, an error by Blue Crabs shortstop Jose Lozada off the bat of Garrett Weber allowed Clark to score, tying the game and setting up Garner’s heroics.
Lancaster (64-52 overall, 26-20 second half) was just one game back of York for top spot in the Freedom Division second-half standings heading into the series finale with Southern Maryland on Thursday night.
The Blue Crabs (57-58, 18-27; 8 1/2 games behind York), the first-half division champions, were looking for the series split after falling 7-0 Tuesday and gaining a 5-3, eight-inning win in Game 1 of Wednesday’s doubleheader.
Southern Maryland returns home for a seven-game homestand that begins at 6:35 tonight versus Sugar Land. After the weekend series with the Skeeters, Bridgeport comes to Waldorf’s Regency Furniture Stadium for four games starting Monday.
“Zach is a ground ball pitcher and he did all he could do in that situation. Lancaster just made the adjustment and got timely hits,” Blue Crabs manager James Frisbie said. “No lead is safe, you have to finish the game. I felt like we
should have won the game, but it’s baseball.”
Luis Alen (2 hits) drove in Michael Snyder for the first run of the game in the top of the second on a two-out single before Amaral’s two-out solo home run tied the game at 1 in the bottom of the third.
The Blue Crabs pushed the lead to 2-1 in the fourth as Snyder scored on a sacrifice fly by Cory Vaughn, who had three hits and five RBIs in the doubleheader.
Vaughn drove in L.J. Hoes on a two-out double in the top of the sixth and later scored on an Alen single.
Blue Crabs starter Craig Stem did not factor into the decision, giving up just one run on three hits in five innings with four strikeouts and two walks.
With Game 1 tied at 3, Southern Maryland broke the ice in the top of the eighth.
Lozada led off the inning with a single and Devon Rodriguez was then hit by a pitch. Both runners then advanced on a wild pitch. Vaughn then hit a sacrifice fly to right as Lozada slid home safely to give the Blue
Crabs a 4-3 lead.
Patrick Palmeiro followed up with an RBI double scoring Rodriguez to cap off the scoring.
Lancaster led 3-0 after four innings, then the Blue Crabs got on the board in the top of the fifth as Vaughn scored on an error by Barnstormers shortstop Nate Coronado.
In the sixth, Vaughn hit a bases-loaded, two-RBI single that plated Tucker Nathans and Lozada, pinch running for Snyder, to tie the game at 3.
Blue Crabs starter David Russo did not factor into the decision, giving up three runs on six hits with three strikeouts and two walks in 5 2/3 innings.
Sam Runion picked up the win out of the bullpen, throwing an inning and a third with two strikeouts.
Closer Cody Eppley shut the door as he threw a perfect bottom of the eighth with two strikeouts for his 28th save.
Nathans and Vaughn each had two hits in the win.
In Tuesday’s series opener, Lancaster starter Rommie Lewis and two relievers combined for a four-hit shutout with starter Rommie Lewis fired seven of those shutout innings, while walking one batter with four strikeouts.
Lewis, who struck out six over seven innings in the win, was able to escape trouble with runners on the corners in the sixth on a Rodriguez groundout to second and with the bases loaded in the seventh by striking out Nathans.
The game was scoreless until the sixth when the Barnstormers scored twice, scored three more in the seventh and two more in the eighth.
Coronado connected on two homers in the game and Trayvon Robinson also had a home run for Lancaster.
Blue Crabs starter Drew Hayes retired 15 of 17 hitters through five innings, but suffered the loss, giving up two runs (1 earned) on four hits with three strikeouts.
Atlantic League executive director Klein dies
Joe Klein, former Major League general manager and the executive director of the Atlantic League, died at Temple University Hospital from heart surgery complications on Wednesday morning at the age of 75, the league announced in a news release.
According to the news release, Klein was the anchor of baseball operations while in his executive director role since the league’s inception in 1998 and saw the league send over 800 players to Major League Baseball organizations as the circuit became the premier independent professional baseball organization.
“Joe Klein embodied what the Atlantic League stand for. Quality baseball, quality fun. A quality man. He was the executive director and was always there to lend a hand or an ear,” Blue Crabs general manager Courtney Knichel said. “Klein’s legacy will be carried on every time a player runs out to the field or a fan cheers for the home team. He made this league what it is today.”
On Klein’s impact on the Blue Crabs community, Knichel said: “Joe has believed in the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs from day one. Fans could regularly see him in the stands taking in a game. He would always say to me ‘Courtney, you are really lucky here. You have such a gem in this community.’”