Monuments lose high scoring contest to York
Blue Crabs, rebranded as So. Md. Monuments for three-game series, fall to York in high-scoring contest
When the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs returned home for a three-game series with the York Revolution that got under way on Tuesday at Regency Furniture Stadium in Waldorf, the local squad was looking to reverse the course of their campaign by donning a new look as the Southern Maryland Monuments through Thursday’s outing.
Southern Maryland donned Patriotic jerseys with graphics designed to honor three prominent landmarks in the nation’s capital: the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial and U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial.
In the series opener, however, York displayed why it had a chance through Tuesday to capture the Atlantic League’s Freedom Division title for the first half by prevailing, 18-12, outhitting the Monuments, 25-15.
York (31-34, second place in the Atlantic League’s Freedom Division standings through Tuesday) arrived as the hottest team in the league, winners of 17 of its previous 21 contests. The Revolution were just 2 1/2 games behind Sugar Land in the first-half division race after Tuesday with just a few games left to decide the champion and berth into the league playoffs later this year.
York also came into the three-game set having won six of its previous outings with Southern Maryland (22-42 overall, fourth place in the Freedom Division standings through Tuesday). Center fielder J.P, Sportman came into Tuesday’s game boasting a 27game hitting streak and Welington Dotel arrived riding a 16-game hitting streak.
“Anytime you’re facing the hottest hitting team in the league you have to get ahead in the count,” Southern Maryland manager Stan Cliburn said. “Our pitchers were getting
behind in the count and they took advantage of those situations. When you look at the final line we scored 12 runs on 15 hits and you expect to win most of those games.”
In the top of the first inning, the York lineup made life tough for Southern Maryland starting pitcher Brandon Cumpton.
Designated hitter James Skelton worked Cumpton for a leadoff walk, then Henry Castillo beat out an infield single. Telvin Nash followed with a two-run triple to right-center field that Monuments right fielder Rubi Silva misjudged and Isaias Tejada drove in Nash with a single for a 3-0 lead.
Dotel opened the second with a single down the right-field line, but Silva chased it down and gunned him down at second base as shortstop Edwin Garcia tagged the sliding Dotel on the foot. Officially, however, Dotel was still credited with a single that pushed his hitting streak to 17 games.
With two outs, Justin Trapp followed with a double into the right-field corner. Skelton, who walked and scored in the first, followed with a ground-rule double in the gap in right-enter that scored Trapp to extend the York lead to 4-0.
In the bottom of the second, the Southern Maryland bats were able to reduce the deficit with a little help from a York error.
Dean Green flew out to right on the first pitch, then Cory Vaughn fanned swinging on the 13th pitch of his at-bat. Tony Thomas followed with a twoout single to left and Garcia followed with a single to left and Thomas headed to third. Trapp inexplicably threw that way and sailed the ball past third baseman Castillo and Thomas scored on the play, while Garcia made it all the way to third as the throw also eluded catcher Tejada.
After permitting an unearned run in the second, York responded with an immediate answer in the third. With two outs, Dotel beat out an infield single to plate Tejeda to make it 5-1. Former Southern Maryland player Angelys Nina followed with a two-run double that extended the Revolution lead to 7-1.
Southern Maryland got one run back in the fourth when Thomas belted a solo homer, but the Revolution chased Cumpton in the fifth.
Tejeda and Ryan Dent opened the frame with singles, then Sportman was hit by a pitch. Sportman would later have to leave the game and his hitting streak ended at 27 games.
Dotel plated Tejeda with a sacrifice fly to center that prompted Cliburn to hook Cumpton in favor of reliever Ryan Chaffee. Cumpton (3-8) allowed 10 runs on 12 hits in 4 2/3 innings.
“Tonight Brandon just didn’t seem to have his best command and when you face a team with their lineup you’re going to give up some runs,” Southern Maryland catcher Mike Falsetti said. “But the last three innings showed what type of team that we have. We scored six runs in the seventh and three more in the ninth. We kept battling and that gives you confidence coming back to work the next game.”
With Dent on third and Trapp batting, Chaffee uncorked a wild pitch that enabled Dent to score. Nina followed with a single off Chaffee’s glove, then Trapp singled to drive in a run, took second on another Chaffee wild pitch and scored on a single by Skelton. Castillo then delivered another double into the right-field corner that plated Skelton to extend the Revolution lead to 12-2.
“Chaffee was just not as his best but he was also a little unlucky,” Cliburn said. “I think they had two or three bloop hits. He gave up nine hits in two-thirds of an inning and seven runs, but that was not a typical outing for him. He’s definitely been one of our go-to guys out of the bullpen all year.”
Southern Maryland got one run back in the home half of the fifth. Falsetti doubled into the left-field corner, then took third on a groundout to second by Kent Blackstone and scored on a groundout to second by Silva, briefly trimming the Monuments’ deficit to 12-3.
York responded with another five-run frame in the top of the sixth, which included Josh McAdams going from third base to relief pitcher for Southern Maryland.
York added a run in the top of the seventh, then the Monuments responded with six runs in the home half of the inning amid the first sign of light rain showers.
McAdams opened the inning with a single to right, then Blackstone singled and Silva followed with a double that scored both runners.
With two outs. Silva scored on a single by Green. Vaughn walked and Frank Martinez singled to load the bases, then Garcia plated two with a single to left. Falsetti walked with the bases loaded to bring home another run, but Blackstone fanned swinging to end the frame, one in which the Monuments cut the deficit to 18-9.
Southern Maryland scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth.
Vaughn opened the inning with a single, then Martinez walked. Vaughn took third on a fly out by Garcia and scored when pinch-hitter Jon Griffin reached on an error by Castillo. Blackstone followed with a tworun single and Silva fanned to end the prolonged affair.
After the three-game series versus York ends Thursday, Southern Maryland heads to New York to play Long Island in a three-game weekend series starting Friday before the league’s all-star break.