Jack Sundberg, who reached base five times in tonight's game, led off the bottom of the first with a single. Rubi Silva ripped a double down the third baseline, scoring Sundberg and giving the Blue Crabs a 1-0 lead. Jared Walker then blooped a single into left-center field scoring Silva and giving the Blue Crabs a 2-0 lead. The bats kept churning in the first inning, as the first five batters picked up hits. The Blue Crabs batted around in the inning and led 4-0 after the first.
Mitch Lambson (W, 1-0), kept the Genomes off the board for the first five innings, while Southern Maryland added to their lead in the fourth. Max Povse (L, 1-1), the starting pitcher for Kentucky, struggled to handle the Blue Crabs' bats in the fourth. Jack Sundberg led off the inning, this time shooting a double into left field. Rubi Silva singled in Sundberg to give the Blue Crabs a 5-0 lead. The next batter, Jared Walker, blasted an opposite-field two-run home run over the wall in left-center field, putting the Blue Crabs up 7-0. The Blue Crabs' hits kept piling up as they led 9-0 after the fourth.
The Genomes rallied in the top of the sixth inning, scoring seven runs and cutting the deficit to 9-7. But just when the game was in doubt, the Blue Crabs answered again. With the bases loaded, Southern Maryland capitalized on a wild pitch and pass ball, scoring two runs. Jared Walker also added an RBI single, giving the Blue Crabs a 12-7 lead.
The Genomes plated two more runs in the top of the seventh, cutting the Blue Crabs' advantage to 12-9. In the bottom of the seventh, with Zach Collier leading off second, Braxton Lee punched a single into center field, giving the Blue Crabs a 13-9 lead. The Genomes walked in a run in the eighth, extending the Blue Crabs' lead to 14-9. Dalton Geekie closed things out for Southern Maryland, securing a 14-9 victory.
The Blue Crabs extended their winning streak to six games tonight. Southern Maryland returns to Regency Furniture Stadium tomorrow for game two against the Kentucky Wild Health Genomes at 6:35 pm.
About the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs
The Blue Crabs play in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, MLB's Premiere Partner League. The Blue Crabs are set to kick off their 14th season of baseball, and will have their 2022 Home Opener on Tuesday, April 26th at Regency Furniture Stadium in Waldorf, Maryland. For more information on the Blue Crabs, please call 301-638-9788 or visit www.somdbluecrabs.com for more information. For media requests, contact Andrew Bandstra, 301-678-1124.
About the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB)
The Atlantic League is the first Partner League of Major League Baseball, a player gateway to the Major Leagues, and a leader in baseball innovation. The ALPB has sent over 1,000 players to MLB organizations while drawing 44 million fans during its 24-year history. Please visit www.AtlanticLeague.com.