GASTONIA, NC (Aug. 18, 2022)—The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs fell behind the Gastonia Honey Hunters early on Thursday night. While the Blue Crabs' offense scored seven runs on eight hits, they came up short in a 12-7 loss to the Honey Hunters.
Gastonia started the scoring in the second inning off of Adrian Cook (L, 0-2). The Honey Hunters scored three runs in the second, propelled by Alex Holderbach's home run.
In the top of the third inning, the Blue Crabs produced two runs off of Dakota Chalmers (W, 1-0), as Jack Sundberg scored on a wild pitch, while David Harris drilled a solo home run to left, cutting the deficit to 3-2.
But in the fifth inning, the Honey Hunters' bats exploded. Gastonia already led 4-2, but they scored six runs on three hits and three walks. With Gastonia ahead 6-2 and the bases loaded, Darian Sandford ripped a triple down the right-field line. Sandford also scored on the play following a throwing error, giving the Honey Hunters a 10-2 lead.
The Blue Crabs continued to battle as they scored three runs in the top of the sixth inning. The Blue Crabs posted three consecutive singles from Alex Crosby, Zach Collier and Jared Walker. From there, Gastonia's pitching staff walked three consecutive batters, bringing in a trio of runs to cut the deficit to 10-5.
In the eighth inning, the Blue Crabs trailed 12-5, but kept the bats going. With Michael Baca on second base, Mike Falsetti drove a base hit into left field, scoring Baca to get the Blue Crabs within six runs. Later in the inning, Ian Yetsko drove in Mike Falsetti on a sacrifice fly, cutting the Honey Hunters' lead to 12-7. From there, the Honey Hunters shut the door, securing a 12-7 victory.
With the loss, the Blue Crabs fall to 70-33, and 22-15 in the second half. Southern Maryland returns home on Friday to take on the Kentucky Wild Health Genomes.
About the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs
The Blue Crabs play in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, MLB's premier Partner League. The Blue Crabs have kicked off their 14th season of baseball and play all home games at Regency Furniture Stadium in Waldorf, Maryland. For more information on the Blue Crabs, please call 301-638-9788 or visit www.somdbluecrabs.com