Waldorf, MD – In the final game of a seven-day, seven game homestand, the Blue Crabs fell just short of making magic. A game that spanned both ends of the spectrum, from no offense at all, to all gas no brakes began with Southern Maryland getting no hit through 7 2/3 innings of baseball, and it turned into four runs in the bottom of the eighth. Southern Maryland fell just short however, losing by a score of 6-4 to the Long Island Ducks in the series finale.
The scoring this morning began in the early going for Long Island, as Michael Kelly (L, 0-2) was on the mound for his second start of the season for the Blue Crabs. He would allow a pair of runs in the top of the first frame, and one more in the following inning, giving the Ducks an early 3-0 lead.
On a sunny day in Waldorf, the blues were in air as Southern Maryland hadn’t gotten a single runner on base through 5 1/3 innings of baseball, until Edwin Garcia broke through with a walk from Long Island’s starting pitcher, Jake Fisher (W, 2-1), destroying the southpaw’s perfect game.
The Ducks tacked on a trio of insurance runs in the top of the sixth inning, as thousands of kids in Regency Furniture Stadium patiently awaited for the Blue Crabs’ offense to erupt. They got their wish as Garcia broke Fisher’s no-hitter in the bottom of the eight inning with an RBI triple, and it turns out all the Blue Crabs needed was a spark. Their offense ignited in the inning, as they would go from no hits, to five consecutive hits scoring four runs, and inching the squad closer to a dramatic comeback, as the score ran up to 6-4 through eight innings.
Despite a Charlie Valerio single in the bottom of the ninth, the Blue Crabs were unable to put together any more offense in the final frame, as they would fall by a score of 6-4 in the series finale with Long Island.
The Blue Crabs hit the road for the next seven days, and will return home next Friday, May 24th, the first game of a seven day, seven game homestand at Regency Furniture Stadium, with the first pitch at 6:35 PM.