The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
Waldorf, Maryland – The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs (26-35, 65-66) swept Thursday’s doubleheader over the Somerset Patriots (28-32, 70-60) at Regency Furniture Stadium. The Blue Crabs took game one 4-2 and edged the Patriots 3-1 in game two.
Southern Maryland opened the scoring in game one with a three-run first inning. A bases-loaded walk to Devon Rodriguez and back-to-back RBI singles from Cory Vaughn and Patrick Palmeiro provided the Blue Crabs an early lead.
Kyle Roller (22) brought Somerset within a run in the top of the fourth with a two-run home run to left-center field.
The Blue Crabs later regained a two-run lead on a Patrick Palmeiro (11) two-out solo home run in the bottom of the sixth inning to top off the scoring.
Daryl Thompson (9-6) earned the win after allowing two runs over six innings. Jerome Williams (2-4) took the loss, yielding three runs on four hits over two innings. Cody Eppley (30) earned the save with a scoreless inning of relief.
Tyler Bortnick (1) broke the ice in game two with a solo home run to left field in the third inning. Kalaika Kahoohalahala (2) responded in the bottom of the fifth with a two-run shot to put Southern Maryland in front 2-1.
Devon Rodriguez added a sac fly in the bottom of the sixth which extended the Blue Crabs’ lead to 3-1.
Drew Hayes (8-8) earned the win after allowing one run over five and 2/3 innings. Keith Hessler (0-1) allowed two runs over one inning of relief to suffer the loss. Zach Thornton (2) tossed a scoreless inning of relief to earn the save.
The Patriots return home Friday to begin their final homestead of the regular season with a three-game series against the York Revolution. Right-handed pitcher Will Oliver (6-6, 5.23 ERA) takes the mound for Somerset against York southpaw Jared Gaynor (1-1, 5.94 ERA). First pitch at TD Bank Ballpark is set for 7:05 p.m.
Tickets to the 2017 Somerset Patriots Season presented by Ford, which includes the team’s 20th Anniversary, are on sale now. For more information, stop by the ballpark, call (908) 252-0700, or visit www.somersetpatriots.com.
About The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB)
The Atlantic League has been a leader in professional baseball and a gateway to Major League Baseball since 1998. Over 37 million fans have attended Atlantic League games and more than 800 players and 50 managers and coaches have joined MLB organizations directly from the ALPB. The Atlantic League emphasizes winning baseball games, showcasing the talent of top-caliber players and offering affordable family entertainment to metropolitan markets serving nearly 15% of the US population.
For more information, please visit www.atlanticleague.com.
