AtL Southern Maryland Blue Crabs

Bethpage Blues

Published on August 22, 2011 under Atlantic League (AtL)
Southern Maryland Blue Crabs News Release


Central Islip, NY - A three-run eighth inning allowed the Long Island Ducks to come back from a 4-1 deficit and defeat the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs 5-4 at Bethpage Ballpark on Monday night.

Southern Maryland started the scoring in the first inning. Right fielder Adam Godwin led off the ballgame with an infield single then went to second on the play as the throw from Long Island starting pitcher Valerio De Los Santos went down the right field line and sent Godwin to second. After a passed ball allowed Godwin to move to third, he scored on an RBI single by designated hitter Brian Barton to give the Blue Crabs a 1-0 lead.

Long Island bounced back with a run in the second on a RBI double from first baseman Freddie Thon, which scored right fielder Matt Esquivel from second and tied the score at one apiece.

The Blue Crabs then exploded with three runs in the fourth with the rally getting started with nobody on, two out, and the count 1-2 on centerfielder Jeremy Owens.

Owens was able to coax a walk from De Los Santos before shortstop Bridger Hunt singled into left field to put runners at first and second. Catcher Christian Lopez then gave the Blue Crabs the lead with a double down the leftfield line to make the score 2-1. Godwin followed that with another double down the leftfield line, which scored two runs and gave the Blue Crabs a 4-1 advantage.

The Ducks got a run back in the seventh as a double by centerfielder Kraig Binick allowed third baseman Matt Padgett to score from first and draw Long Island to within 4-2.

Long Island drew a run closer as a one-out solo homer by shortstop Javier Colina in the eighth inning pulled the Ducks to within one. That chased Blue Crabs starter Virgil Vasquez from the game after the right-hander tossed 7.1 innings of three-run ball. He allowed eight hits, no walks, and struck out four. It was his fourth consecutive quality start.

Blue Crabs reliever Steve Palazzolo entered the game and allowed a single to designated hitter Lew Ford, before getting catcher J.R. House to fly out to center. But right fielder Matt Esquivel would single Ford to third, and with one out and runners at the corner and the count 1-2, Padgett laced a double down the right field line.

Both Ford and Esquivel scored on the play with Esquivel running on the pitch.

Closer Ehren Wassermann then retired the Blue Crabs 1-2-3 in the ninth inning to lock up his 11th save of the season. The loss dropped the Blue Crabs to 0-7 on the season at Bethpage Ballpark with six of those games decided by two runs or less.

Long Island was led by Padgett who went 3-4 with two singles, a double, two RBI and a run scored, while Esquivel chipped in by going 2-4 with two singles and two runs scored.

Southern Maryland got a 3-5 performance from Godwin who doubled, singled twice, drove in two and scored another. Barton went 2-4 with an RBI and Hunt haunted his former team by going 2-4 with two singles and a run scored.

Reliever Jeremy Hill (6-1) got the win for the Ducks after pitching a scoreless eighth. Palazzolo (9-3) suffered the loss for the Blue Crabs.

The Blue Crabs will face the Ducks in game two of their three-game series on Tuesday at 7:05. The Blue Crabs will send right-hander Brian Slocum (4-4, 3.99 ERA) to the hill against fellow-righty Mark Diapoules (7-1, 4.06 ERA) for the Ducks. The game can be heard on www.somdbluecrabs.com.

Check out the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs Statistics

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Atlantic League Stories from August 22, 2011


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