WALDORF, Md. – The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs’ long home stand was ending on Sunday, as they were finishing a series with the Charleston Dirty Birds, and with a win, the team could complete the sweep and have the record move to 7-2. The Dirty Birds, however, would make it challenging for the Blue Crabs.
Pitching for the Charleston Dirty Birds was the former Blue Crabs, Eddie Butler, who surrendered two runs early from an Alex Crosby sacrifice fly and a K.C. Hobson RBI single as he pulled it into right. Center Fielder Yefri Perez tied the game at two with a single off the wall.
With the game tied at two, Braxton Lee swatted a hanging slider into left field for his first home run of the year to give the Crabs the lead at 4-2. For the Dirty Birds, they erupted in the seventh with five runs being scored as they collected five hits in a row with two outs; Charleston had a 7-4 lead.
With work to be done, catcher Felix Aberouette got his first hit with the Crabs to lead off the seventh inning; following the hit, Jack Sundberg pulled a home run over the right field wall to cut the lead to just one.
Charleston handed the ball off to Ryan Clark to try and get the save and snap a five-game losing streak. The inning led off with a ground out; that would be the only out the Dirty Birds would get. Back-to-back walks would follow, and Braxton Lee would get a hit into center field to tie the game. Michael Wielansky motored up to third on the play, and Lee advanced to second. With Wielansky representing the winning run, Dirty Birds manager Billy Horn would intentionally walk David Harris to load up the bases for Alex Crosby.
Crosby, who had been the hero in the first game of the three-game set, had to drive in Wielansky, and he could be the hero again for his team. Crosby had other plans; as Clark offered up a fastball up and in, Crosby turned on it and sent it 382 feet for a walk-off grand slam to give the Crabs a win and their second sweep through two series.
With the homestand over, the Blue Crabs still lead the North Division at a 7-2 record, building up a four-game winning streak. The team will travel abroad for the first time, as the club will go North to play against the 1-6 Staten Island FerryHawks. The first pitch is scheduled for 6:30; every game of the series will be streamed onto FloSports.
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 15th season of baseball at Regency Furniture Stadium in Waldorf, Maryland. For more information on the Blue Crabs, please call 301-638-9788 or visit http://www.somdbluecrabs.com for more information. For media requests, contact Steve Bowen at 301-638-9788 ext. 216 or at sbowen@somdbluecrabs.com
About the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB)
Celebrating its 25th Anniversary season in 2023, the Atlantic League is Major League Baseball’s first Professional Partner League, a player gateway to the major leagues, and a leader in baseball innovation. ALPB has sent over 1,200 players to MLB organizations while drawing more than 45 million fans to its family-friendly ballparks throughout its 25-year history. Please visit www.AtlanticLeague.com
