ALL-TIME HITS LEADER NELSON ADDS FOUR MORE

Southern Maryland Third Baseman Leads Charge as Blue Crabs Dump ‘Stormers, 8-3

The last time Bryant Nelson passed through Clipper Magazine Stadium, he banged out 10 hits in four games, taking huge strides toward the Atlantic League career hits record.

With that record in tow, Nelson added four more, including a home run, Tuesday evening to pace the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs to an 8-3 victory over the Lancaster Barnstormers at Clipper Magazine Stadium.

Nelson collected two singles, a double and a home run on the evening, scoring three runs and driving home two.

Bryan Evans (3-8) walked Antoan Richardson to open the third. Richardson took second on a bad pickoff throw and went to third on a bunt. Angel Sanchez staked Gaby Hernandez (3-8) to a 1-0 lead with a lined single into right center. Nelson followed with his second homer of the season, a line drive into the right center net. Jamar Walton launched his 11th long ball of the season over the tents in right immediately afterward for a 4-0 Southern Maryland lead.

That grew to 7-1 before Ryan Dennick, the third pitcher, could finally get the Barnstomers out of a prolonged Blue Crabs fifth.

Lancaster was not without opportunities to come back as Southern Maryland pitching contributed eight walks. K.C. Hobson picked up an RBI with a flare to center with two outs in the third, the first hit off Hernandez. Josh Bell grounded a single up the middle to score Trayvon Robinson in the bottom of the fifth to trim the lead to 7-2, and Lancaster would get the tying run to the plate in the sixth.

Charlie Cutler drew a one-out walk in the sixth and advanced on Yusuke Kajimoto’s single to right center. Caleb Gindl struck out, but Robinson singled home Cutler with a smash up the middle. Hobson walked, bringing Bell, the Lancaster RBI leader to the plate. Lefty Scott Snodgress struck out Bell on three pitches to end the inning.

Hernandez allowed four hits and two runs in five innings. The right-hander walked five in defeating Evans and the Barnstormers for the second time in six days.

Lancaster sends right-hander Terry Doyle (6-5) to the mound on Wednesday evening against right-hander Daryl Thompson in a rematch of last Thursday’s game, a 7-5 Lancaster win at Regency Furniture Stadium. Fans may tune into the Barnstormers YouTube Channel or Blue Ridge Cable 11, beginning at 7:00.

NOTES: Nelson and Walton hit the first pair of consecutive home runs by Barnstormers since August 25, 2012 when Brandon Sing and Timo Perez connected for the Long Island Ducks off Mark Brackman…Nelson homered in that inning as well…Hobson has driven home 27 runs in his last 31 games…Sean Halton has hits in 15 of 16…Caleb Gindl and Trayvon Robinson have reached base a combined 22 times in the last four games.