Four-Run First Leads Southern Maryland

‘Stormers Drop Third Straight

Bryan Evans appeared to be cruising in the bottom of the first inning. Then, Southern Maryland struck for four two-out runs en route to a 5-2 victory over the Lancaster Barnstormers at Regency Furniture Stadium on a soggy Tuesday evening.

Evans (1-2) got two quick outs and had Michael Snyder trailing in the count at 1-2. Snyder took the next pitch down the third base line for a double to get the uprising started. Evans walked Zach Wilson to fill in first base. Cory Vaughn worked out a walk after surviving a borderline pitch that would have ended the inning.

With the bases loaded, Devon Rodriguez laced a single up the middle scoring two. The next batter, Zach Cone tripled past the reach of Caleb Gindl in the right field corner plating two more. Luis Alen became the sixth consecutive Blue Crab to reach base with a walk.

Southern Maryland picked up only four more baserunners on the night, but the damage was done.

Trayvon Robinson got the Barnstormers on the board with a leadoff homer in the third off Pat McCoy (1-1), but the rest of the night brought nothing but false starts from the Barnstormers offense.

In the fourth, Sean Halton singled into center, and K.C. Hobson walked to put two runners on base. McCoy induced a rapid fire 4-6-3 double play out of Garrett Weber to get the first two outs. Edwin Garcia followed with a nifty play on Blake Gailen’s chopper to shortstop to close the inning.

Lancaster also got a rally started in the sixth. Darian Sandford led off with a grounder up the middle which second baseman Gary Brown flagged with a diving stop but could not get off a throw on the play. Caleb Gindl bounded a double over the head of Snyder and down the right field line, sending Sandford to third. A run then scored when Jose Lozada’s throw to second skipped into left field. Again, the Barnstormers could cash in no further as McCoy used a strikeout and another double play to end the inning.

Britt Robertshaw, Robert Carson and Cody Eppley each pitched a scoreless inning with Eppley earning his ninth save of the season.

The two clubs meet again Wednesday at 6:35. Rommie Lewis (2-2) will make the start for Lancaster against Blue Crabs veteran Daryl Thompson (2-2). Fans may tune into the Barnstormers YouTube Channel, beginning at 6:15.

NOTES: Lancaster recorded only five hits, the fewest in a game since April 22…Sandford extended his hitting streak to seven games…Anderson De La Rosa lost a streak at 10…The Barnstormers are 3-for-27 with runners in scoring position in their three-game losing streak.