GARCIA BLAST, 16 HITS DO IN LANCASTER

‘Stormers Fall, 7-3, to Southern Maryland

All Daryl Thompson had to do on Monday evening was withstand three solo home runs.

The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs right-hander gave up only two other hits over 6 2/3 innings and was backed by a 16-hit Crab attack as Southern Maryland captured its third game out of a four-game series, 7-3, from the Lancaster Barnstormers at Clipper Magazine Stadium.

Lancaster fell to 4-6 in the second half, 1 ½ games behind the division leading Sugar Land Skeeters. Southern Maryland is 4-7.

For Thompson (3-6), it was a solid effort, yielding five hits and no walks while striking out three. Mike Jacobs and Charlie Cutler reached him for solo shots in the fifth inning, and Josh Bell tacked one on in the bottom of the sixth. Only a double by Bell leading off the second and a two-out single by Jeff Kobernus in the third inning reached him otherwise.

The Blue Crabs big inning came in the sixth. Gustavo Molina single and Alfredo Marte doubled, the second time the duo led off an inning with hits off Bryan Evans (3-6). Evans struck out Angel Flores, but Eric Garcia lined a three-run homer onto the right field picnic deck to give Southern Maryland a 5-2 lead. Justin Jackson took over, and, with two outs in the inning, speedster Antoan Richardson reached first base on a long-discussed and disputed catcher’s interference call. He stole second and scored on Zach Wilson’s single, following an intentional walk to Bryant Nelson.

Nelson drove in an insurance run with a sacrifice fly in the eighth. Garcia had an earlier RBI on an infield out, and Gary Brown, who was 4-for-5 on the night, singled in a run in the fourth.

Lancaster heads to New Britain to open a four-game series on Tuesday evening. The Barnstormers will send Terry Doyle (3-4) to the mound against right-hander Sean Gleason (2-3). Fans may tune into the Barnstormers YouTube Channel, beginning at 6:15.

NOTES: Evans struck out seven on the night and now has 94 K’s on the season…He is second in the league and 30 shy of the Lancaster franchise single season record…K.C. Hobson lost an eight-game hitting streak…Kobernus hit safely for the fifth straight game…The Barnstormers homered for the eighth consecutive game…Nelson ended the series with 10 hits, all singles, and is now 13 away from Jeff Nettles’ all-time career league record…Lancaster added infielder Dean Wilson earlier in the day…He is a 23-year old right-handed batter from Tulsa, OK.