STORMERS, CRABS BATTLE TO TIE

Lucky Doubles Twice in Deadlock

Local product Nick Lucky doubled twice and drove in three runs on Monday afternoon as the Lancaster Stormers and Southern Maryland Blue Crabs battled to a 5-5 tie at Penn Medicine Park.

It was Lancaster’s final spring tuneup against an Atlantic League foe.  The Stormers will host the Black Sox on Tuesday afternoon at 1:00 before preparing to head to Long Island to open the 2025 regular season on Friday.

Lancaster took its only lead of the afternoon with a four-run fifth inning off John Kelly.  Trace Loehr led off with a walk and took third on a single by Slater Shield.  Shield stole second before a walk to Sam Plash loaded the bases.  Nick Ward singled off the right field wall to score one, and Lucky drove home the other three with a liner into the right field corner for his second double of the afternoon and a 5-3 lead.

Southern Maryland tied the game at 5-5 on consecutive RBI singles by Ryan McCarthy and Jackson Loftin in the top of the seventh.

Matt Swarmer started for the Stormers and struck out eight in four innings.  He was reached for a two-run homer off the bat of Jamari Baylor in the first and a solo shot by Pearce Howard in the fourth. 

Noah Skirrow worked 2 1/3 innings before yielding the mound to A.J. Alexy who got the final two outs in the seventh.  Phil Diehl and Scott Engler pitched a scoreless inning apiece.