The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs split a Saturday night doubleheader with the Lexington Legends at Regency Furniture Stadium in Waldorf, Maryland. Southern Maryland won Game One 5-0 behind Connor Overton and Jordan Carr before Lexington answered with a 15-1 victory in Game Two.
Connor Overton, Jordan Carr Combine for Shutout
Connor Overton earned the Game One win and improved to 6-6 after throwing five scoreless innings for the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs. He allowed two hits and one hit batter while recording four strikeouts, including back-to-back looking strikeouts to finish his outing.
Jordan Carr completed the shutout with two scoreless innings. The victory marked the Blue Crabs’ second shutout of the season and their first since they blanked Staten Island on April 26.
Southern Maryland opened the scoring in the bottom of the second inning. Jackson Loftin started the rally with an infield single, and Stephen Paolini followed with an RBI swinging bunt single to give the Blue Crabs a 1-0 lead.
Phillip Sikes added an RBI infield single in the third inning before Ethan Wilson drove in another run with a double off the right-field wall. Sikes extended the lead in the fifth inning with a 410-foot solo home run, his team-leading 16th home run of the season. Paolini added an RBI double in the inning to complete the scoring.
P.J. Hilson Powers Lexington Legends in Game Two
Lexington Legends pitcher Jimmy Loper earned the Game Two win after throwing five shutout innings with three strikeouts. Southern Maryland pitcher Ian Kahaloa took the loss and fell to 8-7 after allowing four runs on six hits and one walk in five innings, with two strikeouts.
P.J. Hilson helped create Lexington’s first run in the top of the second inning by reaching on a double and stealing third base. Jackson Feltner brought him home with an RBI fielder’s choice to put the Legends ahead 1-0.
Hilson struck again in the third inning after Curtis Terry’s RBI single. He followed with a 432-foot, two-run home run that pushed Lexington’s advantage to 4-0.
Lexington broke the game open with eight runs in the top of the sixth inning. Hilson led off the frame with his second home run of the game, and the Legends built a 12-1 lead before adding three more runs in the seventh.
Jackson Loftin provided Southern Maryland’s lone run with a solo home run in the sixth inning, his sixth home run of the season. Brett Barfield then threw a scoreless bottom of the seventh for Lexington to finish the 15-1 victory.
Southern Maryland Blue Crabs Begin Road Series Tuesday
The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs were listed with records of 19-18 and 60-40, while the Lexington Legends were listed with records of 21-17 and 47-54. Southern Maryland will face the Hagerstown Flying Boxcars in a six-game road series beginning Tuesday, August 18, with first pitch at 6:03 p.m.
Keith Noonan will have the call on HomeTeam Network for the Hagerstown series. The Blue Crabs will return to Regency Furniture Stadium on Tuesday, August 25, to begin a six-game home series against the Gastonia Ghost Peppers. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.
Maryland Sports Blog Take
Southern Maryland received two sharply different performances in the doubleheader. Overton and Carr controlled Game One from the mound while Sikes and Paolini supplied timely offense, but Lexington’s eight-run sixth inning turned Game Two into a one-sided finish.
The split gave the Blue Crabs a shutout win to carry into their upcoming road series against Hagerstown while ending the night with a decisive loss. The contrast between the two games highlighted the importance of sustained pitching and run prevention across a doubleheader.
Source: Original report
