Rockers come up short
Jul. 16—HIGH POINT — The Rockers couldn't push the tying run across in the ninth and fell to Southern Maryland 3-2 on Friday at Truist Point.
Down 3-2 and with Blue Crabs closer Mat Latos on the mound, Quincy Latimore started off the ninth with a single and Michael Russell followed with another single. After a bouncer to short advanced the runners, Jerry Downs left a tailing fly to left that for a moment appeared that it would fall for a hit. But Jared Walker made a sliding catch, holding Downs to a sacrifice fly that scored Latimore.
Giovanny Alfonzo came to the plate with Russell on second but he grounded to short and High Point suffered its ninth straight defeat to start the second half and 39-36 overall.
Blue Crabs starter Daryl Thompson held the Rockers scoreless for six innings before allowing a run in the seventh on Jay Gonzalez's RBI single as he picked up the win and stretched his Atlantic League all-time records for victories to 85.
Thompson left after surrendering a leadoff single to Alfonzo. Alfonzo was erased on a groundout by Tyler Ladendoref, who reached on a fielder's choice. Ben Aklinski walked and both runners advanced on stolen bases. Two strikeouts then ended the threat.
Southern Maryland scored all of its runs against Craig Stem, who allowed seven hits, walked two and struck out three but was hurt by a faulty defense that committed three errors. Stem's night could have been worse as the Blue Crabs left the bases loaded in the third and fourth without scoring and got just one run out of a bases-loaded situation in the second that started with an error.
They scored twice in the fifth after loading the bases on an error and two singles. One run scored on a sacrifice fly and another crossed on a groundout.
The teams play the second game of a three-game series tonight at Truist Point.
