Tuesday night’s 6-2 victory over the York Revolution at Regency Furniture Stadium was the true definition of a “team win” for the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs.  The starting pitching was excellent, the middle relief was solid, the offense got on base early, and managed to keep hitting with men on and two out.  The Crabs hit home runs, but went small when they had to, getting two insurance runs in the late going to make things easy on their closer, who earned a six-out save. 

The Blue Crabs will next be in action Wednesday morning at home at Regency Furniture Stadium against York for the second of three games through Thursday.  First pitch is at 10:35 a.m, for the school day game, and the stadium gates will open at 9:30 a.m.  Scheduled starters are lefty and former Minnesota Twin Dave Gassner for York, and knuckleballer Joe Gannon Southern Maryland.

Blue Crabs shortstop Travis Garcia continues to live on some other planet, but once again showed up just in time for the ballgame, and to hit another home run.  With two out in the bottom of the first, Garcia stroked his fourth dinger of the season already in five games, a monster solo-shot that was way out to left field.  The 1-0 lead on Garcia’s 10th RBI of the campaign would stand up for Southern Maryland until the sixth. 

Crabs starter Kenny Baugh was untouchable in the first three innings, retiring the first nine Revolution batters he faced in order, and he struck out four in a row at one point.  After giving up singles to Kennard Jones and Ryan Goleski in the fourth, Baugh was able to strand the runners at the corners by whiffing the final two batters of the inning.  In all, Baugh went five and two-thirds without giving up a run, but was tagged for two earned runs that he left on the basepaths when York finally broke into the scoring column in the sixth. 

With the bases loaded, Matt Esquivel stroked a two-out, bases load double to the left field gap, scoring two off reliever Matt Hensley.  The Revolution’s 2-1 lead would be short lived however. 

The Blue Crabs wasted little time re-taking the lead for good.  In the home half of the sixth off York reliever Dan Foli, the Crabs led off with a double by Garcia, and he trotted home after an RBI double by Patrick Osborn.  Eric Crozier then cleared the bases with his second home run of the young season, a two-run opposite field jack to the short porch in left for the lefty.  Up 4-2 going to the seventh, Southern Maryland would manufacture insurance they wouldn’t even need, as Osborn chipped in an RBI groundout to second, followed by an Octavio Martinez sacrifice fly to center in the eighth to make the score 6-2 in favor of the home team.  

Manager Butch Hobson brought in closer Jim Ed Warden for a two-inning save in the eighth up 5-2, and Warden promptly set down the Revolution in order in the eighth and ninth to finish it.  He struck out the first two batters he faced on the way to his second save of the season, and his second since Saturday against Long Island when he preserved a 4-2 win. 

The final line for Kenny Baugh read four hits, two earned runs, no walks and seven strikeouts, an effort that would unfortunately come in a no-decision because of the bases-loaded double by Esquivel.  York starter Rick Bauer was very respectable in defeat, also taking a no-decision as Foli took the loss.  Bauer went five, scattering four hits, giving up just one run on the Garcia homer, and he struck out three walking none.  Matt Hensley picked up the win for the Crabs, tossing a sterling inning and a third, allowing just the one hit to Esquivel but no earned runs, while striking out two and walking one.