Rockers drop 4-1 decision to Blue Crabs

WALDORF, Md. – The High Point Rockers dropped a 4-1 decision to the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs on Tuesday night at Regency Furniture Stadium.

The loss leaves the Rockers with a 39-21 record on the year. Gastonia, which was defeated by Spire City on Tuesday, is 41-19. The Rockers remain two games back with three games remaining in the first half of the Atlantic League season.

The Blue Crabs took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Braxton Lee singled with two outs off High Point starter Ryan Weiss and then scored on a double to right by K.C. Hobson.

In the fourth Alex Crosby hit a solo homer to increase So. Maryland’s lead to 2-0. The Rockers cracked the scoreboard in the fifth when Emmanuel Tapia and Trent Taylor each singled ahead of Shed Long, Jr. whose single to center plated Tapia to make it a 2-1 game.

The Blue Crabs expanded their lead to 3-1 in the sixth when Hobson walked and scored on a double by Ryan Haug. It became a 4-1 contest in the seventh when Blue Crab shortstop Michael Baca walked, stole second, and scored on a fielding error by Rocker first baseman Zander Wiel.

Neil Uskali (W, 3-3), the former Rocker starter, went 7.2 innings for So. Maryland and held the Rockers to five hits while walking one and striking out five. Ryan Weiss (L, 3-2) hurled six innings for High Point and allowed eight hits and three runs while issuing a single walk and striking out three.

Game two of the three-game series is slated for Wednesday at 6:35 p.m. at Regency Furniture Stadium. The game will be streamed live on FLO Baseball and available on the Mixlr app.

NOTES: Rockers manager Jamie Keefe and centerfielder Ben Aklinski were both ejected in the fourth inning when they disagreed with the umpire that Aklinski had been thrown out at first on a ground ball to third.