Bautista, Crabs Stay Hot in 10-3 Win Over Lancaster

Bautista homers and drives in four, Crabs tied Stormers for league's best record

W: Connor Overton (3-3)

L:  Cole Patten (1-1)

Hold: Rafi Vazquez (1)

WALDORF, MD – The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs (21-11) scored 10 unanswered runs to notch a 10-3 win over the Lancaster Stormers (21-11) on Wednesday night at Regency Furniture Stadium. Lancaster held a 3-0 lead after two innings, but Southern Maryland rallied back. Danny Bautista Jr. continued his hot streak, going 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBI. The Blue Crabs are now tied with the Stormers for the best record in the Atlantic League.

Lancaster jumped out to a lead early in the game. In the top of the first inning, the first four hitters of the game hit singles off Blue Crabs starting pitcher Connor Overton. Runs scored in the inning on back-to-back RBI singles by Tyler Miller and Nick Lucky. Jake Thompson added an RBI double in the top of the second inning to put the Stormers ahead, 3-0.

The Blue Crabs answered back in the next two innings. In the bottom of the third inning, an RBI single by Viandel Pena put the Crabs on the board. In the bottom of the fourth inning, Bautista hit a 392-foot two-run home run to left center field, his third home run of the season, to tie the game at 3-3. Bautista has been one of the league’s hottest hitters since last week. Over his last eight games, he is hitting .536 with three home runs, nine RBI, and a 1.487 OPS.

After a few tough innings to start the night, Overton settled in to record his second quality start of the season. Over six innings, he allowed three runs on six hits and two walks. He struck out six Lancaster hitters.

Southern Maryland jumped in front in the bottom of the sixth inning. Lancaster relief pitcher Cole Patten walked three consecutive batters to start the inning, but a pickoff prevented him from loading the bases. The Stormers turned to Phillip Diehl to try to work out of the jam, but he was unable to do so. Bautista drove a two-run single to center field to give the Crabs the lead for the first time. He came in to score on a Ryan McCarthy sacrifice fly to padded the lead for the Blue Crabs at 6-3.

The Crabs piled on in the bottom of the seventh inning. The first three batters of the inning notched extra-base hits on a Brody Fahr triple, Pena RBI double, and Taylor Darden double. Pena scored on an Ezequiel Pagan RBI groundout and Darden came home on an Ethan Wilson RBI single to extend Southern Maryland’s lead to 9-3.

The Crabs tacked on another run in the bottom of the eighth inning on a Darden RBI infield single, extending their lead to 10-3.

Lancaster had loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the ninth inning, but heavy rain rolled into the ballpark and the game was called early.

The Blue Crabs go for the sweep in their three-game series against Lancaster on Thursday, May 28, at Regency Furniture Stadium. First pitch is at 6:35 pm.

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The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs have been proud members of the Atlantic League since 2008, the third-longest tenured team in the league. With a proud tradition of success on and off the field, many players have found a home while playing in front of Crustacean Nation, the nickname for the Blue Crabs’ avid fanbase. A host of former Major Leaguers have played for the Blue Crabs, including Chien-Ming Wang, Pat Mahomes Sr., and team legend Daryl Thompson. Many players have also made it to the Major Leagues after playing with Southern Maryland, including Isaac Mattson of the Pittsburgh Pirates. 2026 marks the 18th season of Blue Crabs baseball at Regency Furniture Stadium, where Clawsome Times Await.