WALDORF, Md. — The Lancaster Stormers held off a late surge by the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs to secure a 10-8 victory in an Atlantic League game at Regency Furniture Stadium on August 12, 2025. Lancaster built a 10-0 lead through six innings before Southern Maryland scored eight runs over the final three frames, bringing the tying run to second base in the ninth. The win extended the Stormers’ streak to six games and gave them a two-game lead over Long Island in the Northern Division second-half standings.
Noah Bremer earned the win for Lancaster, improving to 7-2 after pitching six innings of one-hit ball with six strikeouts and one walk. Joseph Carpenter led the offense with two home runs and two RBIs, while Alex Isola added a homer and one RBI. Nick Ward collected three hits, and Mason Martin drove in two runs with a pair of hits. Kevin Watson Jr. sparked the early scoring with a two-run double in the second inning.
The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs game turned dramatic in the later innings. Bret Barrera hit a solo home run in the seventh off reliever A.J. Alexy. The eighth inning saw five runs cross for the Blue Crabs after an error by Slater Schield, a wild pitch, a passed ball and a three-run homer by Jackson Loftin. Zach Racusin singled, Alejandro De Aza walked, and singles by Barrera and Jamari Baylor, plus a sacrifice fly by Pearce Howard, narrowed the gap to 10-6.
In the ninth, reliever Jackson Rees walked three batters and allowed a run on a wild pitch before Scott Engler entered. Engler walked Barrera and Baylor to force in another run but struck out Howard for the final out, earning his third save. Shawn Semple took the loss for Southern Maryland, falling to 0-3 after allowing four runs in three innings.
Lancaster’s offense produced 15 hits overall, including doubles by Ward, Martin, Joe Campagna, Watson and Isola. The Stormers scored two in the second, two in the third, four in the fourth, one in the sixth and one in the seventh. Southern Maryland managed six hits, with Loftin and Barrera each driving in multiple runs. The Blue Crabs committed three errors, while Lancaster had one.
The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs game marked the 1,000th as manager for Lancaster’s Ross Peeples, who notched his 514th win. Lancaster improved to 51-43 overall and remained undefeated at 9-0 with Campagna behind the plate. Carpenter’s performance was the team’s sixth multi-homer game of the season. Bremer has won seven of his last eight decisions.
Southern Maryland fell to 49-44 with the loss. The Atlantic League, an independent professional circuit founded in 1998, features 10 teams split into North and South divisions, with a split-season format determining playoff qualifiers. The Northern Division second-half standings as of August 2025 show Lancaster at 19-11, ahead of Long Island at 18-12.
The game lasted three hours and 34 minutes, starting at 6:39 p.m. Plate umpire was Rex Engstrand, with Andrew Eng and Gavin Holdgreve in the field. Lancaster left 14 runners on base, part of 53 over the last five games. Southern Maryland stranded eight.
Matt Swarmer, 0-3, is set to pitch for Lancaster on August 13 against Southern Maryland’s Andrew Thurman, 5-1. Coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. on FloBaseball.
This Southern Maryland Blue Crabs game highlighted the team’s resilience despite the defeat, as they nearly erased a large deficit. The Blue Crabs, based in Waldorf since joining the league in 2008, focus on community engagement through events and youth programs. Lancaster, from Pennsylvania, has a history of championships, including titles in 2006 and 2014.
