Waldorf, Md. — The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs erased a six-run deficit with a five-run eighth inning and added two more in the ninth to secure an 8-7 victory over the Gastonia Ghost Peppers on August 20 at Regency Furniture Stadium.
Sam Dexter delivered the decisive blow with a three-run home run in the eighth, capping a rally that propelled the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs to their 51st win of the season. The comeback improved their record to 51-49, while the Ghost Peppers fell to 51-50 in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball South Division.
The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs struck first in the opening inning. Jack Loftin singled and stole second, his 50th stolen base of the season, before scoring on a double by Braeden Barrera for a 1-0 lead.
Gastonia responded in the third, plating three runs off Southern Maryland Blue Crabs starter Cody Overton. Dalbert Guthrie’s solo home run, his 13th of the year, highlighted the inning, giving the Ghost Peppers a 3-1 advantage. They added one in the fourth on a sacrifice fly by Guthrie, two in the fifth on RBI singles, and another in the sixth to build a 7-1 lead.
Overton settled in after the early struggles, pitching seven innings and allowing 10 hits and seven earned runs while striking out six. He threw 93 pitches, 60 for strikes, and picked up a wild pitch.
The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs’ offense remained quiet until the eighth. Facing reliever Duane Underwood Jr., they loaded the bases with a walk to Barrera, a double by Jamari Baylor and a single by Giovanni Digiacomo. Dexter then launched his 11th home run, a three-run shot to cut the deficit to 7-6. Additional hits, including a two-run double by Baylor, pushed across five runs total in the inning.
In the ninth, the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs added insurance against losing pitcher Nick Horvath. With two on, Dexter singled in two runs for a final tally of 8-7. Horvath, who took the loss, allowed two hits and two earned runs in two-thirds of an inning.
Rafi Vazquez earned the win for the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, pitching two scoreless innings in relief with one hit allowed and one strikeout. He improved his record while lowering his ERA to 5.77.
Dexter paced the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs’ attack, going 4-for-5 with four RBI and a home run. Baylor contributed a double and two RBI before his ejection in the bottom of the ninth for an unspecified reason. Barrera added an RBI double.
For Gastonia, Guthrie drove in four runs with his home run and a sacrifice fly, while Christian Roederer and Hector Perez each added an RBI.
Defensively, the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs turned one double play, with Loftin, Dexter and Baylor combining on it. Gastonia also recorded one double play.
The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs left 10 runners on base, compared to six for the Ghost Peppers. Both teams committed no errors, though Gastonia catcher Hector Perez allowed a passed ball.
Jamari Baylor, a 24-year-old infielder from Richmond, Virginia, joined the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs for the 2025 season after being drafted in the third round by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2019. He played in the minors with the Phillies and later the Colorado Rockies before signing with Toronto’s system in 2024. Baylor, known for his athleticism and right-handed bat, has a career minor league average around .220 with power potential.
Sam Dexter, a 30-year-old shortstop from Waterville, Maine, signed with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs in February 2025. A product of the University of Southern Maine, Dexter boasts a .980 career fielding percentage over 591 games at shortstop. His offensive contributions this season include a .269 average entering the game.
