HIGH POINT, N.C. – Hits were hard to come by at Truist Point on Sunday afternoon with each team collecting just three but Southern Maryland took a 2-1 win in the series finale over the High Point Rockers.
Southern Maryland’s Brett Barrera hit a two-run double in the sixth inning to overcome a 1-0 deficit and provide the winning margin for the Blue Crabs.
The Rockers are now 57-36 on the season and 16-14 in the second half. Southern Maryland improved to 49-43 and 13-16. High Point is in third place in the Atlantic League’s South Division in the second half, trailing Gastonia (19-11) and Lexington (17-12).
The Rockers tallied their lone run when Luis Gonzalez opened the Rockers’ half of the first inning with a double to center and then trotted home when Ben Aklinski followed with a double into the left field corner to give High Point an early 1-0 lead.
High Point starter Ben Wereski (0-2) retired the first eight men he faced before allowing a single to Giovanni Digiacomo with two outs in the third. Wereski would set down 12 of the first 13 batters he faced through four innings.
Southern Maryland starter Jalen Miller (W, 8-4) proved to be an escape artist. He came out unscathed in the fourth when he put two Rockers on base with nobody out and then walked the bases loaded in the fifth yet held the Rockers without a run.
The Blue Crabs took a 2-1 lead in the sixth when Wereski walked Digiacomo and allowed a bunt single to Jackson Loftin. After a sac bunt from Lyle Lin, Brett Barrera hit a two-run double to the left-center gap to plate both runners.
Both bullpens were nearly unhittable. David Hess tossed two scoreless innings for the Rockers and Jake Gilbert put the Crabs down in order in the ninth. The Rockers did not get a base hit after the fourth inning with four Southern Maryland relievers preventing the Rockers from getting a base runner past second base. Andre Scrubb notched his 12th save of the season with a three-up, three-down ninth inning.
The Rockers will have an off-day on Monday before venturing to Charleston, West Virginia for a six-game series with the Dirty Birds starting Tuesday night.
NOTES: Rockers catcher Jack Conley retired following Sunday’s game . . . Conley joined the Rockers back in May after playing in Mexico at the start of the 2025 season . . . The former NC State player was a key part of Lancaster’s 2023 ALPB Championship team in a season in which he set the league record for stolen bases by a catcher with 29 . . . The Rockers are now 20-8-1 in series this year.
