Bascome’s Blast Fall as Sockers Sizzle in Maryland
IslandStats.com
David Bascome’s Baltimore Blast endured a difficult night at the SECU Arena as a clinical San Diego Sockers outfit secured a commanding 10-5 victory. The visitors established their dominance early in a high-octane opening period, leaving the Blast with a mountain to climb from which they ultimately could not recover.
The contest began at a frantic pace with the Sockers striking twice in the space of twelve seconds. Juan Salazar opened the scoring at 04:08 before Sean Callahan doubled the advantage at 04:20. When Nick Perera added a third at 06:40, the hosts looked shell-shocked. Baltimore did manage a brief rally as Jairo Guevara pulled one back at 07:35 and Juan Pereira reduced the deficit further at 08:10, but Andrew Estrella restored the San Diego cushion with a quick-fire double at 11:01 and 14:31 to end the first quarter.
The Blast showed plenty of character in the second period, momentarily threatening a comeback. Nelson Santana found the net at 06:10 and Eber Ospina struck at 09:33 to bring the home fans to their feet. However, the Sockers quickly snuffed out the revival as Jesus Pacheco scored at 10:27 and Gabriel Costa added another at 13:07 to maintain the visitors' control.
Defences tightened in the third period, but the Sockers continued to find gaps in the Baltimore backline. Pacheco claimed his second of the match at 07:13 to further extend the lead. While Patrick Thompson gave the Blast a glimmer of hope by scoring at 14:46 just before the final break, the gap remained substantial.
The final period saw San Diego manage the game with professional ease. Tavoy Morgan added a ninth for the visitors at 02:00, and despite Baltimore's efforts to press forward, Sebastian Mendez put the finishing touch on the result at 13:45. It was a tough outing for Bascome's men, who must now regroup after being outpowered by a relentless San Diego performance.
