Blue Crabs falter in last two games

nStill own league-best 18-11 second half record; losing streak is first since late July

Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2008

Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photo by GARY SMITH Blue Crabs pitcher Bryan Morse allowed four hits over five-plus innings against Lancaster on Friday night to improve to 1-1 on the season. E-Mail This Article | Print This Story

And the broom bristles seemed like they would get some definite action when Southern Maryland jumped out to a 6-2 lead through three innings, courtesy of four extra-base hits.

Between the offensive well unpredictably running dry while its middle relief fell flat on its face in unsuccessfully protecting a solid starting pitching effort, Southern Maryland was unable to apply its desired finishing touches to a series it owned for 2 1⁄2 games.

Lancaster, responsible for the worst offense in the eight-team Atlantic League with a .268 team batting average through Monday’s games, used three doubles in the sixth to hang five two-out runs on Southern Maryland. Lancaster scored one more in the seventh to cement its 8-6 comeback win and thus avoid the sweep.

On Monday, Southern Maryland (54-45 overall) still clung to a league-best 18-11 tab in the second half of the season, but sustained its first losing streak since a skid of four straight from July 21-24. Southern Maryland fell at York (16-14), 9-4, to start a seven-game road trip, as the league’s hottest team won for the fourth straight time to assume first place in the Freedom Division by 1⁄2 game over Somerset (15-14).

In the process, Southern Maryland’s lead in the Liberty Division shrunk to just a game over Long Island (17-12), which pulled out a 6-5 extra-inning win against Lancaster (14-16) on Monday.

Tuesday’s game finished too late for inclusion into this edition.

‘‘It was a good series, and we’re happy with two out of three,” Southern Maryland third baseman Patrick Osborn said Sunday after his team won its fourth straight series despite losing the finale. ‘‘We didn’t give this game away today. [Lancaster] played well and had some big hits late in the game. I don’t feel bad about this game. I don’t feel we gave it to them. They earned it.”

Osborn, the league leader with 88 RBIs entering Tuesday while batting a fifth-best .338 in the league, was on base in all five of his plate appearances Sunday. He went 4 for 4 with two runs scored, an RBI and a double.

Osborn remained on fire in Monday’s loss, going 3 for 5 against York pitching with two more RBIs and another double.

Despite the offensive heroics of Osborn and his batting lineup –– which managed 10 hits Sunday and another 12 more Monday in averaging five runs in each loss –– Southern Maryland’s pitching was unable to make the support stand up.

Monday saw Southern Maryland starter Ryan Bicondoa drop his pitching mark to 10-5 after yielding six earned runs in seven innings. A four-run second by York put Bicondoa in a hole he could never escape from.

Southern Maryland southpaw Keith Ramsey shook off a couple of solo homers he surrendered in the opening three innings Sunday by settling down with a solid start of 5 2⁄3 innings.

Ramsey, more of an off-speed hurler, left the game with a 6-3 lead in the sixth, but his bullpen could not protect the advantage.

Six straight Lancaster hitters reached base before Southern Maryland’s middle relief recorded the final out. Lancaster recorded two doubles, walked twice, singled and got aboard via an error during its five-run sixth to take a 6-5 lead and not look back.

Ramsey’s winnable outing was wasted, while the usually reliable Southern Maryland bullpen was roughed up for another run in the seventh.

‘‘Middle relief has been strong all year; they’ve definitely been one of the stronger points of our team,” said Ramsey, whose 3-4 record was kept from climbing back to .500 with the no-decision. ‘‘I need to finish my inning [in the sixth]. I put the team in a tough situation where they had to pitch more than they should. I need to finish my inning, and we could’ve ended up winning this game. But it’s something you’ve got to live with and work hard to get better.”