Crabs Drop Fourth Game in a Big Way, Series Tied at 2

After getting out to such a promising 2-0 lead in the series the Blue Crabs have seen that lead disappear with strong rallies by the Ducks.

Tonight's game got off to a very rough start, when in the bottom of the first, starter Ryan Bicondoa was roughed up for 5 runs. Despite the rough start he regained his power and kept the Ducks scoreless in the second and third before leaving the game with load bases in the fourth. He allowed 9 hits and would go on to allow 8 runs, 7 earned with 4 walks and two strike outs. Mike James saw his first action in the playoffs in the fourth, though I imagine he was hoping for a better result. Mike allowed two of his own runs to score in his 5 inning 4th (the other 3 belonging to Ryan) on 3 hits and a walk, he did however manage to get two outs. Matt Righter then came in to pitch the remainder of the 4th, as well as the complete fifth and into the sixth. He also allowed two earned runs on 3 hits with one strike out. Joe Gannon finished off the game going 2.2 innings, allowing 5 hits and 3 runs, only one of which was earned with walking and striking out one.

Offensively we barely ever got off the ground. We had a strong 4th where we nearly tied the game, getting 4 runs, however the game quickly got out of reach following the bottom of that inning. The highlight of the scoring was the 3 run bomb by Cesar Nicolas. However I think the most important run was scored in the 9th when we were down 15-4. Most teams would have given up by that point, but we didn't. We kept fighting, however impossible it may have seemed, but we kept fighting. That willingness to fight and to battle, is what I believe will see us through to the end, hoisting that championship cup high in the air at Regency Furniture Stadium.

The Blue Crabs take the Ducks on in a decisive game five, Tuesday after having Monday off for Yom Kippur. Should the Blue Crabs succeed in keeping the dream alive, they would play Thursday and Friday in Somerset, then come home for games 3-5 Saturday thru Sunday.

Crabs Drop Third Game, Makes Things Interesting

Despite getting out to an early 2-0 lead, the Crabs were unable to hold off the rallying Ducks.

John Ramistella led off the game with a double and moved to third on a sac bunt laid down by James Shanks. Rambo then scored on an infield single hit by Travis Garcia. With only one out, both Patrick Osborn and Cesar Nicolas would be walked to load the bases. Travis would then score on a sacrifice fly hit by Jeremy Owens. The Blue Crabs wouldn't score again until the 7th when John Ramistella blasted a 1 out home run to tie the game at 3. Travis would then double on what was called an error, and came in to score on a hard hit single by Cesar Nicolas to take the lead.

The lead however would be short lived as the Ducks took a commanding lead in the bottom of the 8th. Starter Keith Ramsey was not involved in the decision despite going 5 innings, allowing only 6 hits and 3 earned runs. Keith walked 2 batters, while striking out 4 and allowed a solo homerun. Matt Schweitzer pitched a beautiful 6th, sitting down the Ducks in order. Dane De La Rosa also pitched a gem in the 7th, sitting the Ducks down again in order with a strike out. The strings came unraveled however when Franklyn Gracesqui struggled through the 8th. Franklyn allowed 4 earned runs on only 3 hits and a walk. He would take the loss, his first since joining the Crabs. Big Mac Suzuki closed out the 8th, as Franklyn was unable to get an out before departing. Big Mac allowed two hits while striking out one.

The Blue Crabs look to come back strong from the loss last night, playing the Ducks Sunday at 3:05. Ryan Bicondoa will be making the start for the Crabs, and looks to lead the team to their first Championship Appearance in only their second year of play. Ryan who was the work horse of the team last season, finished this regular season with a 11-6 record and an ERA of 4.66. Ryan made 29 appearances including 3 in relief. He had 2 complete games through 164.1 innings of work, allowing 200 hits and 98 runs only 85 earned. Ryan hit 11 batters, and allowed 10 homeruns while striking out 89 and walking 58.

Blue Crabs Hold on to WIN

After getting out to an early 5-0 lead the Blue Crabs had to work hard to hold off the rallying Ducks.

The scoring got started early for the Crabs, getting 3 runs in the 3rd off the bats of John Ramistella and James Shanks. After a couple of singles, Rambo broke the scoreless affair with a single to drive in team captain Jeremy Owens. Not wanting to have a repeat of the night before, James Shanks then cleared the bases with a two-run triple scoring catcher Octavio Martinez and Rambo. We would add a couple more runs in the 5th when Jeremy would single to score Michael Tucker and James would add an additional RBI to his day, singling to score Cesar Nicolas.

The Blue Crabs pitching saw their consecutive scoreless innings come to an end in the top of the 6th, when starter Jarret Grube would give up a solo homerun. After giving up a double, Jarrett left the game after a beautiful 5.1 innings of work. Jarrett allowed only 4 hits, including the two earned runs, while striking out 8 and walking no one. Matt Schweitzer and Paul Estrada each pitched a third of an inning, Matt being perfect and Paul only sacrificing one hit. Dane De La Rosa pitched the 7th, allowing only one hit. Franklyn Gracesqui pitched the 8th allowing two hits while striking out two and gave up an unearned run. Big Mac Suzuki pitched the 9th allowing one unearned run on a walk and a strike out, getting his second save in as many nights.

Tomorrow Night the Blue Crabs look to take on the Ducks in game three of this five game series. The game will be played at 7:05 in Central Islip, New York.

Playoffs! Game 1 of the Divisionals Recap

Game one of the Blue Crabs playoffs was a nail bitter for sure, however the Crabs were able to hold on through 9 innings to their one - nothing and win. This early win brings the series to 1 games to none for the Blue Crabs over the Long Island Ducks.

John Halama got the start for the Blue Crabs, going 8 beautiful innings. John who had been playing with the AAA affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, scattered 4 hits while striking out 4 and walking no one. He allowed no runs to score, and got a first pitch strike on the first 5 batters he faced. New Comer Mac Suzuki pitched the ninth, facing 4 batters, striking out one and walking one. He also allowed no runs to score completing the team shut out.

The only run of the game came in the first inning, when with one out James Shanks had a broken bat double, the first hit of the game. After another out was recorded, Patrick Osborn stepped up to plate and stroked the first RBI in Blue Crabs playoff history, a one-two count single.

Patrick Osborn's RBI single in the bottom of the first.


Tonight the Blue Crabs face the Long Island Ducks at home again, and are looking to start Righty Jarrett Grube. Grube has a 3.36 ERA in 16 appearances, 12 of which were starts. He has a 3-1 record through 75.0 innings pitched. He has allowed 90 hits including 30 runs only 28 of which were earned. He has allowed 4 homeruns while hitting two batters. He has struck out 56 batters while walking only 21.

Roster Changes

In an attempt to make the team into a well oiled machine for the playoffs Manager Butch Hobson has added some new faces as well as reacquired some familiar faces. In order to make these changes easier for my readers I am going to post a full roster breaking the players into categories of people who have been here the majority of the year/came before September, reacquisition, new comers and inactive/disabled players.

Long Term Roster

Pitchers
Ryan Bicondoa
Dane De La Rosa
Paul Estrada
Joe Gannon
Jarrett Grube
Mike James
Matt Righter
Matt Schweitzer

Catchers
Lance Burkhart
Octavio Martinez

Infielders
Chuck Jeroloman
Mike Just
Patrick Osborn
Michael Tucker

Outfielders
Jeremy Owens
John Ramistella
James Shanks
Richard Giannotti

Recent Acquisitions/New Faces

Pitchers
Franklyn Gracesqui
Makato (Mac) Suzuki

Infielders
Cesar Nicolas

Outfielders
Brent Krause

Reacquisition

Pitchers
John Halama
Jason LaVorgna

Inactive/Disabled List

Pitchers
Randy Keisler (IA)
Jason Navarro (IA)
Keith Ramsey (IA)
Edward Rodriguez (DL)

Catchers
Dustin Spruill (IA)

Infielders
Trae Bailey (IA)
Anthony Perry (IA)
Ken Harvey (DL)

Hope This helps!

New faces and changing places

We have added a new face to the Blue Crabs in first baseman Cesar Nicolas who wears number 19. Returning to the Blue Crabs is short stop Travis Garcia back in his number 7 moving pitcher Jarrett Grube to number 11. Also we have added relief pitcher Jason Richardson who has been wearing number 35. And an outfielder has been added to our roster in number 10 Brent Krause.

Dustin Spruill, Anthony Perry, and Trae Bailey have all been moved to the inactive list.

Also Ken Harvey has been moved to the disabled list with some wrist soreness as evident by the way he's been taping it lately.

August 28th-30th; Home Verses Bridgeport

Following my August post of doing series recaps verses individual game reports, I have found the series recaps to be easier to read and provide much of the same information just in a more concise format. I will however for playoffs return to the individual game recaps.

August 28th-30th; Home Verse Bridgeport

Game 1: Loss, 9-6*
Game 2: Loss, 8-1
Game 3: Win, 13-5

*Game one of this series went 6 hours and 42 minutes, and through 18 innings, tying the record for number of innings but breaking the league record for time. A separate post will be created for this game.

Game two saw the Blue Crabs drop their second in a row at home against Bridgeport, but did not see them shut out. Their only run came in the bottom of the 7th, when after 3 consecutive singles by Ken Harvey, James Shanks and Jeremy Owens; Octavio Martinez hit an RBI single to right. The starter Keith Ramsey was nearly perfect through the first six allowing only two runs, but would soon run into trouble in the top of the 7th were 5 runs would be plated on his watch. An additional run would score on a solo home run given up by Paul Estrada. Recent reacquisition Jason Navarro would finish out the game allowing only one hit while getting one strike out through 2+ innings of work. The third game of the series was significantly better for the Crabs, getting the win to avoid the sweep while falling just one run short of their season high. The game also saw every Blue Crabs batter get a hit, with bullpen catcher and recent acquisition Dustin Spruill going 4 for 4 in only his second professional start. James Shanks, Patrick Osborn and Chuck Jeroloman all had home runs, chasing the Bridgeport starting pitcher after only two innings of work. The game was just about over, as the Crabs took a 8-0 lead in the second, and starter Joe Gannon did not concede a run until the 4th allowing only 5 runs for the Bluefish between the forth and fifth. However, only 4 of those 5 runs were earned; and Joe only walked 1 batter while striking out 4 through 6.2 innings of work. Mike James also saw action on the mound going 1.1 innings allowing only 2 hits while striking out 1. Matt Righter finished off the game in the 9th, striking out two while maintaining his current 0.00 ERA.

August

I did not realize that I had gotten so far behind in my game recaps. I have missed the majority of the month of August as I have been preparing to return to school and taking driving lessons. Rather then bombard my blog with 30 posts at once I will use this post to recap the 8 series I have missed and hopefully will be able to get back to posting after every game. I apologize for any inconvenience this has caused for my readers and hope that this will be the best approach to making up lost ground. I have tried to update on the happenings of the team as far as transactions and trades. I will create a post shortly about the current roster and update on the players who have reached the minor league.

Series Recaps

July 30th - Away Verses Long Island

The Blue Crabs defeated the Ducks 6-2.


July 31st - August 2nd - Home Verses Lancaster

Game 1- Win 5-1
Game 2- Loss 7-6
Game 3- Rain out, to be made up 9/19 at Lancaster

Highlights- The Blue Crabs dominated in the first game, with 3 RBIs coming from Richard Giannotti while pitcher Mike O'Connor shut down the Barnstormers. The second game was not so good to the Crabs. They got out to an early lead but were ultimately the losers in 13 innings of play. It was Jason LaVorgna's first lost, after giving up the game winning solo homerun in the top of the 13th.


August 3rd - August 6th - Away Verses Bridgeport

Game 1- Win 7-2
Game 2- Loss 15-3
Game 3- Win 7-5
Game 4- Win 3-1

Highlights- After being one hit through the first 5.1 innings of the first game, a 3 run blast by Patrick Osborn awoke the bats of the Crabs propelling them towards the 7-2 win. The second game saw the bluefish more then double the number of hits of the Blue Crabs. But the third and forth games saw the Blue Crabs reclaim their winning ways. Again the Blue Crabs were held scoreless through 5 in the third game but found a way to come back and win, shutting down the Bluefish offense down in the last 3 innings. The forth game saw all the offense come in the second inning and proved to be enough at the Crabs outscore the Fish 3-1 in the inning. The hero being again Richard Giannotti who had a two run double off the first base bag.


August 7th - August 9th - Home Verses Camden

Game 1- Loss 5-3
Game 2- Loss 6-5
Game 3- Loss 6-4

Highlights- We were unfortunately swept by Camden at home.


August 11th - August 13th - Home Verses Long Island

Game 1- Win 4-1
Game 2- Win 12-7
Game 3- Win 7-3

Highlights - We swept our rivals Long Island, very little is sweeter then doing that. An 8th inning Rally gave the Crabs the win, getting 3 runs from 4 consecutive singles and a ground out. The Second game saw the Blue Crabs offense explode getting 6 runs in the bottom of the first and seeing 4 different hitters (Rambo, Ozzie, Harvey and Owens) get bombs. The third game completed the sweep keep the ducks scoreless until the 7th. Rambo had another homerun going the distance in back to back games.


August 14th - August 16th - Away Verses Bridgeport

Game 1- Win 3-2
Game 2- Loss 9-5
Game 3- Win 3-1

Highlights - Jeremy Owens as a pinch hitter had two run homers in extras to win the game in the first game, and again as a pinch hitter in regulation had a two run bomb to win the third game.


August 17th - August 19th - Away Verses York

Game 1- Win 4-3
Game 2- Loss 7-6
Game 3- Win 8-1

Highlights - This was the first series the Blue Crabs have had against the York Revolution since seeing Hitting Coach Andy Etchebarren depart to become York's new manager. The win for York against the Crabs was also Andy's first win as manager. The third game of the season was cut short due to rain but didn't dampen the Blue Crabs explosive offense.


August 20th - August 23rd - Home Verses Newark

Game 1- Win 9-7
Game 2- Win 10-4
Game 3- Rained out, to be made up 9/15
Game 4- Win 6-4

Highlights - We swept Newark at home increasing our win streak to 4 games overall, and 6 of our last home games. The forth game saw Blue Crabs new comer and rookie Trae Bailey score his first professional run in a pinch running appearance in the bottom of the 8th.


August 24th - August 26th - Away Verses Somerset

Game 1- Win 7-6
Game 2- Win 6-5
Game 3- Win 9-4

Highlights - In what very well may have been a preview of the Championship Series, the Blue Crabs were by far the more impressive team, coming from behind in the first two games before dominating the third. The first game was a back and forth battle, seeing the Blue Crabs get out to an early lead before Somerset would take the lead back. This back and forth dance continued until the 5th when the Patriots were only able to tie the game rather then regain the lead. The game would go into extras where in the top of tenth the Blue Crabs would get the game winning run after James Shanks got on via a fielder's choice and scored on a RBI double hit by Michael Tucker. The second game would always go into extras, this time taking 12 innings to find a result. Down 4-0 in the 8th and having had only 1 hit through most of the game. The rally started in the bottom of the 9th when Mike Just was walked, and then scored on a Michael Tucker Homer. Ken Harvey would then walk and be pinch run for by Anthony Perry, while Jeremy Owens would also be walked. Both runners would score on a 2-RBI double hit by Richard Giannotti. In the top of the 12th Mike Just would again start the rally, singling with two outs. Patrick Osborn would shut the door, hitting a homerun to bring the Crabs into their first lead of the game. The final game of the series was much less dramatic, though from the beginnings it appeared to be following the same path. Trae Bailey got his first professional start, going 0-3 with a walk and a run scored, while fielding 100%. After a solo homerun by Jeremy Owens to tie the game in the second it appeared as though it would be another low scoring pitchers duel. Things would change however in the 3rd, when the Crabs would send 11 batters to the plate and score six runs. In his first professional plate appearance Trae Bailey would be walked following a walk issued to Chuck Jeroloman. James Shanks would single to score Jeroloman, while Michael Tucker would walk to load the bases. Tare would score on a single hit by Ken Harvey, while James would score on a single by Jeremy Owens. Michael Tucker would then score on a single by Octavio Martinez. Captain Jeremy Owens would then score on a wild pitch for the 6th run of the inning. The Patriots would not be able to come back from 6 runs down, but the never quitting Blue Crabs would add two runs in the 7th for extra insurance. After Patrick Osborn singled, Ken Harvey doubled and then both runners scored on a double by Jeremy Owens.


Tomorrow the Blue Crabs play at home to face the Bridgeport Bluefish. The Blue Crabs are currently first in their division, with 7 game leads over both the Bluefish and the Ducks. If the playoffs were to start tomorrow, the Crabs would face the Ducks while the Patriots would face the Bears.

Recent Transactions

Instead of trading Chuck Jeroloman to York we have traded infielder Liu Rodriguez. Also we have traded bull pen catcher Dustin Spruill to the Lancaster Barnstormers both trades for future considerations.

Returning to the Blue Crabs is relief pitcher Jason Navarro who left early in the season to play in Mexico.

Joining the team recently was infeilder Trae Bailey. Trae was a short stop at the division three school Christopher Newport University. Playing in 41 games he hit .409 while leading his team in several batting catergories and being named to the 1st team All-Division.

Rain out

Tonights game against the Newark Bears has been canceled due to rain. The game will be made up as part of a double headed September 15th.

Chuck Trade

The trade of Chuck Jeroloman to the York Revolution has been postponed due to Mike Just getting sick.

Another Trade With York

The Blue Crabs have announced the trading of infielder Chuck Jeroloman to the York Revolution for a player to be named later.

Pitching Switches

In recent transactions the Blue Crabs have let a few picthers go while aquiring a few new faces.

Right handed relievers Jason Blanton and Jason LaVorgna have both departed. Blanton went home, deciding to shut it down for the remainder of the season in order to continue his arm rehab. LaVorgna was traded to a frontier league team in Kalamazzo, MI. Though LaVorgna is hoping to rejoin the team in about a month when the frontier league season ends. Both Derrick Ellison and Mike O'Conner have departed towards major league organizations. Ellison to the Mets organization and O'Conner to the AAA team of the Royals.

With openings in the pitching line up the Blue Crabs have added a starter and two relievers. The starter is lefty Randy Keisler who previously played with the Yankees before recieving arm surgery. The relievers are Matt Righter, a side-armer righty; and another righty in Dane De La Rosa.

In a simaliar move following the departure of closer Derrick Ellison, fellow lefty Matt Schwietzer has become our unoffical closer getting two saves in his last two attempts.

Two Depart

Kenny Rayborn has reportedly made his final start for the blue crabs departing the team to go play in taiwan.

Also Mike O'Conner has been signed to triple A ball with the Royals.

Coming back!

Jason Blanton, our right handed middle reliever, has returned after leaving the team early in the season do to injury. Having him back will definately help our bullpen following the loss of Jimmy Serrano to retirement and Edward Rodriguez over the last month due to injury.

Jimmy Serrano

Jimmy Serrano has announced his retirement today. We wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors including his baseball skills training business.

Today's Day Game vs. Lancaster

Due to the weather and the wet conditions of the field today's game has been canceled. Since we were trailing and had not played the into the 5th inning that game, under Atlantic League rules, should be considered a no-game. A make-up date has not yet been announced.

Blue Crabs Drop out of First, Dropping Shorten Game

In a game that was shorten by rain to only 6 innings, the Blue Crabs dropped from first to third as now Long Island and Bridgeport lead the division each 1 game ahead of our Crabs.

Ryan Bicondoa went the entire 6-inning game getting the loss, he allowed 5 runs all earned on 12 hits while striking out 5.

The Blue Crabs offense got out to an early lead but was unable to hold on to it. James Shanks would single via a bunt in the second and score on an RBI ground out hit by Ken Harvey. The Crabs would then go on to score 3 more runs in the fourth, including a two run bomb hit by Captain Jeremy Owens that scored James Shanks who has previously scored Patrick Osborn.

In Other Blue Crabs News: John was not in action again tonight. And Joe Gannon will start tomorrow's game against Long Island, before the boys come home for a weekend series against the Lancaster Barnstormers.

Blue Crabs Take First Place

With one win, the Blue Crabs not only prevented a season high four game losing streak for themselves, but also joined a three way tie for first and dealt Long Island their first 4 game losing streak.

Keith Ramsey got the start on the mound for the Blue Crabs looking to avenge his only loss this season, which came to these same Long Island Ducks. Keith pitched a season high 8 innings in the affair, surrendering only two runs both earned on 5 hits, a walk and 4 strike outs. Mike James then pitched the 9th, allowing two runs on a two run homer. Mike also allowed another hit before the homer, to put a base runner on before the blast.

Offensively the Blue Crabs seemed to be well rested following the off day throughout the league. After getting out to a slow start the Blue Crabs crushed in the late innings. James Shanks had a two run single in the 5th, deep down the left field line. Liu Rodriguez also brought in two on a double in the 6th. After an RBI double by Michael Tucker in the 7th, Richard Giannotti would bring in two on another double. Liu Rodriguez would then hit his 3rd home run of the season, and his first multi run shot in the 9th scoring two including himself.

In Other Blue Crabs News: Jimmy Serrano has been placed on the disabled list, or perhaps the inactive list, as reports are unclear. Regardless I do not see Jimmy leaving the team anytime soon but perhaps is finally being given time off to rest his sore back. Also right fielder John Ramistella has not been in action since Friday's game in Newark. While he was coaching first it has not yet been announced as to the reason for his not playing. I do remember him however appearing to have a nasty cut on his finger and missing a game at home, however if I recall correctly he played the next day. It could very well be that John is just taking some time off to rest after having played almost very game since joining the Blue Crabs in late May.

Blue Crabs Swept

After sweeping the York Revolution at home, the Blue Crabs were swept but the Newark Bears as again the offense didn't seem to be able to make solid contact with the ball.

Until the 7th inning all of the Blue Crabs offense came from one man, Liu Rodriguez who has two solo home runs, one in the first and another in the 5th. With two outs in the 7th, Richard Giannotti would single and move around base by base until scoring on a single hit by Patrick Osborn. Liu also had a single that inning and Mike Just was walked, loading the bases before Patrick’s RBI single. In the 8th following back to back singles by Michael Tucker and Ken Harvey and a wild pitch to put both in scoring position, Richard would again come through hitting a two RBI single deep down the right center gap. The Crabs would however go quietly in the 9th, ending any hopes of a come from behind win.

Jarrett Grube again started for the Crabs going 5 innings for a no decision, allowing only 1 run on 3 hits while striking out 3. Jimmy Serrano pitched part of the 6th, getting the loss. Jimmy, who has recently been struggling with back pains, allowed 5 runs all earned on 5 hits and an intentional walk to Carl Everett. Again Paul Estrada and Matt Schweitzer combined for scoreless work, although each only went 0.2 innings in relief. Paul walked on while Matt struck one out. Jason LaVorgna got the nod to close out the game in the 9th, allowing only 1 run on a 2-2 count homerun to Carl Everett before getting the next three batter out in order. The homer was Jason's first earned run surrender of the season in 6 games and 6.1 innings of relief.

Crabs on the other End of a Come behind Win

After having so many storybook come from behind wins this season, the Blue Crabs are given a taste of their own medicine as Newark came from behind to give the Crabs their second straight loss.

New Comer Mike O'Conner pitched in his second game going 6 innings for a no decision. He allowed 4 runs all earned on 6 hits and two walks. He also struck out 2. Paul Estrada and Matt Schweitzer both pitched scoreless innings of relief, Paul's being the 7th and Matt's in the 8th. Matt did however allow a hit but also struck out one. Derrick Ellison suffered his first loss of the season allowing the game-winning run, after securing only one out in the 9th. He allowed two hits while striking out and walking no one.

The Blue Crabs got out to an early lead, on a solo shot Home run by Patrick Osborn in the first. In the second with the bases load Richard Giannotti hit a two run single scoring Ken Harvey and Jeremy Owens. Our final bout of offense came in the third where Michael Tucker doubled to score James Shanks. Our bats all but went flat, as the Bears bullpen combined to No-hit us through the final five innings of the game. The Bears who have the worst ranked pitching staff in the league, found two newcomers that can get the job done from the bullpen.

Crabs Drop First Game of the Road Trip

After Sweeping York at home, the Blue Crabs turned to the road where they dropped the first of a 6 game 7-day road trip to the Newark Bears.

Joe Gannon pitched the entire game, suffering his 11th loss of the season. In 8 innings of work (as the Bears did not need their half of the 9th) He allowed 7 runs on 7 hits, however only 5 of those runs were earned. He also walked 6 while striking out 2 but did not give up a single home run in the game. After a rough first inning, Gannon sat down the bears in order in the second and only allowed one base runner in the third on a walk. After getting the first out in the 5th he would allow another walk before getting the next 9 batters out in a row. Although he gave up one single in the 7th it was quickly erased on a caught attempt at stealing.

The Blue Crabs offense appeared to still be on the bus, getting only 2 runs in the game off of a mere 5 hits. The First run came in the second when with one out Ken Harvey would double and score on a balk after Ken had moved to third on a Jeremy Owens single. We would not score again until the 6th when with two out James Shanks would walk and score on a bases loaded walk dealt to Jeremy Owens. In the 9th, Anthony Perry pinch ran for Ken Harvey who was walked, after two consecutive strike outs Mike Just stepped in 0-3 on the day and laced a single into shallow left center field to put runners on the corners. Anthony Perry always the hustler easily made his was to third on the play. The rally would come to an end however as a long ball hit by John Ramistella did not have the distance and hung up over the warning track.

Break out the Brooms!!

It looked like the Revolution would finally win one against the Crabs, but Captain Jeremy Owens would have none of it.

The Blue Crabs got out to an early lead in the game, getting two runs in the second. With one out, Jeremy Owens would single and Lance Burkhart would be walked, both would come in to score on a double hit by John Ramistella. Their bats however would fall silent for the next four innings, being unable to bring any base runners home while the Revolution would go on a tear scoring five runs between the 4th and the 6th. Just when things seemed at their lowest, John Ramistella led off the 7th with a walk, Liu Rodriguez would also be walked. John would then score on a single hit by James Shanks, Michael Tucker would then single to load the bases and Ken Harvey would walk in a run scoring Liu. Down only one run now the Crabs only need a base hit from their Captain to tie the game and possibly take the lead, but Jeremy wasn't content with merely tying the game, he wanted to make sure the win was final. And with that in a 1-2 count, Jeremy crack a bomb deep over the left field wall, the 4th grand slam in this season for the Blue Crabs, and Jeremy's Second in his Blue Crabs Career.

Ryan Bicondoa got the start tonight going 5.1 innings for the no-decision. He allowed all five of the Revolutions runs on 9 hits and 4 walks while striking out only 2. Mike James would then come in to pitch the remained of the 6th and the 7th, allowing only one walk while striking out two to get the win. Matt Schweitzer would then pitch a scoreless eight while allowing only one hit after striking out two. Derrick Ellison then closed out the game getting his first save of the season allowing only one hit with one strike out, keeping his ERA at nothing.

In Other Blue Crabs News: After the Game, the York Revolution purchased the contract of Infielder Jermy Acey. We wish him the best of luck with them and hope that he will be able to enjoy as much success there as he has had here.

Blue Crabs Beat York again

After a dramatic come from behind win in extra innings last night, the Blue Crabs looked to win this one in regulation.

Keith Ramsey got the nod for only his 3rd start of this season, going seven innings but only allowing 2 earned runs on six hits. Keith walked one while striking out five; he also had 3 innings where he sat the batters down in order sitting down 14 of 15 batters in a row from the 1st to the 6th. Mike James would then come in to pitch the 8th, allowing one hit while striking out 1. Jimmy Serrano closed out the game in the ninth allowing two hits with one out before striking out a batter.

Despite again having to come from behind following York's early 1-0 lead the Blue Crabs hitters had no problem putting this one away early. Last night's hero Mike Just was given the night off, as Jermy Acey played second. Ken Harvey led off the second with a single, moving around the bases one by one until he would score by an errant play by the shortstop on a ball hit by Octavio Martinez. In the 3rd, the Blue Crabs would take their first lead of the game and would never let it go. After Patrick Osborn led off the inning with a single, James Shanks would get on base via an error by the second baseman; both would score on a three-run homer hit by team captain Jeremy Owens. John Ramistella would add to the lead with a solo shot to lead off the fourth, and Jeremy would hit another long ball, this time a solo shot, in the fifth. Liu Rodriguez would then be walked in the sixth and move to third on a double hit by Patrick Osborn. Liu would score on a single hit by James Shanks and Patrick would score on a single hit by Jeremy Owens. That would bring the score to it's final total of 8-2 a commanding win for the Crabs.

Blue Crabs Rally Back!

The Boys all stampede Mike Just after he hit the game winning single to bring in pinch runner Anthony Perry, as they win in Dramatic fashion in extra innings.

Jarrett Grube made his second start for the Blue Crabs going 6 innings, scattering 10 hits while allowing 4 earned runs while striking out 9. Jimmy Serrano pitch the 7th, allowing one run on a hit and two walks, while striking out two. Jason LaVorgna pitched from the 8th into the tenth. Having been deactivated and reactivated recently this was his first action in a while. He went 2.1 innings scoreless allowing one hit and walking one. Most notably he struck out Jason Aspito who had been batting 1000 in the game. Matt Schweitzer pitched the remainder of the tenth allowing only one hit. Paul Estrada got the win allowing 2 runs both unearned on 1 hit and 2 walks while striking out one.

After getting runs in the first three innings, the Blue Crabs would have to wait until the 9th to score again. Liu Rodriguez led off the game with a single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt hit by Mike Just. Liu would score on a double hit by Patrick Osborn. Patrick would then score on a ground rule double hit by Michael Tucker. Lance Burkhart would the hit a home run in the second to bring the run total to 3. In the 3rd Patrick Osborn would double again and score on a single hit by Ken Harvey. In the 9th the Blue Crabs would tie the game at 5 after Liu singled to lead off the inning. Liu moved to third on an error by the Revolution Shortstop. He then scored when Patrick got on base again. In the bottom of the 11th the Crabs were down by two runs and down to their last out, when Ken Harvey would hit a deep homerun down the left field line. Jeremy Owens would also homer in the same place. The game now tied, Lance Burkhart would single and be pinch run for by Anthony Perry. Richard Giannotti would be walked and Liu Rodriguez would be hit by a pitch. The bases now loaded; Mike Just stepped up to the plate. Working in a 2-1 count Mike lined a single in deep left center over the center fielders head, winning the game in dramatic fashion.

Blue Crabs Win in Commanding Fashion

After dropping last night’s game, the Blue Crabs came out swinging getting two multi-run home runs in the game.

Michael Tucker led off the 2nd inning with a triple, scoring on a sacrifice fly hit by Ken Harvey. The Blue Crabs would add to their one run lead in the 4th when Liu Rodriguez would lead off with a single. After two outs, Liu was at second coming in to score on a double hit by Ken Harvey. Ken would then score on home run hit by Jeremy Owens deep in left field. After getting out to a four run lead, the Crabs would add 3 more runs in the 8th. Octavio Martinez doubled to lead off the 4th, going on to score after moving to third on a sacrifice type hit by Richard Gannett. Octavio then scored on a single hit by Liu Rodriguez. Liu would then score on a hard hit homerun by Patrick Osborn deep to left field.

Mike O'Conner made his first start as a Blue Crab going 5 innings of scoreless ball. He scattered 5 hits while striking out 4. He was relieved in the 6th by Paul Estrada who gave up the only run on the night. Paul went 1.2 innings allowing 1 unearned run on 2 hits and a strike out. Matt Schweitzer then pitched the final out of the 7th, getting a strike out to end the inning. Mike James pitched the 8th scoreless allowing one walk while striking out one. Derrick Ellison got the final inning of the game, going hitless and scoreless with one strike out.

Blue Crabs Lose Two in the 8th, Lose Game

After a questionable called 3rd strike, both John Ramistella and Butch Hobson would be ejected from the game. The Crabs would then go on to lose the last game in the series against Camden, unable to mount a comeback for third game in a row.

Camden Jumped out to an early lead facing Starter Joe Gannon. Joe scattered 8 hits over 8 innings of work, allowing 5 runs all earned while walking 2 and striking out 3. Joe got the loss making his record 7-10. Matt Schweitzer pitched the 9th inning, keeping the game close allowing only one hit while striking out one.

Ken Harvey started off the scoring for the Blue Crabs, singling to lead off the second inning. He would move to third on a hard hit single by Richard Giannotti and would score on a single hit by John Ramistella. The Crabs would then be sat down in order in the 3rd and 4th. We would score again in the 7th after Richard Giannotti led off the inning with a single, he would move to third on a double hit by Chuck Jeroloman. Richard would then score on a ground out hit by John Ramistella and Chuck would move to third. After Mike Just was walked, Chuck would then score on a sacrifice fly hit by Patrick Osborn. That would however be the end of the Blue Crabs scoring.

Another One Makes the Jump

Closer Matt Hensley has recently been signed to a contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. He will be playing with their double A team in New Hampshire. We wish him the best of luck in all his endeavors! Congratulations Matt!!

Comeback KINGS

After the dramatics of coming back from behind last night, the Blue Crabs took this game into extras but still pulled out the win. Again the Riversharks got out to an early lead but they must have forgotten about last night and our ability to come back from almost any deficit.

Ryan Bicondoa pitched the entire 9 innings of regular baseball scattered 9 hits while allowing 5 runs and striking out a record 8 batters for him. He only walked two batters on the evening while allowing 1 Home Run. The Home Run he allowed came in the 4th and was a 3-run homer giving the Riversharks a 4-0 lead. He allowed one more run in the 6th but despite going 9 innings he was left with a no decision. Derrick Ellison came in to pitch the 10th inning allowing 2 hits while walking one and striking out one.

Our runs took awhile to come. In the 5th inning we finally got on the board when Jermy Acey singled and scored on an Octavio Martinez triple. Octavio would then score on a ground out by John Ramistella. We'd add another run in the 8th when Liu Rodriguez would single and score on a single hit by Michael Tucker. In the 9th we'd tie the game at 5 when Octavio would get on via a fielder's choice and then move to third on a single hit by John Ramistella who would steal second to get into scoring position. Both would score on a double hit by Liu... all of which happened with two outs. In the bottom of the tenth with the score tied at 5 and one out Ken Harvey would double on a long ball that bounced over the wall. Mike Just would then come in to pinch run, almost getting picked off within seconds of getting on second but diving back safely. After another out, and with Mike still at second Jermy Acey would come up to bat and be walked. In stepped Catcher Octavio Martinez who was three for four on the day. He was in a 1-2 count when he would drop a single deep in left field and running hard all the way Mike Just would score sliding into home. A dramatic end to a dramatic comeback.

In Other Blue Crabs News: We have lost closer Matt Hensley to the Toronto Blue Jays, and we have signed a new starting pitcher, a lefty named Mike O'Conner. Also we have removed Jason LaVorgna from the inactive list.

Putting the ACE in Acey

After Camden got out to an early lead, Jermy Acey brought with him some late inning dramatics winning the game for the Blue Crabs with one swing of his bat.

After Camden jumped on us for a 3-0 lead in the top of the first we quickly answered back in the bottom of the inning. With one out Liu Rodriguez was walked, and Patrick Osborn singled putting runners at first and second. Michael Tucker then doubled to score Liu, Jeremy Owens was then walked to load the bases and on a hard hit single hit by Jermy Acey two runners would score. We wouldn't score again until the 6th, when down by 1 run and with two outs catcher Lance Burkhart hit the then tying run via Home Run over the wall in left center. Things would get scary when in the 8th the Riversharks put up two runs... and it almost looked like we might drop the first home game of the second half. But you can never forget about the Blue Crabs, a team full of heroes. James Shanks lead off the bottom of the ninth with a single, Michael Tucker would follow suit but be replaced by Richard Giannotti to pinch run. After Jeremy got the first out of the inning on a strike out, Jermy Acey would step up to bat... Everyone was on the edge of their seats when out of nowhere THE DOUBLE STEAL! Both James and Richard stole bases at the same time to both runners in scoring position to tie the game. Jermy however would not be content with merely tying the game as he then laced a towering bomb over the picnic area in left field... Watching him run around the bases and jumping into the team who had crowded around the plate was a sight to behold. The camaraderie of this team is amazing.

The offense however is not the only story of the game, as great defensive plays along with stellar pitching kept the game close and gave the Crabs a chance to make a comeback. Starter Keith Ramsey got roughed up in the first inning, allowing a two-run Home Run and seeing 6 batters come to the plate. He pitched 5th innings scattering 8 hits and 4 runs while walking 3 and striking out 3. Paul Estrada would then pitch the 6th allowing only one hit and striking out one while allowing no runs. Matt Schweitzer also pitched an inning allowing no hits, runs or walks while striking out 2. Mikes James pitched the 8th and struggled a bit allowing 2 runs on 3 hits with a walk and a strike out. Matt Hensley would then pitch the top of the 9th getting the win, after pitching a scoreless innings allowing only one hit and a walk while striking out two.

In Other Blue Crabs News: We have added yet another first baseman in Ken Harvey. Harvey has had major League time.

Crabs Put up Big Numbers Against the Revolution... Again!

After pounding the Revolution 11-1 last night, the Blue Crabs offense and pitchers came together for a 14-0 shutout of the Revolution offense.

Newcomer Jarrett Grube made his first start going 5 innings for the win. He scattered five hits while striking out two and walking only one. Jimmy Serrano then came in to pitch going two innings of scoreless relief while allowing only 2 hits. He also walked one and struck out 1. Lefty Derrick Ellison pitched the 8th going scoreless and hitless while striking out and walking no one. Finally Paul Estrada would close out the game going the entire 9th inning without allowing anyone to score despite allowing two hits and walking one.

Our offense was once again booming as we put up 14 runs through only 6 innings as we did not score in the 7th, 8th or 9th. John Ramistella got things going early leading off the game with a ground rule double. Patrick Osborn would then walk to put runners at first and second before James Shanks would load the bases with a single. Two runs would score on newcomer Michael Tucker's Double and Shanks would move to third. Jeremy Owens would walk to again load the bases and a third run would score on a Jermy Acey sacrifice fly. In the second with one out John Ramistella would again go deep getting a triple before scoring on a wild pitch. In the third James Shanks would single to lead off the inning and then come in to score on a Michael Tucker 2-run Home Run. In the Fourth Liu Rodriguez was walked with one out and then Patrick Osborn was hit by a pitch to put two runners on in front of James Shanks. James would then go on to hit a 3-run Home Run. For the first time all game in the fifth we went scoreless, however, 9 runs would not be enough for our Blue Crabs as then would add 5 more in the 6th. With two out Patrick Osborn singled and then James Shanks singled. Michael Tucker was walked and then Jeremy Owens singled to bring in the first run of the inning. Jermy Acey who had been 0-2 on the night with a sacrifice fly came up to bat, and what an at-bat it was. For the third time this season we hit a GRAND SLAM! Always an exciting moment to hit a Grand Slam and many congratulations goes out to Jermy on doing so.

Crabs Pound Revolution

The Blue Crabs came out swinging in the 5th getting 8 runs to break up a scoreless game.

Octavio Martinez lead off the 5th inning with an error to get on base but would soon return to the dugout getting out on a fielder's choice hit into by Chuck Jeroloman. John Ramistella would double score Chuck and then Mike Just would single. Patrick Osborn would single scoring John and then James Shanks would be intentionally walked. Jermy Acey would single scoring Mike. Lance Burkhart would double scoring James Shanks and Patrick Osborn. Octavio would come up to bat for the second time in the inning scoring Jermy Acey and Lance Burkhart with a double. Octavio would then score on a RBI double hit by Chuck Jeroloman. Eight runs however would not be enough for the Crabs at they would add two runs on a two run home run hit by Patrick Osborn in the 6th after Mike Just singled to lead off the inning. A final run would come in the 9th when Jeremy Owens would walk and advance to third on a wild pitch. He would cross the plate on a sacrifice fly hit by Lance Burkhart.

Kenny Rayborn was nearly perfect in his start going 5.2 innings of scoreless and hitless ball before allowing the only hit of the game a solo home run to Jason Aspito. Kenny struck out two batters and walked no one going 8 innings. Paul Estrada closed out the game getting a strike out while surrendering a walk but allowing no runs. In the Blow Out win both Richard Giannotti and Anthony Perry saw action.

Crabs Drop Undefeated Revolution

Despite the fact that the Revolution were getting off to the best start in the league, the Blue Crabs were able to pull off a win against them.

Joe Gannon pitched a gem of a start going 7 innings without allowing a runner to score on his watch; he would however give up one run. Gannon struck out 4 batters while only walking one. Joe scattered 4 hits through 7 innings, including a lead off single given up in the 8th before coming out of the game. Lefty Matt Schweitzer pitched the 8th and appeared to struggle slightly. After giving up a single to begin his outing, the two base runners were advanced into scoring position by a sacrifice bunt. Matt would then hit the next batter, P.J. Rose who had recently hit a game-winning walk off grand slam. Schweitzer would then walk in a run that would be charged to Joe Gannon before striking out the last two batters of the inning. Matt Hensley would pitch the 9th. With a two run lead going into the inning; Matt would allow a lead off single. He would then strike out the next two batters, but the base runner would successfully steal second to put himself into scoring position. After getting the first two outs, Matt gave up an RBI single to shrink the lead to one. Hensley would however finish out the inning keeping the save and win intact by striking out the last batter he faced.

Richard Giannotti gave the Blue Crabs an early with a solo home run in the 3rd. The Crabs wouldn't score again until the 7th when they would add 2 more runs. With one out Liu Rodriguez would be hit by a pitch and score on an RBI double hit by Patrick Osborn. Patrick would also score coming in on a sacrifice fly hit by Jeremy Owens. Those three runs would be just enough to secure the Blue Crabs win over the York Revolution.

In Other Blue Crabs News: The Blue Crabs have granted Byron Batson his outright release from the team and have also traded Vinnie DeChristofaro to the American Association for future considerations. To help soften the blow of losing Eric Crozier and Travis Garcia in recent weeks, the Blue Crabs have signed former Major Leaguer Michael Tucker who is most likely going to be our new first baseman. Jason LaVorgna still remains on the inactive list while Edward Rodriguez remains on the disabled list. Also in action tonight was Blue Crabs second baseman Mike Just who missed the Long Island series while attending to a family matter.

Blue Crabs Pull off A Stunner

In the final game against the Long Island Ducks the Blue Crabs were able to pull off a win after dropping the first 3 games of the second half.

It wasn't until the 9th inning that the 3-3 tie achieved in the 3rd inning would be broken. In the second inning Jermy Acey would get on base with one out via a single. Two batters later Jermy would score on Octavio Martinez's single. In the 3rd the Blue Crabs would pick up two more runs getting back-to-back home runs from James Shanks and Jeremy Owens. The game would remain tied until the 9th inning when the Long Island Ducks would break down defensively. With two outs and extra innings looking certain as the Ducks ace closer Bill Simas was pitching, John Ramistella would get on base via a dropped pop up. Liu Rodriguez would use this to the Crabs advantage, as he would single advancing John to 3rd. Then through all improbability Simas threw a wild pitch and John came into to score the winning run.

Ryan Bicondoa pitched 7 innings for a no decision. He scattered 8 hits allowing the only 3 runs for the Ducks in the first and third innings. He walked 4 batters while also striking out 4. In the 5th Ryan had a pick off double play. After giving up a lead of single, Ryan walked the second batter-putting runners at 1st and 2nd. The lead runner would then be thrown out by play from Jeremy Owens to Chuck Jeroloman when the runner was trying to advance to third on another single given up by Ryan. Ryan however would redeem himself, getting both runners picked off on a single move. Ryan tagged the runner out moving form second to third and then threw to Jermy Acey at second who tagged out the runner going from first to second to end the inning. In the 8th Derrick Ellison came in to face on batter striking him out. Mike James would then pitch the rest of the 8th allowing a single and a walk between bookending outs. Matt Hensley then came in for an attempted save, giving up a lead off single before sitting the next 3 down in order, including a strike out.

Crabs 0-3 Thru Second Half

The Blue Crabs do not appear to be off to a strong start for the second half, dropping to 0-3 on the half losing all three games to the Long Island Ducks.

Keith Ramsey pitched in his second game of the season going 5.1 innings for the loss. After getting out to a strong start through 4 innings Keith would struggle through the 5th. He surrendered 2 runs in the 4th, and then 3 more in the 5th on a 3 run home run. Keith allowed a total of 5 runs all earned on 11 hits and a strike out. Paul Estrada would then come in to finish the 6th and the entire 7th. Paul allowed only one hit and one walk while striking out 1 during the inning and two-third. Jimmy Serrano pitched the ninth, allowing a lead off home run before getting a looking strike out. With two outs he allowed a single that would be negated on a fielder's choice.

The Crabs again managed to score 2 runs. The First of which came off a lead off double hit by Liu Rodriguez. Liu scored on an RBI single hit by Jeremy Owens. Richard Giannotti would then lead off the 6th with a walk and advance to third on a wild pick off attempt by the pitcher. He would then score on a RBI double hit by Patrick Osborn.

Crabs Drop Second in a Row

The Ducks got out to an early 3-0 lead and held on to win 6-2.

Byron Batson made his first start for the Crabs. He pitched the entire 1st and faced two batters in the second before being pulled from the game. He allowed 5 hits and 4 runs all earned. He walked one batter and struck one out. Newcomer Jarrett Grube would pitch for 3.2 innings, allowing 2 runs, one earned, on 3 hits. Grube intentionally walked 1 batter while striking out 3. Derrick Ellison would pitch 1.1 innings allowing only one hit while striking out 2. Matt Schweitzer would pitch a scoreless inning while striking out one. Mike James also pitched a scoreless and hitless inning.

The Crabs scored only 2 runs. The First run came in the 3rd; with one out John Ramistella would walk and score on a fielder's choice hit into by James Shanks. Our second run came in the 7th. Chuck Jeroloman led off the inning with a single, and would score on an RBI error hit by Blue Crabs Newcomer Liu Rodriguez.

Crabs Drop First Game of Second Half

The Blue Crabs started the second half the same way as the first, dropping the first game to the Long Island Ducks.

Kenny Rayborn suffered the loss, going 6.1 innings allowing 2 runs, only one earned, on 5 hits while walking no one and striking out 2. The First run was unearned, as a Duck scored on a rare error by Patrick Osborn at 3rd. The Second run would come on a solo home run hit with 1 out in the 3rd. Newcomer Derrick Ellison would come in to finish the 7th, getting two outs on two pitches. Jimmy Serrano would then come in to start the 8th, getting one out while allowing 2 earned runs on 2 hits. Vinnie DeChristofaro would walk the only batter he faced who would score after he left the game. Paul Estrada would finish off the 8th allowing two hits and striking out two.

Our only run of the game would come in the 4th, when Jeremy Owens would lead off the inning with a double. He would then score on an RBI single hit by Octavio Martinez.

Crabs End Half with a Win

Joe Gannon pitched in the make up game to end the first half of the season with a win.

Gannon went 7 innings allowing only 6 hits and 2 earned runs. He walked 4 while striking out one and allowing a home run. Both runs given up by Gannon were in the 1st. After allowing a single in the second he retired 11 batters in a row. Jason LaVorgna would pitch in the 8th, getting two outs while allowing 2 hits, and an unearned run. Jason struck one batter out while walking no one. Mike James then came in and finished the 8th getting the final out of the inning. Matt Hensley would then pitch the 9th getting the save on a 1-2-3 inning.

Our offense came in the 2nd and 8th innings. With two outs in the second, Lance Burkhart hit a double scoring on a hard hit single by Octavio Martinez. Chuck Jeroloman would follow with a single before he and Octavio would score on a 3-run home run hit by John Ramistella. In the 8th James Shanks would single and score on a two run home run hit by Jermy Acey to bring the Blue Crabs Lead up to 3.

In Other Blue Crabs News: We ended the first half with a 42-28 record, good for first place in our division and a playoff berth. After the game we made some transactions. We added infielder Liu Rodriguez, and pitcher Derrick Ellison. To make room for these new players we placed Jason LaVorgna on the inactive list. We also placed Edward Rodriguez on the disabled list.

Blue Crabs Avoid the Four Game Sweep

An amazing performance by starter Ryan Bicondoa gave the Blue Crabs their first win since clenching the Playoffs.

Ryan went 8 innings allowing only 6 hits and 1 earned run. He walked only one batter while striking out 5. Half of the innings Ryan pitched were 1-2-3 innings. His first run and only run would come in the 6th. After a lead off single, Ryan would get the next two batters out before a bouncing triple would score the initial runner. The Ball would bounce over the glove of first baseman Octavio Martinez. In his first action in a while Jimmy Serrano would close out the game in the 9th, facing only 3 batters, striking out the first batter he faced. The rest obviously helped Jimmy, as every first pitch he threw was a strike. He threw only 2 balls in relief.


The Blue Crabs would get all of their runs in the first and second. With one out Jermy Acey would double, and then score on double hit by Patrick Osborn. Patrick would score on a single hit by James Shanks. James would then score on a double hit by Octavio Martinez. In the second this time with two outs Jermy would single, Patrick would then walk and both would come in on a 3 run home run hit by James Shanks. In action tonight and getting his first start of the season was catcher Anthony Perry. Perry was the designated hitter tonight going 0-4 but reaching base in the 6th on an error. Perry was 4-26 last season in limited action with the Crabs but is always full of energy when he gets the call. After getting on base he would go as far as third, hustling on a single hit by Jermy Acey, he slid into third ahead of the throw. Not in action today was Mike Just who was taking some personal time. With the limited number of infielder's we can expect to see Patrick Osborn at 3rd, Chuck Jeroloman at short as every day short stop Travis Garcia has been signed by the Seattle Mariners and assigned to their Double-A squad, Jermy Acey at second and Octavio Martinez at first should Mike not play again tomorrow.

Blue Crabs Drop 3rd Game Since Clenching

Although we got out to an early lead, it would prove to not be enough, as our bats would stop working after the 6th where the final 9 batters would be sat down in order through the final 3 innings.

After a lead off single James Shanks would move to 3rd with some speedy running on a single hit by Jermy Acey. A costly Balk by the Barnstormer's pitcher would bring in Shanks and move Acey to second. Acey would then score on a 2 run Home run by Octavio Martinez. John Ramistella would then lead off the 3rd with a single and Mike Just would get on base via an errant play by the second baseman. John and Mike would advance a base on a wild pitch. John would score on a single hit by Patrick Osborn and Mike would score on a ground out. Patrick would then score on an RBI single hit by Jermy Acey. After a quite 4th the Blue Crabs would add 3 more runs in the 5th. After a lead off double by Patrick Osborn, and would advance to third on a single by James Shanks. Shanks would then steal second to put two runners in scoring position. Jermy Acey would then be hit by a pitch to load the bases. Lance Burkhart would be walked and bring in a run, as would Octavio Martinez. With Jermy Acey at 3rd, Chuck Jeroloman would single bringing in Acey who would barrel through the catcher who was blocking the plate. The two would exchange some words but nothing serious would take place. A final run was scored by James Shanks after leading off the 6th inning with a triple and would come in on a sacrifice fly by Jeremy Owens.

Blue Crabs Newcomer Keith Ramsey made his first start of the season going 5 innings allowing only 4 runs on 6 hits with 4 walks and 2 strike outs. In his first inning he faced only 3 batters getting two groundouts and a fly out. After giving up a single in the second he made a beautiful pick off move. A move that had me fooled as a spectator. Catching the first baseman of the Stormer's leading off too far Keith threw the ball to Patrick Osborn who then toss it to Jermy Acey who tagged the runner out. Keith would struggle through the 3rd facing 10 batters. After getting the first out he would allow two singles and a triple that cleared the bases. Keith would then walk Michael Woods before giving up a double that score the runner on third. Woods would score on a RBI ground out. Keith would then walk two more batters before getting his third out from the same batter who got the first out. Keith would then clean up his act allowing only two more base runners through the next two innings on a walk and a single. He would strike out two batters in those two innings. Another newcomer Jarrett Grube would pitch in relief of Ramsey, going 1.2 innings allowing 5 hits but only 1 earned run while striking out two. The run would score after 3 consecutive hits given up by Jarrett. Both pitchers came to the Crabs on the 6th of July. Matt Schweitzer would pitch 2/3rds of an inning closing out the 7th. Matt would allow an uncharacteristic 3 hits including 2 earned runs while striking out one. Mike James would then close out the 8th allowing no hits or runs while striking out no one. In yet another uncharacteristic performance Matt Hensley gave up 5 earned runs on 3 hits while walking 3. He had one strike out while facing almost the entire Barnstormer's line up. Vinnie DeChristofaro would then come in to get the final out of the game, giving up a single before getting his second batter faced to hit into a fielder’s choice.

Blue Crabs Drop Second in a Row in Extras

In a heartbreaking extra innings affair the Blue Crabs come up one run short. In the top of the 13th L.J. Biernbaum hit a solo homerun off of right-hander Byron Batson to win the game for the Lancaster Barnstormers.

The Blue Crabs got off to a 4-0 lead after the second. Designated Hitter Lance Burkhart led off the inning with a single followed by back-to-back walks by John Ramistella and Mike Just. Lance and John would then score on a single hit by Travis Garcia. Mike and Travis would score on a 2 RBI double hit by Patrick Osborn who appears not only to be feeling better but hitting better too. In the third we would add 2 more runs after Jeremy Owens led off the inning by being hit by a pitch. He would move to second on a wild pitch and then would score on a ground rule double hit by Jermy Acey. Jermy would score on an RBI single hit by Octavio Martinez down the 3rd baseline. In the fifth Lance Burkhart would again single and score. Our final run came in the 9th on a two out solo home run hit by John Ramistella to tie the game and send it into extra innings. Although the crabs started the 9th with a 7-6 lead the Barnstormers would take the lead 8-7 before John tied the game up.

The Blue Crabs used 6 pitchers in the 13-inning affair. Starter Joe Gannon would pitch 7.2 innings allowing 11 hits and 6 runs all earned while walking five and striking out 1. He also hit a batter. Joe only faced 6 batters through the first two innings before giving up a lead off home run in the 3rd. After walking 3 batters and getting two outs, Jeremy Owens would make a beautiful diving rolling running catch to end the inning and save any more runs from scoring. While Joe had three 1 run innings, he would come out of the game after allowing a 3 run home run. Matt Schweitzer would get the final out of the 8th, a 4-pitch strike out. Mike James would then pitch the 9th walking the first batter he faced. He then struck out the next batter and got another to hit into a ground out. Twice with 2 strikes Mike would allow singles before allowing a third that would bring in the would-be winning run. However Mike was saved from taking the loss by the bat of John Ramistella. Newcomer Paul Estrada would pitch the 10th and 11th, allowing only 1 hit while striking out 3 and walking 1. Byron Batson would take the loss giving up the winning home run to L.J. Biernbaum after getting the first 4 batters he faced out in the 12th and into the 13th. Vinnie DeChristofaro would come in for the final two outs of the 13thwhile facing only two batters.

Blue Crabs Drop Series Final

After winning two games back to back against the defending champs, the Blue Crabs drop the series final to the Somerset Patriots.

Starter Kenny Rayborn pitched 6 beautiful innings, including four 1-2-3 innings. He started off the game with getting the first 3 batters to sit down in order only to lead off the second with a walk. The second would be Kenny's worst inning, allowing one run to score while walking 3 and allowing 2 hits. Kenny would allow one more hit and a run while striking out two batters. Byron Batson pitched the 7th and into the 8th. He sat down the 3 batters in the 7th in order. After getting the first out in the 8th, Byron would allow a bunt single and then come out of the game in favor of lefty Vinnie DeChristofaro. Vinnie would go on to get the loss allowing Byron's base runner to score and allowing an additional run of his own to score. Vinnie gave up 2 hits while walking one.

All of the Blue Crabs offense came in the 3rd inning, when Chuck Jeroloman who had been unable to buy a hit led off the inning with a hard hit single between 3rd and short. John Ramistella would walk to advance Chuck but would get out on a fielder's choice hit into by Mike Just who hustled out the double play arriving on base safely. Jermy Acey would walk moving Mike to second while Chuck was on third. Patrick Osborn would single scoring both Chuck and Mike. James Shanks would bring in the final run of the game on an RBI single. Those three runs would however not be enough as the Patriots would win 4-3. We hit into 3 double plays, two of which were inning ending.

Eric Crozier Update

Recently I had an opportunity to go see Eric play for the Bowie Baysox. It was a great opportunity to see him play and I was able to get a chance to talk to him both before and after the game.

He is an everyday first baseman for the Baysox wearing number 33 and batting 3rd in their order. In 16 games with the Baysox, Eric is hitting a .288 average with 11 runs scored on 15 hits. He has walked 9 times while striking out 15. He has 8 extra base hits spread between 4 doubles, 1 triple and 3 home runs. Two of his home runs were hit within his first two games playing with the team. He has one stolen base so far. His OBP is .393 while slugging .577 for an OPS of .970.

I was able to see him on July 3rd in the last game in a series against their division leading team Akron Areos. He was 0-2 on the day with a walk. However that is misleading as he laid down a beautiful sacrifice bunt to advance the runner into scoring position. It was the winning run. Eric told me after the game that it was his first bunt so far with the club. He appeared very comfortable with the team even getting some air time after the game with the third baseman.

While I miss the opportunity to see Eric everyday, getting to see him play for affiliated ball was quite an honor. We have a unique opportunity here with the Blue Crabs, as do all fans of the Atlantic League. These players have either played in the majors, with an affiliated minor league teams or are on their way there, and the managers all have time in the show. Our opportunity is unique because we are given the chance to get to know these players on a more personal level then just fan and player. These guys are good guys and are always willing to talk to us fans after the games, and I know of no one better at this than Eric.

This opportunity to get back to affiliated ball could not have happened to a nicer guy, nor a more deserving player. I will continue to wish Eric the best of luck in all that he does. Below are some shots of Eric from the game.



Eric getting some "air" after the win.


Running after a foul ball. It dropped in the stands right by where I was sitting.


Eric unhappy with a fly out.


Still has one of the smoothest swings I've ever seen.


Running the bases after getting on with a walk.

Eric warming up before the game.

Playoff Bound!!!

The Blue Crabs took a commanding lead in the second and refused to relinquish it. They were determined to get their first playoff berth in team history and were successful.

Starter Edward Rodriguez pitched only 4 innings for a no decision, as a starter must go at least 5 innings to get the decision. He allowed only 4 hits surrendering one earned run while walking a batter and striking out two. Usual Starter Ryan Bicondoa, who pitched only 2.2 innings in his last outing, pitched 2 innings of scoreless and hitless relief. Although he walked two batters he also struck out two getting the win. Newcomer Paul Estrada Pitched one inning of scoreless relief, after allowing a single on an error Estrada went on to strike the next 3 batters. Mike James pitched the 8th inning allowing no hits, walks or runs. Matt Hensley closed out the game and appeared to struggle slightly. Matt gave up 4 hits including a double, and allowed two earned runs all after getting the first two outs of the inning. He walked a batter and struck one out.

James Shanks led off the second inning with a bunt single but would be caught stealing during Jeremy Owens at bat. Jeremy, Jermy Acey, Lance Burkhart and Octavio Martinez would all single. Lance and Octavio's singles would also be RBI singles scoring the first two runs of the night. John Ramistella would bring both runners in on a three run homer to bring the total to 5-0. In the 4th Jermy would get on via a walk and would score on an RBI single hit by Octavio. In the 6th the floodgates would again open, as the Blue Crabs would send 9 batters to the plate and score 6 runs. With one out Lance hit a double followed by a single hit by Octavio. Lance would score on a double hit by John Ramistella. Octavio and John would then score on a double hit by Mike Just. Travis would single and then he and Mike would score on a 3 run home run hit by James Shanks. Jermy would then led off the 7th with a single and score on a double hit by John Ramistella. The 13 runs plated by the Blue Crabs would be more then enough to secure the Blue Crabs win.

In Other Blue Crabs News: WE'RE GOING TO THE PLAYOFFS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Other then that there is really nothing new going on. The Blue Crabs finish up the series tomorrow in Somerset and then finish the half off at home. More details about the playoffs and how to get tickets will be posted on the Blue Crabs official website.

One Away

After getting out to a commanding 5-0 lead after the first inning the Blue Crabs found themselves unable to hold on to the lead but still able to lower their magic number to 1.

Starter Joe Gannon went 5.1 innings for the loss. He allowed 7 earned runs on 12 hits, while walking two batters and allowing a home run. Vinnie DeChristofaro pitched 1.1 innings of relief allowing one hit while walking 3 but no runs. He was replaced in the 6th by newcomer Paul Estrada. Estrada went 2/3rds of an inning allowing one earned run on 3 hits and a strike out. Matt Schweitzer, who has been gold as of late, pitched .2 innings of scoreless and hitless ball striking out both batters he faced.

Almost all the scoring took place in the first inning. John Ramistella led off the game with a solo home run. After three consecutive singles by Mike Just, Travis Garcia and Patrick Osborn, James Shanks would double scoring Mike and Travis. Jeremy Owens would follow suit doubling to score Patrick and James. However after the impressive first inning the Blue Crabs would be baffled not scoring again until the top of the 8th when Jeremy Owens would get his third RBI of the night on a two out home run.

In Other Blue Crabs News: With the Long Island loss we are either one win away or one more Long Island loss away from clenching our first playoff berth in team history. Tomorrow we again take on the Somerset Patriots at 5:05 pm on the Fourth of July. Tomorrow's starter will be Edward Rodriguez as we have recently loss starter Kenny Baugh to affiliated ball.

Recent Moves by the Blue Crabs

Some recent transactions have taken place for the Blue Crabs.

RH Starting pitcher Kenny Baugh was signed by The Houston Astros and was assigned to AA Corpus Christi.

The Blue Crabs have signed two pitchers to bring their roster total to 25.

RHP Paul Estrada is a relief pitcher out of the Astros' Double A team. While Kenny was purchased by the same team it is not a trade as the Astros released Estrada in May.

LHP Keith Ramsey is expected to sign on Monday, just in time for the 4 game home stand. Ramsey, a starter, played for the Blue Crabs last season.

Magic Number Still 2

After 11 innings of baseball the Ducks pull off another walk off win coming from behind. With the win the Blue Crabs remain 5 ahead of the Ducks with 6 to play.

The Comeback Kids

After starter Ryan Bicondoa was chased out of the game after only 2.2 innings giving up 5 runs it seemed a complete loss for the Blue Crabs. Facing the Liberty Division first place team the Somerset Patriots, the Blue Crabs mounted yet another impressive come back, fighting their way from 4 runs down.

A solo home run in the 3rd hit by John Ramistella with two outs gave the Crabs their first run of the game. James Shanks would match it with a solo shot of his own with one out in the 4th. But the floodgates would open in the 5th. Chuck Jeroloman walked with one out followed by walks by both John Ramistella and Mike Just to load the bases. All three runners would score following a bases clearing double hit by Travis Garcia. Travis would score on a two run home run hit by James Shanks, his second of the night, to take the lead 7-5. The Blue Crabs would add two more runs in the 8th. Jermy Acey doubled to lead off the inning and would score on a bomb hit down the left field line by John Ramistella, his second of the night. Not wanting to be left out of the home run fun Captain Jeremy Owens would add a solo shot of his own in the ninth with two out.

After getting out to an impressive 6 up 6 down start, the short rest seemed to catch up with Ryan Bicondoa. He pitched 2.2 innings allowing 5 earned runs on 3 hits, 4 walks, 1 strike out and a hit batter. He was replaced by Byron Batson who had one of his most impressive outings going 2.1 innings for the win, allowing only 1 hit while striking out two and hitting one. Jimmy Serrano faced two batters in the 6 allowing a lead off home run and walking the next batter. Matt Schweitzer would pitch two innings of scoreless hitless ball striking out three batters. Mike James pitched the 8th allowing a lead off single followed by a 4 pitch walk. Both would go for not however as he then struck out the next two batters before getting a ground out to end the inning. Matt Hensley closed out the game allowing 2 hits before striking out two and getting a fly out to end the game.

In other Blue Crabs News: With the win the Blue Crabs have a maximum magic number of 2. The Ducks game is still going on at the time of this post and a post will be made to announce the standings following the results of their game.

He's Back

As reported by the Altanticleaguebaseball.com Blog the Blue Crabs have resigned Keith Ramsey!

Keith who played for the club last season is a great guy and a great pitcher. He will be an excellent addition to the starting rotation and hopefully provide us with the boost we need to clench the First Place spot this half and continue to be competitive in the second half.

It will be great to have him back with the club.

Current Standings

As the games from tonight wrap up here are the current standings as well as the remaining schedules for the first half:

Southern Maryland Blue Crabs --
Long Island Ducks 5.0
Bridgeport Bluefish 9.5
Camden Riversharks 11.0

If I am correct both Camden and Bridgeport have been eliminated from the Playoff race as only 8 games remain for the Blue Crabs in the season.

We go on to play our next 4 against Somerset in Somerset, then 3 against Lancaster at Home and we end the half with one game against Camden at Home.

Long Island plays their next 4 against Bridgeport at Home and then finishes the half with a 3 game set against Newark in Newark.

Bridgeport plays their next 4 against Long Island in Long Island and then finishes the half with a 3 game set against Somerset at Home.

Camden plays their next 4 against Newark at Home, then 3 against York in York before meeting us at home for the final game of the half.

The Comeback Spirit Alive Again

Falling behind 4-1 after the first inning it seemed as though there was little left in the tank after last nights come from behind win. But the never say die spirit of the Blue Crabs would prevail as they staged another comeback in the second inning.

After Mike Just fouled a pitch off his knee he doubled on a dropped fly ball by the right fielder and scored on an RBI single hit by Patrick Osborn for the only run in the first. Mike would leave the game in the top of the second obviously ailing from his earlier at bat. Jeremy Owens led off the stellar second inning by being hit by a pitch. He would advance on a single hit by Jermy Acey and then score on a sacrifice fly hit by catcher Lance Burkhart. John Ramistella would single scoring Jermy Acey. Chuck Jeroloman who came in for the injured Just would walk, as would Travis Garcia. John would round the bases after Patrick Osborn would too be hit by a pitch. Chuck and Travis would both score on a two RBI single hit by James Shanks. The Blue Crabs bats would fall silent until the 9th where 5 more runs would score bringing the Blue Crabs total to 11 runs. The Blue Crabs scored a combined 32 runs over the 3 game series while only allowing the Bears 19. Patrick Osborn led off the 9th with a double and would be pinch run for by Richard Giannotti. A pitch would hit James Shanks, putting runners on 1st and second. Following a strike out by Jeremy Owens, Jermy Acey would single scoring Richard Giannotti. Catcher Lance Burkhart would double scoring two runs in James Shanks and Jermy Acey. Octavio Martinez would be the forth hit by a pitch and would score on an errant play that allowed Travis Garcia to get on. In the second and ninth innings the Blue Crabs sent 10 batters to the plate.

Defensively the Blue Crabs were nearly perfect following the first inning. Kenny Rayborn went 6.1 innings for the win. He allowed only 5 hits and 4 earned runs. He walked 5 batters while striking out two. Matt Schweitzer faced only two batters though he pitched a full inning of relief. He got one batter to hit into a double place to end the 7th and then struck out the lead off man in the 8th. Mike James pitched the remainder of the 8th hitting a batter and allowing a single. He was however saved by the ever-impressive glove of Chuck Jeroloman. Chuck, who has been struggling at the plate since the beginning of June, made a diving play towards second snagging the ball and tagging out the lead runner before completing the double play throwing the batter out running to first. In a less eventful bottom of the 9th Matt Hensley pitched the conclusion of the game. He has a 1-2-3 inning getting two groundouts and a fly out.

In other Blue Crabs News: Since the Blue Crabs and the Bears were the only teams in action this morning the Blue Crabs only pick up a half game on all the other teams. Thus they are 5.5 ahead of Long Island, 10.0 ahead of Bridgeport and 10.5 ahead of Camden. When the results of tonight games are announced I will post updated standings. The Blue Crabs next look to take on the Somerset Patriots on the road for four games before returning home to play 4 games, 3 against the Lancaster Barnstormers and one against the Camden Riversharks. The Riversharks game is a make up of a game that was rained out June 18th.

Never Say Die

After what seemed to be a sure loss, the Blue Crabs lay down a record breaking 6th to take a commanding lead over the Newark Bears. Going into the 6th the Blue Crabs were down 4 nothing when after two outs Patrick Osborn hit a solo home run. His would be the first of 11 runs scored that inning as the Blue Crabs would send a total of 15 batters to the plate to face two different pitchers.

All of tonight's offense took place in the 6th inning. After two fly outs by Travis Garcia and Mike Just, Patrick Osborn hit a solo home run. James Shanks would single and score on a home run hit by Jeremy Owens. Again with the bases clear Jermy Acey would single and he would score on a home run by catcher Octavio Martinez. With the bases clear Chuck Jeroloman would walk, and move to second on a single hit by John Ramistella. Both runners would advance a base on a walk drawn by Mike Just. Chuck would score on a walk drawn by Travis Garcia. Mike and John would both score on a 2 RBI single hit by Patrick Osborn. Patrick and Travis would both score on a 3 run home run hit by James Shanks. Jeremy Owens would single but would be stranded there as Jermy flied out to end the inning.

Defensively we had some sloppy plays but were overall very impressive. Starter Kenny Baugh went 5 innings for the win allowing only 8 hits and 4 runs, only 2 of which were earned. Kenny walked three batters while striking out 4 and was charged with one balk. Center Fielder Jeremy Owens saved a run in the bottom the 5th throwing the runner out at the plate from center field. Jimmy Serrano pitched the 6th, a scoreless hitless 1-2-3 inning. Edward Rodriguez pitched in the 7th and 8th allowing 3 hits but no runs while striking out three. Jason LaVorgna closed out the game in only his third appearance since joining the Blue Crabs. Aided by the defense of John Ramistella, Jason got the first two batters in order with fly outs. He allowed one hit before getting the final out of the game on a called strike out.

In Other Blue Crabs News: With the win the Blue Crabs keep their lead over Long Island at 5.0 games, and 8.5 games over Bridgeport. With their loss tonight Camden is for all intensive purposes eliminated from the play off race for the first half as they fall to 10 games behind with 9 to go. With only 9 games to go the Blue Crabs only need to gain 4 more games ahead of Long Island to close out the first half and secure their first playoff bid in team history. Should Long Island and the Blue Crabs end the season with a tied record, the Blue Crabs would win the tie breaker as they have taken 7 of 10 games against the Ducks in head to head play. Tomorrow's game is set for an 11:05 am first pitch.

110 Wins

After hearing about York's 150th win last night I got interested in finding out the number of wins the Blue Crabs have had so far in their short existence.

With a full season record last season of 74-66 and 36 wins so far on this season we have reached 110 wins. The hundredth win occurred June 7th with a win against Newark 3-1.

Congratulations is in order to the boys on reaching 110 wins in only a season and a half!

Blue Crabs Unable to Get out of the Hole

Joe Gannon was brutalized in the first two innings of the game, creating a hole that the Blue Crabs couldn't quite climb back out of.

Joe went 5.1 innings for the loss, allowing 10 hits and 11 runs all earned. He surrendered 4 homeruns including one grand slam. He walked 5 batters and struck out 4. Although he was brutalized in the first few innings he got back to form allowing only 2 runs between the 3rd and when he left the game. Vinnie DeChristofaro pitched in what may be his most impressive outing of the year, going 1.2 innings allowing no hits while walking 2 and striking out one. Vinnie was pulled in the 8th in favor of our other lefty Matt Schweitzer who pitched an inning of scoreless and hitless ball. He walked and struck out no one.

Travis Garcia led off the scoring with a 2 out home run in the first inning. Travis who would go 4 for 4 on the day with a walk had a home run and 3 doubles, along with 4 RBI and 4 runs scored. In the third following a Mike Just single, Travis would double. Mike would score on a Sacrifice Fly by Patrick Osborn, and Travis would score on an errant play that got James Shanks on. In the 7th our bats would again get hot, as John Ramistella and Mike Just both led off with singles. Both would score on Travis's second double of the night. Travis would score his 3rd run of the night on a fielder's choice single by Jermy Acey. Our finally rally would come in the 8th and would fall one run short. With one out, John Ramistella would double and score on Travis's third double of the night. Patrick Osborn would then get on via a dropped fly ball by the right fielder. Travis and Patrick would score on James Shanks's 3 run bomb. With two strikes, Richard Giannotti got a two out single, but it wouldn't prove to be enough to start a 9th inning rally.

In Other Blue Crabs News: With only 10 games left in the first half, as there will be a make up game for the Blue Crabs and Camden played on the 9th of July, the Blue Crabs remain 5.0 games ahead of Long Island, 9.0 games ahead of Camden, and 9.5 games ahead of Bridgeport. The outcome of tomorrow nights Camden Bridgeport game will eliminate one of those two teams from the play off race. Long Island is playing York, who after some recent acquisitions including Pete Rose Jr., who have been on fire getting their 150th win in team history last night. Hopefully York will continue to manhandle Long Island allowing us to pick up some additional ground on the Ducks.

Blue Crabs Rally Back with a Big 4th

After the first inning, it appeared as if the Barnstormers would return the favor of a high scoring shut out. The Stormers broke out to a 3-0 lead after the first, making it 4-0 in the 3rd whereas the Blue Crabs had only one 1 hit in the first three innings.

That story would change however in the 4th when the Blue Crabs would send 10 batters to the plate scoring 6 of them. After seeing 3 called strikes in his first at bat Jeremy Owens wasted no time in swinging to lead off the fourth, driving in a towering homerun to end the shut out. Jermy Acey would then double on an errant play by the third baseman, he moved to third on an errant play by the catcher while our catcher Lance Burkhart was walked. Richard Giannotti would ground out for the first out of the inning but still scored a run. Octavio Martine would single and scored Lance Burkhart. Octavio would score on a John Ramistella single and John would score on a Mike Just double. Mike would score on a single hit by Travis Garcia. Travis would however be stranded at 1st at the man who started the rally Jeremy Owens would strike out to end the inning. Once the Blue Crabs took the lead they would not relinquish it, although it was threatened in the 5th when the Stormers tied the game, the tie however would only last the half inning, as we would score in the bottom of the fifth. Jermy Acey would single and score on an Octavio Martinez game winning RBI single. Two additional runs of insurance would come in the 6th when Jermy Acey would crack a two run bomb after Jeremy Owens had been walked with 2 outs.

After a rough start our pitching staff got everything under control. Ryan Bicondoa pitched an uncharacteristically low 4.1 innings allowing 8 hits, allowing all 6 runs all earned, while striking out 3 and walking 3. He also allowed one home run in the no decision. Edward Rodriguez had an incredible outing from the pen, going 3 innings allowing only one hit while striking out two for the win. Vinnie DeChristofaro would face one batter walking him. Byron Batson would then come in to face two batters walking one and getting the other out. Matt Hensley would close out the game going for the 4 out save, his 4th save of the season. He got two strike outs and walked no one allowing only one hit.

In Other Blue Crabs News: With the win we remain in first place, 5.0 games ahead of Long Island, and 9.0 games ahead of Camden and 10.5 games ahead of Bridgeport. We are still in need of an everyday first baseman but hopefully we will be able to pull this first half out as a win and then can spend the second half rebuilding what we lost to affiliated ball. Tomorrow we head north to Newark to face the Bears in a 3 game series, tomorrow's game being at 7:05, Tuesday’s at 6:05 and Wednesday’s day game at 11:05 AM.

Winning Style

The Blue Crabs posted their second win in as many nights while donning their usual Friday night reds. The Blue Crabs pitching staff combined for a shut out in the third game of this four game series.

Kenny Rayborn pitched 6 innings of scoreless ball scattering 5 hits while walking 3 and striking out 3. Matt Schweitzer pitched the 7th allowing only one hit while striking out 2 batters the first looking. Mike James pitched the 8th walking two while striking one out. Jimmy Serrano finished the game off in the 9th facing only three batters and striking out the last batter looking.

Offensively we were on fire. Getting out to an early one nothing lead in the second following a lead off double by Captain Jeremy Owens who would score on a single hit by catcher Octavio Martinez. We would keep that slim lead until the 5th when we would add two runs of insurance. John Ramistella led off the inning with a single and would move to second when Mike Just got on. John came home on an RBI double hit by Travis Garcia; Mike would score on a ground out by Patrick Osborn. Mike Just would again score after being walked in the 7th and stealing second, and again he would be brought in by Patrick Osborn this time however on a RBI single. In the 8th we had three runners get on base in order with Jermy Acey getting on in error but was pinch run for by Richard Giannotti, and Octavio Martinez singled and Chuck Jeroloman was walked. All three runners would score on a 3 RBI Triple hit by John Ramistella.

In other Blue Crabs News: With the win we extend our lead over Long Island to 5 games, 8 games over Camden and 10.5 games over Bridgeport. Also we announced that we released LHP Wayne Franklin.