The Blue Crabs’ season high losing streak reached five games on Sunday, losing to the Somerset Patriots by a 7-3 final, suffering a three-game sweep at home.  However, the game was played in front of a season-high Sunday crowd of 4,191 at Regency Furniture Stadium. 

Somerset never trailed in the series, and outscored Southern Maryland 26-8 for the weekend.  For the third straight game, the Patriots jumped out to an early lead and did not look back.  The Pats led 1-0 after the second inning thanks to a Travis Anderson RBI single off Blue Crabs starter Ryan Bicondoa. Somerset tacked on two more in the third, on an RBI fielder’s choice by Teuris Olivares, followed by an RBI single from Joe Burke a batter later to make the score 3-0. The lefty Brian Adams got the start for the Patriots. Not only is Adams the all-time wins leader in the history of the Somerset franchise, but the eighth winningest pitcher in Atlantic League history as well. A leadoff double by James Shanks in the fourth resulted in a run after a Patriots error, trimming the Pats lead to 3-1.

Every time the Blue Crabs would creep closer however, Somerset would pull away. The visitors added two more runs in the sixth inning, on RBI singles from Mike Rodriguez and Jeff Nettles. After Shanks led off the sixth with a single, Michael Tucker drove him home with a run-scoring single with one out, but the Patriots put the game out of reach for good in the seventh and eighth. Sean Smith singled home a run in the seventh, and Nettles blasted his 13th home run of the season to left field in the eighth, a solo shot, making the score 7-2. It was Nettles’ second home run in as many nights, after drilling a two-run shot in the first inning on Saturday as well. After driving in five runs in Saturday’s game, Nettles went 7 for 14 in the series with seven RBI. Southern Maryland tacked on their final run in the home half of the ninth, when Jeremy Owens led off by obliterating his Atlantic League leading 28th home run of the season to the left field alley on the first pitch he saw, off Somerset closer Bret Prinz, a veteran of parts of six Major League seasons. With the win, Adams improved to 13-6 on the season, the second highest win total in the league behind teammate Jim Magrane (14-4), who beat the Crabs on Saturday night. Adams tossed six innings, allowing just three hits, two runs one of which was earned, with three walks and five strikeouts.
 
The Blue Crabs dropped to 18-6 in Bicondoa’s 24 starts this season, as he dropped to 9-6. The right-hander tossed six innings as well, allowing seven hits and five runs, four of which were earned, striking out one with a season high five walks. With the win, Somerset (77-48) now holds the best overall record in the Atlantic League by three and a half games over Southern Maryland (73-51). The Blue Crabs will next be in action Monday afternoon, for a Labor Day matinee at Clipper Magazine Stadium in Lancaster, PA, opening a three game series against the Lancaster Barnstormers. Probable starters are RHP Jarrett Grube (3-1, 3.47), for Southern Maryland, and RHP Jason Scobie (7-8, 4.62) for Lancaster.

First pitch is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.