The first place Blue Crabs dropped the opener of a four-game series at home Monday, Sept. 14, at Regency Furniture Stadium, by a 7-6 score in 10 innings to the Newark Bears. It is the Blue Crabs final home series of the regular season, with just eight games remaining before Southern Maryland embarks on their first ever playoff appearance Sept. 24.

The highlight of the night for the Blue Crabs was a franchise first. Trailing 5-3 with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning, the Crabs slugged three consecutive home runs for the first time in their nearly two-season history.

Newcomers Cesar Nicolas and Brent Krause both sent towering home runs to left field for their first round-trippers as Blue Crabs. And then on the very first pitch Octavio Martinez saw, he sent one down the left field line and out as well, his fourth of the year.

Other scoring plays for Southern Maryland included an RBI fielder’s choice by Martinez in the first, a solo home run from Travis Garcia (13) which leadoff the sixth, and an RBI single from Richard Giannotti in the seventh. The Newark Bears offense however, which came into the series batting .298 as unit to lead the Atlantic League, proved to be too much.

Willis Otanez got the bears started with a two-run homer to left field in the fourth, which was followed by a three-run seventh inning, paced by a Charlton Jimerson 2-run double and an RBI single from D’Angelo Jimenez.

Jimerson also rapped a sac-fly into center to tie the game 6-6 in the top of the ninth to force extras, and ended the night with four RBI total after he walked with the bases loaded in the top of the tenth for the final run of the night, putting the Bears ahead for good 7-6.

Nearly lost in all the late-inning lead changes and drama were two very solid starting pitching performances. 10-year Major League veteran right-hander Ramiro Mendoza (Yankees, Red Sox) went six strong innings for Newark, allowing four hits, two earned runs, two walks with an impressive 10 strikeouts.

Righty knuckleballer Joe Gannon matched Mendoza inning for inning, until he gave up the three runs in the seventh. Gannon’s night ended in a no-decision as well, tossing seven innings in which he scattered seven hits with four earned runs (one unearned), with three walks and four strikeouts.

Right-hander Mike Hrynio (4-4) got the win in relief for Newark, tossing an inning and two-thirds. Righty Dane De La Rosa (1-1) took the loss for Southern Maryland in an inning and a third of work. Hard throwing right-hander Tracy Thorpe earned the save (12) in the bottom of the tenth with one strikeout.

With the victory, the Bears stay in good shape for a wild card berth with a 71-62 record as the ’09 playoffs approach. The Blue Crabs dropped to 75-57 overall on the season.

The Blue Crabs will next be in action Tuesday evening at home at Regency Furniture Stadium in Southern Maryland, for games two and three of a four-game series with the Newark Bears in a doubleheader; two seven inning games with an approximate 40 minute intermission in-between. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m.