Another loss...2 games out of 1st

After dropping game 2 and scoring 1 run on 6 hits...and committing 3 errors, the Skeeters hoped things would go their way tonight. Ryan McKeller (1-3, 5.65 ERA) got the start for the Skeeters and Deinys Suarez (0-2, 3.86 ERA) took the mound for the Blue Crabs.

Things got off to a great start as McKeller got the Blue Crabs to go 3 up & 3 down. The Skeeters scored first when Bell & Botts scored on a 1-out Pressley double to take the lead 0-2 after the 1st inning. It stayed that way until McKeller fell completely apart in the 3rd inning facing all 9 batters...allowing 4 runs on 3 hits...the 2nd game in a row the Blue Crabs have put 4 runs on the board in 1 inning. The Skeeters went 3 up & 3 down for the 2nd inning in a row to trail 4-2 after 3 innings. The 4th inning saw the Blue Crabs add another run when Jeremy Owens hit a lead off triple and then scored on a Richard Giannotti double. The side was retired not allowing another run to make the lead 5-2. The Skeeters batted 5 players and got 2 hits but failed to score any runs in the bottom half of the 4th inning. 

In the top of the 5th inning, Sean Morgan (0-0, 5.65 ERA) came in and faced 4 batters allowing 1 hit but held the Blue Crabs scoreless. Bubba Bell scored in the 5th inning bringing the Skeeters to within 2 runs at 5-3. Things made a turn of the worst when, in the top of the 6th inning, Morgan faced  6 batters, allowing 2 runs on 1 hit. The Skeeters could not do anything in the inning and continued to trail 7-3 after the 6th inning. 

Will Startup (3-1. 1.93 ERA) got the ball in the 7th inning and proceeded to sit the Blue Crabs down in order. The Skeeters were able to get Botts & Castro on base after a single & walk with 1 out but Pressley hit into an inning ending 1-6-3 double play. The Blue Crabs hold on to the lead at 7-3 after 7 innings. Startup came back out and other than a base runner due to a dropped 3rd strike, held the Blue Crabs in check and most importantly...scoreless, giving the Skeeters 2 more chances to rally from behind. With 2 outs in the 8th inning, Matt Hagen came in to pinch-hit for Iggy Suarez and got a single, his 1st at bat as a Skeeter, but was then thrown out at second base on a Ramos grounder to 3rd to retire the side. 

Eric Krebs (1-0, 1.64 ERA) came in for the final inning of work. With 1 out, Krebs walked Casey Benjamin  who later scored on a Matt Padgett double before the side was retired. The damage was done however as the Skeeters trailed 8-3 with 3 outs remaining in the game. Locke had a lead-off single and was driven in on a 1-out double by Jason "BIG MAN" Botts to make the score 8-4. Ofilio "THE HERO" Castro singled, moving Botts over to 3rd base. Pressley struck out...2 outs. Mejia singled to load the bases...and Castro was put out at 3rd base on a Ryde Rodriguez grounder to the 3rd baseman to end the game. The final score was 8-5...Skeeters lose.

With this loss, and a Lancaster win over Somerset, it moves the Skeeters to 2 games behind the 1st place Barnstormers and a 1/2 game behind the 2nd place Patriots. The season record is now 15-17, 7-3 over the last 10 games.

Hitting Streaks:

Jason "BIG MAN" Botts (11)

Manuel Mejia (5) has a hit in all 5 games as a Skeeter

Drew Locke (2)

Batting:

2B: J.Botts 2 (13), J.Pressley (5), R.Rodriguez (1).
RBI: J.Botts (27), O.Castro (14), J.Pressley 2 (16), M.Mejia (1).

New Skeeter Matt Hagen got his first hit as a Skeeter in his 1st at bat.
Team LOB: 11.

The final game of the series is again scheduled for a 7:05pm start at Constellation Field.