Crocs

By BOB PARASILITI / Staff Writer photo: RICHARD T. MEAGHER / staff photographer Nine and a half out of 10 times, the Hagerstown Suns had Cape Fear exactly where they wanted it. Unfortunately, Wednesday was that half-time that goes unaccounted for. [cont. from sports page ] Like so many times before, the Suns turned a two-run lead over to the bullpen to start the eighth inning. But unlike so many times before, it failed to hold it as the Crocs scored five runs in the last two innings for a 6-3 victory, which was laced with disappointment, controversy and a protest.

Scott Cassidy got the chance to use the unwritten rule of the Hagerstown Suns pitching staff on Monday. "When you see all those runs on the board, you make sure you get through the fifth inning to get the win. " Cassidy said. [cont. from sports page ] It's a good philosophy, especially considering the way the Suns have been playing. Hagerstown gave Cassidy a 10-0 lead by the fifth inning, while he pitched a two-hitter through the first six innings en route to a 11-4 victory over Cape Fear.

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. - On most other nights, Hagerstown's Matt Logan would have been the hero. After all, the Suns first baseman went 4-for-4 with four RBIs. He had three singles, then in the ninth inning with the Suns trailing by two and down to their last out, Logan ripped a two-run home run to tie the game. Alas, Cape Fear scored in the 10th to take an 8-7 victory over the Suns and cut their lead in the South Atlantic League's Northern Division to two games. Hagerstown is 20-12, and the Crocs are 17-13.

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. - Bobby Cripps homered twice and drove in six runs, and the Hagerstown Suns blew open a close game with a seven-run ninth inning Tuesday night to defeat the Cape Fear Crocs, 13-5. The win gave the Suns (25-28, 69-54 overall) an 8-5 mark on their 13-game roadtrip, and gave them three wins at archrival Cape Fear. The Suns had been 2-9 at J.P. Riddle Stadium before the five-game set. --cont. from sports -- Hagerstown was down 4-0 heading into the fifth, but Yovanny Lara lost control, walking Cesar Izturis and Tony Peters to start the inning before getting pulled.

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. - To put it simply, the Hagerstown Suns really don't like any game started in J.P. Riddle Stadium. Cape Fear won Saturday night's regularly scheduled game 6-4 against the Suns to salvage a split of a makeshift doubleheader. Hagerstown won the completion of the suspended game from July 30, 3-2. The loss in the nightcap dropped the Suns to 1-9 in games started at J.P. Riddle. But twice the Suns have been forced to complete a game there; they have won both.

The Hagerstown Suns tried to knock off two seemingly invincible foes in one game. The Suns figured out a way to handle Cape Fear this week. But the weather, that's a different story. Hagerstown pulled every fundamental trick possible to snatch a rain-shortened game from the Crocs. Instead, the Suns were forced to score a run in the fifth to secure a rain-suspended 2-2 tie Thursday at Municipal Stadium. "That was crazy," Suns manager Marty Pevey said. "Have you ever seen so much bunting and hit-and-runs in your life?

It had all the feel of baseball's version of ancient water torture. Rip. Rip. Rip. In slow, agonizing fashion, the Hagerstown Suns took their time beating up on Cape Fear starter Edward Quezada in the third inning on Wednesday. It took 25 minutes and five singles for the Suns to score three runs, but it was more than enough to support a very patient John Sneed in a 9-1 South Atlantic League victory. The Suns played fundamentally sound, station-to-station baseball as runners circled the bases in merry-go-round fashion.

It had all the feel of baseball's version of ancient water torture. Rip. Rip. Rip. In slow, agonizing fashion, the Hagerstown Suns took their time beating up on Cape Fear starter Edward Quezada in the third inning on Wednesday. It took 25 minutes and five singles for the Suns to score three runs, but it was more than enough to support a very patient John Sneed in a 9-1 South Atlantic League victory. The Suns played fundamentally sound, station-to-station baseball as runners circled the bases in merry-go-round fashion.

photo: RICHARD T. MEAGHER / staff photographer enlarge By BOB PARASILITI / Staff Writer It seemed like an oh-so-familiar scenario. The Hagerstown Suns battle for nine innings with Cape Fear only to end up Croc bait. But this time, just when the Suns seemed about to go down for the third time, Matt Weimer tossed in the life preserver. The right-hander is no Crocodile Dundee, but Weimer came on to shut down Cape Fear in the ninth inning - despite a two-out walk to make things exciting - to allow the Suns to swim to safety Tuesday with a 7-6 South Atlantic League victory.