Gene Richards

EASTLAKE, Ohio - Hagerstown's Marcelo Perez went on the wild side with walks that paved the way for Lake County to down Hagerstown 2-1 to take the last three games of the four-game series and move to within 1 1/2 games of the Suns. Perez (0-2) walked Brian Finegan with the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth inning after the Suns had tied the game 1-1 on an unearned run in the top of the seventh inning. Ambiorix Concepcion reached base on an error, and after reaching second, broke for third base while the Lake County pitcher and catcher were not paying attention and Captains catcher Wyatt Toregas threw the ball into the outfield.

koelble@herald-mail.com Clinching the first-half title Saturday night was a thrilling moment for the Hagerstown Suns. Returning to reality on Sunday afternoon was a sleepwalk in the daylight hours. Looking uncharacteristically lethargic in a 5-2 loss to the Lexington Legends, the Suns played as if they were ready to take their three-day vacation heading into the South Atlantic All-Star break. "(This loss) was a major embarrassment today," said Suns manager Gene Richards.

koelble@herald-mail.com Remember Dave Kingman and Dave Nicholson? They are two former major leaguers who were notorious home-run hitters who also fell into the "all-or-nothing" category. While it's early in the season and batters are still trying to find their niche at the plate, the Hagerstown Suns have an early candidate for the all-or-nothing category. Mike Carp, the Suns' strapping 6-foot-2, 205-pound first baseman who is only 18, went down swinging three times, but the one time he made contact, it became far more meaningful than the Ks. Taking advantage of an error by the Lakewood BlueClaws that extended the inning, Carp reeled in a pitch from Maximo de la Cruz and sent it into the Suns bullpen for a grand slam that broke a 1-1 tie in the third inning and guided the Suns to a 6-1 victory in front of an announced crowd of 607 at Municipal Stadium on Monday night, keeping their record perfect through the first five games of 2005.

bobp@herald-mail.com Somewhere along the way, the Hagerstown Suns have forgotten the main commandment of Single-A baseball. "On this level, 'He who takes full advantage of the opponent usually wins,'" Suns manager Gene Richards said. The Suns were the ones who got taken full advantage of on Tuesday. Lake County used a misplayed fly ball and a passed ball to change what should have been a one-run seventh inning into a four-run rally and a 7-4 victory. It started when Trevor Crowe's fly ball ticked off of right fielder Ambiorix Concepcion's glove to allow Frenando Pacheco to score from third with the tying run. Jesus Flores followed with the passed ball which allowed Jose Ortega to score the go-ahead run. After Brian Finegan struck out - which should have put an end to the inning - Matt Whitney completed the extended inning with a two-run homer to right off Rafael Cova for the three-run lead.

bobp@herald-mail.com Josh Wyrick didn't take long to fit into the Hagerstown Suns' way of thinking. No sooner did the newly acquired Wyrick hit town, he jumped head-first into the team's style of play to get a much-needed victory. Wyrick quickly hustled the Suns ? but not as quickly as manager Gene Richards would have liked ? into the winning run on Monday, scoring on Matt Fisher's ninth-inning sacrifice fly for a 4-3 win over the Hickory Crawdads. "He produced," Richards said.

bobp@herald-mail.com Membership - and success - has its privileges. And because of their first-half success, the Hagerstown Suns earned the privilege of having eight members selected to the South Atlantic League North Division All-Star team Friday. With the eight-man contingent - including three starters - the Suns have the most representitives in the North Division and are tied for the most chosen from any one team in the league for the June 28 game at Lake Olmstead Stadium in Augusta, Ga. "I think it's great that those kids showed enough through the league and warranted being selected," said Suns manager Gene Richards, who was selected to manage the North team.

koelble@herald-mail.com "We get a chance to play for the ring. " That's what many of the current Hagerstown Suns will have an opportunity to play for as the second half of the South Atlantic League season runs its course before the postseason begins in September. Mike Carp, the youngest of the Suns - he will turn 19 on Thursday - echoed that thought prior to Sunday's game against Lexington, coming on the heels of Saturday's first-half, title-clinching 9-4 win over the Legends.

bobp@herald-mail.com Dante Brinkley found himself on Wednesday. It wasn't like the Hagerstown Suns outfielder was missing, just a little misplaced. And after a brief respite, Brinkley was back doing the thing hitters need to do. Swing the bat. Brinkley came back after a night off with a flash of aggressiveness to produce two hits - including a home run - and drive in four runs to pace Hagerstown to an 8-6 victory over Lakewood in a Businessperson's Special matinee at Municipal Stadium.

bobp@herald-mail.com If first impressions lead to nicknames, Wilson Batista would probably be called "Da Fuse. " That's because his aggressive approach on the basepaths helped make the Hagerstown Suns "Da Bomb" on Thursday. Hagerstown exploded for four runs in the first inning, spearheaded by Batista and the aggressive running of the top half of the batting order, as the Suns opened their 25th anniversary season with a 9-1 victory over the West Virginia Power before 2,411 fans at Municipal Stadium.

bobp@herald-mail.com The Hagerstown Suns wouldn't be the Boys of Summer if they didn't know you need a Coles to start a fire. The Suns and their season-opening five-game win streak looked all but burned out Tuesday until two utility outfielders provided some needed spark. Corey Coles took advantage of a rare start with three hits and a dramatic circus catch before scoring the winning run on Darren Watts' clutch two-out single in the ninth to lift Hagerstown to a come-from-behind 7-6 victory over the Lakewood BlueClaws.

For an entire season, Hagerstown Suns manager Gene Richards was an abstract in the real world. He was like using a Picasso for Highlight Magazine's Find the Hidden Pictures. Richards did a fantastic job guiding the Suns through their 25th anniversary season because he approached success as a relative thing. "I feel good all the time," Richards said the other day before Hagerstown headed to Kannapolis (N.C.) for the end of the best-of-5 South Atlantic League Championship series.

bobp@herald-mail.com They are the OTHER Hagerstown Suns ? the team that was placed here after most of the first-half stars were promoted up the New York Mets' food chain. They are the group who slogged through a rough second half, finishing 29-38 and in last place in the South Atlantic League's North Division. And, oh yeah, these Suns are the ones who are playing for the South Atlantic League Championship. "This team has been put in this situation," Suns outfielder Kyle Brown said.

bobp@herald-mail.com According to The American Century Dictionary, there are only 10 words separating desperate from destiny. But the Hagerstown Suns proved it is the difference of one swing of the bat. The Suns gave one of the poorest displays of baseball through the first six innings Monday. They were down. They were out. They were beaten, battered and bruised. It all changed in the seventh inning as a two-out, bad-hop single brought Jesus Flores to the plate to hit a game-tying three-run home run to resuscitate the Suns in time to take a 5-4 victory over the Asheville Tourists before 1,390 fans at Municipal Stadium.

bobp@herald-mail.com Josh Wyrick didn't take long to fit into the Hagerstown Suns' way of thinking. No sooner did the newly acquired Wyrick hit town, he jumped head-first into the team's style of play to get a much-needed victory. Wyrick quickly hustled the Suns ? but not as quickly as manager Gene Richards would have liked ? into the winning run on Monday, scoring on Matt Fisher's ninth-inning sacrifice fly for a 4-3 win over the Hickory Crawdads. "He produced," Richards said.

bobp@herald-mail.com The Hagerstown Suns are coming out with their hands up. It seems like it's the only thing the Suns can do. The opposition has manager Gene Richards' gun and has Hagerstown just where they want them. It's a pop gun, but a gun nonetheless. When the Suns are fully armed, Richards loves to run the bases, put on hit-and-run plays, steal bases and bunt the ball, basically to cause havoc among the opposition. But now, those opponents are taking Richards' style and using it against him. "That's the way I love to play," Richards said.

bobp@herald-mail.com The Hagerstown Suns' season has been like a downsized cell phone plan. For the first three months, the Suns dialed long distance freely. Roaming charges didn't matter while they were circling the bases after hitting home runs almost at will. It vaulted Hagerstown to the South Atlantic League North Division's first-half title. But now, the Suns have been forced to stay local. The home run hitters have been promoted to St. Lucie where they are now challenging for the Florida State League's second-half title.

bobp@herald-mail.com Somewhere along the way, the Hagerstown Suns have forgotten the main commandment of Single-A baseball. "On this level, 'He who takes full advantage of the opponent usually wins,'" Suns manager Gene Richards said. The Suns were the ones who got taken full advantage of on Tuesday. Lake County used a misplayed fly ball and a passed ball to change what should have been a one-run seventh inning into a four-run rally and a 7-4 victory. It started when Trevor Crowe's fly ball ticked off of right fielder Ambiorix Concepcion's glove to allow Frenando Pacheco to score from third with the tying run. Jesus Flores followed with the passed ball which allowed Jose Ortega to score the go-ahead run. After Brian Finegan struck out - which should have put an end to the inning - Matt Whitney completed the extended inning with a two-run homer to right off Rafael Cova for the three-run lead.

Gene Richards isn't much for daydreaming. The Hagerstown Suns manager doesn't allow himself the time to gaze into crystal balls or visualize the future. Nor does he think about Never Neverland. It's all about the here and now for Richards, who is worried about making the Suns a better team and each individual a better player. But, it's getting to be about time for Richards to change. The playoffs are six weeks away. The Suns are lanquishing in last place in the second half, but their ticket is already punched for the postseason by virtue of winning the South Atlantic League's first-half championship.

There has been a certain air about the Hagerstown Suns lately. And its a fragrance that's forcing manager Gene Richards to turn his nose up. We're not talking roses here. "We've been stinking," Richards said. The Suns have been more aromatic than aerodynamic over the last two weeks. Not much has gone right for Hagerstown since winning the South Atlantic League North's first-half title. The Suns were 4-10 through Friday and in last place in the second half, going 2-8 since knocking off Lexington for the first-half title on June 25. In the midst of the championship hangover, the Suns have stumbled through promotions and the conservation of pitchers.

koelble@herald-mail.com Clinching the first-half title Saturday night was a thrilling moment for the Hagerstown Suns. Returning to reality on Sunday afternoon was a sleepwalk in the daylight hours. Looking uncharacteristically lethargic in a 5-2 loss to the Lexington Legends, the Suns played as if they were ready to take their three-day vacation heading into the South Atlantic All-Star break. "(This loss) was a major embarrassment today," said Suns manager Gene Richards.