Seguignol batted .337, with 17 runs, 34 hits and 16 RBI in 28 games.  He blasted three homers and collected four doubles.  The switch-hitter was a threat from both sides of the plate, batting .309 against right-handed pitching and .370 against lefties.

The 35 year-old spent parts of five seasons in the major leagues, most recently with the New York Yankees in 2003.  He began his career and spent two seasons with the Yankees before joining the Expos organization, where he stayed for seven seasons.  Seguignol holds a.270 average in the minors complimented by 1,523 hits, 295 homers, and 1,012 RBI in 1,586 games.  The New York Yankees signed him as an undrafted free agent in 1993.

The Panama native brings 16 years of professional baseball experience to the Bears. Seguignol last played in 2008 with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in Japan.  He batted .324 with 44 hits, 24 runs and 40 RBI.  Seguignol became Japan’s All-Time leader in home runs for a switch-hitter as he collected his 44th dinger in 2008.  He has amassed 141 career home runs in six seasons playing Japan.

The Newark Bears are a member of the eight-team Atlantic League of Professional Baseball and play their home games at Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium. For ticket or sponsorship information, call 973-848-1000, or visit www.newarkbears.com.

The Bears scored two runs in the top of the fifth inning. Second baseman Shawn Williams singled, shortstop Paddy Matera singled, and center fielder James Cooper followed with an RBI single to score Williams.  Matera would score on a sacrifice fly by right fielder Kennard Jones for a 2-0 lead.

Newark extended the lead with two runs in the top of the ninth inning.  Williams singled and later scored on an RBI double by Cooper, who scored on an error for the 4-0 final.

Bears starter James O’Donnell (3-1) picked up the win, allowing seven hits in eight scoreless innings with five strikeouts. Patriots starter Justin Jones (3-3) suffered the loss, allowing two earned runs on seven hits in seven innings pitched.

The Somerset Patriots 2010 Season presented by Ford will continue at home on Monday, June 7^th with a 7:05 pm game against the Newark Bears. The game includes a chance for fans to Win $10,000 courtesy of Heineken Premium Light. The game also features a Job Fair from 4-6, Middlesex County Teacher Appreciation Night, and Curbing Hunger Night. Great seats are available by stopping by the Patriots Ticket Office located at TD Bank Ballpark, by calling (908) 252-0700, or on-line at www.somersetpatriots.com.

Somerset broke the tie in the bottom of the eighth inning after first baseman Joe Burke singled, right fielder Zach Smithlin walked, shortstop Elliott Ayala walked, and centerfielder Wayne Lydon hit a sacrifice fly to right field to score Burke. Designated hitter Noah Hall then singled to plate Smithlin and Ayala for the 5-2 lead.

The Bears took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third inning. Second baseman Sean Williams walked, center fielder Nook Logan doubled, and left fielder James Cooper singled to score both runners.

The Patriots evened the score in the bottom of the third inning. Ayala tripled and scored on a fielder’s choice by second baseman Tim Raines, Jr. Hall then singled, third baseman Matt Hagen singled, and catcher Jason Belcher singled to score Hall for the 2-2 tie.

Patriots reliever Ben Grezlovski (3-0) got the win after tossing a scoreless eighth inning. Bears starter Matt Smith (3-4) suffered the loss after allowing four runs on ten hits in 7.1 innings pitched. Patriots closer Ryan Houston picked up his ninth save of the season after pitching a scoreless ninth inning.

The Somerset Patriots 2010 Season presented by Ford will continue at home on Sunday, June 6th with a 1:35 pm game against the Newark Bears. The game includes 5-Time Championship Posters for the first 2,000 courtesy of Staybridge Suites and Jimmy Buffett Day. Tickets are available by stopping by the Patriots Ticket Office located at TD Bank Ballpark, by calling (908) 252-0700, or on-line at www.somersetpatriots.com.

It was a pitcher’s duel throughout as the Bears’ Paul Fagan locked up with Somerset’s Josh Miller.  Fagan worked seven innings of one-run, seven hit baseball and stranded six runners.  Miller was just as good as he set down eight-in-a-row at one point and worked four 1-2-3 innings.

The Patriots stuck first in the home third against Fagan as Elliot Ayala reached on an error to the shortstop.  A wild pitch pushed him to second and two batters later, Tim Raines, Jr. ripped a RBI single up the middle to make it 1-0 Somerset.

Newark timed Miller in the sixth inning as James Cooper and Kennard Jones started the frame with back-to-back singles.  A ground out moved them up a station and Scott Spiezio brought a run home with a sacrifice fly to deep centerfield and it was all-square at 1.

In the eighth with runners on the corners, Edgardo Alfonzo kept the game tied with a great fielding effort.  On a ground ball to third, Alfonzo came home and started a 5-2-4-3 put out of Raines, Jr., at the plate, who led off the inning with a triple.  Reliever Greg Reinhard got out of the inning and the game stayed tied and went to extras.  In the tenth, Raines, Jr. ripped a leadoff double to right and was sacrificed over to third.  Back-to-back intentional walks loaded the bases for Michael Hernandez, who lined a single just fair down the third baseline and the Patriots walked off with the win.

Fagan recorded four strikeouts and didn’t allow an earned run, but didn’t factor in the decision.  Miller fired nine innings, allowing just the one run on six hits, with four strikeouts and walk.  Miller also didn’t factor in the decision.  Reliever Ryan Houston (2-1) earned the win working a scoreless tenth with two strikeouts.  Michael Mehlich (1-2) was settled with the loss in one-third of an inning with two hits and two walks.

The Bears and Patriots continue the four-game series on Saturday night.  Game is set for 7:05 p.m. Fans can tune into all the action on www.newarkbears.com with David Greenwald providing all the play-by-play.  Newark returns home on Friday, June 11 to kick-off an eight-game home stand against the Camden Riversharks.  Game is set for 7:05 p.m., with the gates of Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium opening at 6:05 p.m.  Tickets for the game and all upcoming Bears games are available at the Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium box office, by calling (973) 848-1000 ext. 212, or by logging onto www.newarkbears.com and clicking on the tickets icon on the top of the page.

The Bears got the three first-inning runs off Blue Crabs starter Jarrett Grube.  He didn’t allow another run until the seventh inning, when the league’s leading hitter, Kennard Jones, smacked the second of his two doubles, stole third and scored on Edgardo Alfonzo’s sacrifice fly to give Newark back a two-run advantage.  The Blue Crabs received a sacrifice fly from Jeremy Owens in the third inning and a solo homer from Brian McFall in the fourth for their runs.

Mike Loree, the Gillette, N.J. native, had his finest outing for the Bears to improve to 2-4.  Loree allowed just two earned runs in 5 2/3 innings, scattering seven hits and striking out a season-best five batters. Greg Reinhard, Michael Nix and Armando Benitez kept the Blue Crabs off the scoreboard over the final three-plus innings, with Benitez collecting his fifth save.

Jones was the lone Bears player to have a multi-hit game with his two doubles. Richard Giannotti and Travis Garcia each had two hits for Southern Maryland.

The Bears will begin a four-game road trip on Friday night as they take on the Somerset Patriots in Bridgewater.  Game time is set for 7:05 p.m..  Fans can tune into all the action on www.newarkbears.cm with David Greenwald providing all the play-by-play.  Newark returns home on Friday, June 11 to kick-off an eight-game home stand against the Camden Riversharks.  Game is set for 7:05 p.m., with the gates of Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium opening at 6:05 p.m.  Tickets for the game and all upcoming Bears games are available at the Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium box office, by calling (973) 848-1000 ext. 212, or by logging onto www.newarkbears.com and clicking on the tickets icon on the top of the page.

The Blue Crabs took the lead in the top of the fourth inning on an Eric Crozier blast to right field off Vince Perkins. Southern Maryland added another run in the fourth on two straight errors and a safety squeeze RBI bunt from Richard Giannotti to make it 2-0.  The lead grew to three runs in the fifth on Craig’s first RBI, a run-scoring single.  A four-run sixth for the ‘Crabs made it a 7-0 advantage as Casey Benjamin had an RBI single and Craig delivered a two-run single in that rally.

The Bears rallied for three runs in the home sixth on run-scoring singles by Stephen Shults, Tom Pennino and Kennard Jones, slicing the lead to 7-3.  The Blue Crabs added a run in the seventh on Octavio Martinez’ RBI double, pushing the lead back to five runs.  Edgardo Alfonzo’s RBI single in the home eighth scored Jones with the final run of the game. Jones and Daryle Ward each registered three hits for Newark.

Rayborn (3-3) allowed two runs and seven hits during his stint, walking three and striking out a season-high five batters. Rayborn was one of four pitchers used by the Blue Crabs.  Craig and Benjamin keyed the Blue Crabs’ 10-hit attack with two hits each.

The Bears conclude the seven-game home stand on Thursday night.  Game is set for 6:35 p.m., with the gates of Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium opening at 5:35 p.m.  Thursday night is “Thirsty Thursday”, presented by Budweiser and Pepsi.  Fans can enjoy discounts on beer and soda at the concession stands throughout the night.  Thursday is also “Jewish Heritage Night”.  The Israel National Anthem will be performed with the Israel flag flying with the American flag.  Fans will also be able to purchase kosher food, made available by Elizabeth 1 Stop Kosher, and take part in themed promotions throughout the night.  Tickets for the game and all upcoming Bears games are available at the Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium box office, by calling (973) 848-1000 ext. 212, or by logging onto www.newarkbears.com and clicking on the tickets icon on the top of the page.

The Blue Crabs took a 2-0 lead off Bears starter and loser Hector Carrasco in the top of the second inning on a two-run double from Cumberland. Newark responded and tied the game at 2-2 in the home second on a two-run homer from Edgardo Alfonzo. It was the first homer with the Bears for the former New York Mets All-Star second baseman.

Southern Maryland took back the lead in the fourth inning on three straight singles, the last coming from Casey Benjamin, whose single scored Christian Lopez to make it 3-2. The Blue Crabs then broke the game open by scoring three runs in the top of the fifth inning, with Cumberland’s RBI single capping the rally. Lopez then hit a solo homer to left in the top of the seventh, pushing the lead to 7-2.

Newark drew closer by scoring three runs in the bottom of the seventh, all coming home on Scott Spiezio’s three-run homer, the second round tripper for the former World Series hero, cutting the lead to 7-5. Jeremy Owens, though extended the lead to 9-5 with a two-run homer in the eighth off Armando Benitez. The runs against Benitez, the former Mets All-Star closer, were unearned.

Connor Robertson (2-0) pitched five innings, allowing five hits and two earned runs, walking one and striking out a season-high seven batters to earn the win for the Blue Crabs. Five Blue Crab relievers finished up. Carrasco (1-4) surrendered six runs, five of which were earned, in 4 2/3 innings for the Bears.

Daryle Ward had three hits to pace the Bears.  Cumberland’s three hits paced the Blue Crabs. Lopez and Kody Kirkland had two hits each for the winners.

Newark and Southern Maryland will square-off in game three of the four game series on Wednesday.  Game time is set for 6:35 p.m., with the gates of Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium opening at 5:35 p.m.  Wednesday is “Kids Eat Free”, presented by Dr. Thomas Haveron.  Kids 12 and under (with a paid adult) get to eat for free at all concession stands throughout the ballpark.  Tickets for the game and all upcoming Bears games are available at the Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium box office, by calling (973) 848-1000 ext. 212, or by logging onto www.newarkbears.com and clicking on the tickets icon on the top of the page.

After three scoreless innings, the Blue Crabs reached Bears starter and loser Matt Smith (3-3) for four runs in the top of the fourth inning.

Southern Maryland had three straight singles against Smith to load the bases, then McFall drew a walk to bring in the first run, his first of three RBI. Richard Giannotti hit a grounder that was booted for an RBI and Octavio Martinez grounded into a fielder’s choice for another run. Kody Kirkland plated the final run in the rally with a single.

Santos secured his second win in three decisions and sent the Bears to their third straight loss, striking out a season-best six batters and walked just two.  Southern Maryland added an unearned run against Smith in the fifth inning, scoring without the benefit of a hit. Smith, the Kearny native, walked three in the inning, with Patrick Osborn, who had three hits and scored twice for the winners, scoring on an error.

Southern Maryland scored another run off reliever Matt Melody, the Union native and former NJIT hurler, in the sixth inning, with Matt Craig driving in a run with a double. But Melody had a solid outing in relief, pitching three innings, allowing just one run, and retiring the last eight batters he faced.

Shawn Williams, making his first start as a member of the Bears, had two hits, as did Scott Spiezio, Fernando Cortez and James Cooper, to lead Newark.  Catcher Isaiah Kaaihue, playing in only his second game with Newark, belted a solo homer deep to left field for the Bears’ first run. Cortez drove in a run in the eighth inning with a single. The Bears loaded the bases in that frame, but the Blue Crabs got out of trouble when Kennard Jones grounded back to the mound to end the threat. The Bears also loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth and scored when Daryle Ward drew a bases loaded walk as a pinch-hitter, but the threat ended one batter later.

The Bears resume their four-game series with the Blue Crabs Tuesday morning at 11:05 a.m., with the gates of Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium opening at 10:05 a.m.  As part of the Bears’ partnership with the Newark Public Schools, twelfth graders will be attendance for a post-graduation celebration and career day. Local colleges, vocational schools, recruiters from the armed forces and other non-traditional organizations will have information tables setup on the concourse. There will also be a celebratory feel to the day recognizing the accomplishments of the senior classes.  Tickets for the game and all upcoming Bears games are available at the Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium box office, by calling (973) 848-1000 ext. 212, or by logging onto www.newarkbears.com and clicking on the tickets icon on the top of the page.

The Patriots jumped on Bears starter and Paul Fagan for one run in the second inning and two more in the third. Matt Hagen led off the second with a double and came home on an RBI single by David Housel. In the third, the Patriots scored twice on a groundout by Noah Hall, his first of two RBI on the night, and an RBI single from Hagen.

The Bears cut the lead to 3-2 in the third inning on RBI singles from James Cooper and Scott Spiezio, but Miller shut the door after that, allowing just two hits over the next four frames. Miller walked only one and struck out four and threw only 31 of his 100 pitches off the plate. Brian Henderson pitched a perfect eighth inning and two relievers finished up.

Former Bear Michael Hernandez hit his second homer in as many nights, a blast to right-center field, to push the lead to 4-2 in the fourth. Hall’s second RBI of the game, a run-scoring single, brought Iggy Suarez home in the fifth inning.

Somerset added some insurance in the eighth inning off reliever Chris Vasami, scoring three times, when Hernandez doubled and came home to score on a double by Suarez, and Smithlin, the Fair Lawn native who was added to the Somerset roster before the game, delivered a two-run single, pushing the lead to 8-2.  Hagen and Hernandez had two hits each for the Patriots.  Cooper was the lone Bears player with more than one hit, delivering two singles and an RBI.

The Bears will begin a four-game series with Southern Maryland on Monday, with a special Memorial Day contest beginning at 1:35 p.m., with the gates of Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium opening at 12:35 p.m.  Monday is the last day to take advantage of the Memorial Day Weekend Family Four-Pack.  For just $50 dollars, fans receive four (4) Premium Box Seat Tickets and Four Meal Vouchers (good for Hot Dog, Hamburger or Pizza along with chips and a soft drink). You can enjoy professional baseball action just feet from the field, fun on-field promotions and much more.  Tickets for the game and all upcoming Bears games are available at the Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium box office, by calling (973) 848-1000 ext. 212, or by logging onto www.newarkbears.com and clicking on the tickets icon on the top of the page.

Hernandez entered the game during Holden’s first at-bat, after Holden apparently fouled off an offering from Bears starter James “Bubba” O’Donnell under the brim of his batting helmet, striking him in the eye. Holden left the field to receive medical treatment at a nearby hospital. His status was unknown.

In Hernandez’ first real at-bat of the evening in the third inning, he took O’Donnell’s first offering to him over the left field wall with Wayne Lydon on first for a 2-0 Somerset lead.  The Bears then sliced the lead to 2-1 when James Cooper tripled and scored on a groundout by Fernando Cortez.

The Patriots broke the game wide open by scoring four runs in the fifth inning, sending O’Donnell (2-1) to the showers after 4 2/3 innings.  O’Donnell, who had been the Bears’ most successful starter of late, pitching to a 1.91 ERA prior to Saturday night, left after surrendering 10 hits and six earned runs. He also left after unfortunately hitting shortstop Elliott Ayala with a pitch in the head. Ayala also left the game and the field to receive medical attention.

Hall had the big hit in the four-run fifth with a two-run single. Matt Hagen and Belcher contributed consecutive run-scoring doubles in the rally for Somerset.  Newark cut the lead to 6-3 in the home fifth inning, when Scott Spiezio delivered a two-run double, scoring Cooper, who singled, and Cortez, who walked.

Hall and Belcher each had three hits to pace Somerset’s 15-hit attack. Hagen had two hits and two RBI for the winners. The Patriots scored four runs in the ninth inning off Bears reliever Willie Banks to break the game wide open.  Cooper continued his hot hitting with two hits to pace Newark.  John-Ford Griffin also had two hits. Former New York Met All-Star second baseman Edgardo Alfonzo made his Bears debut and had a single in his third at-bat.

Mike Thompson (2-1) pitched five innings, allowing three runs on six hits and striking out four to earn the win. Ben Grezlovski pitched three scoreless innings in relief of Thompson, allowing just two hits. Jeff Kennard pitched the ninth inning for Somerset.

The Bears and Patriots will face off in the rubber game of the series Sunday night.  Game time is set for 6:00 p.m., with the gates of Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium opening at 5:00 p.m.  The Bears and Healthfirst NJ present the second Kids Clinics on Sunday, beginning at 4:00 p.m.  Kids can still register at www.newarkbears.com, or on-site where space is available.  Participants receive a free t-shirt and a ticket to the night’s game.  Sunday is also “Sunday Funday”, presented by PSEG.  Fans are invited to a pre-game autograph session on the concourse to meet their Newark Bears.  Following the game, fans are invited down on the field for kids run the bases.

Fans can take advantage of the Memorial Day Weekend Family Four-Pack for the entire series against Somerset.  For just $50 dollars, fans receive four (4) Premium Box Seat Tickets and Four Meal Vouchers (good for Hot Dog, Hamburger or Pizza along with chips and a soft drink). You can enjoy professional baseball action just feet from the field, fun on-field promotions and much more.  Tickets for the game and all upcoming Bears games are available at the Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium box office, by calling (973) 848-1000 ext. 212, or by logging onto www.newarkbears.com and clicking on the tickets icon on the top of the page.

The Patriots took an early lead, scoring two runs off Perkins in the top of the first. Wayne Lydon led off with a walk, followed by a single from Joe Holden. After a double steal, Matt Hagen drove in a run on a ground out and Joe Burke brought home Holden with a sacrifice fly.  The Bears cut the lead to 2-1 in the home first, when Nook Logan reached on an error, stole second and scored on Scott Spiezio’s double.

Somerset pushed the lead to 3-1 when Lydon reached on an error and came around to score on three consecutive fielder’s choices, the final one by Hagen plating a run, his second RBI of the night.

Newark began their comeback, scoring one run in the fifth inning when Kennard Jones got the second of his three hits and scored on a sacrifice fly by John-Ford Griffin.  Shults singled and came around to score on an error to tie the game at 3-3, setting up the dramatic seventh inning.

Shults had two singles prior to coming to bat in the seventh with the bases loaded against Patriots reliever Casey Cahill and deposited the second pitch from Cahill over the left field wall for his first homer as a Bear. It was also the first grand slam of the season for the Bears.  Spiezio got things started with his second double of the game, then with one out, Griffin walked and James Cooper was hit by a pitch, sending Shults to the plate with the bases loaded. Shults delivered the homer and the Bears went on to gain the win.

The Bears and Patriots continue their three-game series Saturday night at Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium.  Game time is set for 7:05 p.m., with the gates of Riverfront Stadium opening at 6:05 p.m.  Fans will be treated to a post-game fireworks extravaganza, presented by July4Ever.

Fans can take advantage of the Memorial Day Weekend Family Four-Pack for the entire series against Somerset.  For just $50 dollars, fans receive four (4) Premium Box Seat Tickets and Four Meal Vouchers (good for Hot Dog, Hamburger or Pizza along with chips and a soft drink). You can enjoy professional baseball action just feet from the field, fun on-field promotions and post-game fireworks on Saturday night.  Tickets for the game and all upcoming Bears games are available at the Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium box office, by calling (973) 848-1000 ext. 212, or by logging onto www.newarkbears.com and clicking on the tickets icon on the top of the page.

####

GAME DATE: 05/28/2010
Somerset Patriots  3 AT Newark Bears  7

                                 YTD                                   YTD

Somerset           AB  R  H BI   AVG  Newark             AB  R  H BI   AVG
W.Lydon DH          4  2  0  0  .259  N.Logan CF          5  1  0  0  .237
J.Holden CF         5  1  1  0  .313  K.Jones RF          5  1  3  0  .381

N.Hall RF           3  0  1  0  .269  F.Cortez SS         4  0  1  0  .346
M.Hagen 2B          4  0  0  2  .314  S.Spiezio DH        5  1  2  1  .313
J.Burke 1B          3  0  0  1  .258  D.Ward 1B           3  0  0  0  .281

M.Hernandez LF      3  0  0  0  .163  J.Griffin LF        2  1  1  1  .253
J.Belcher C         4  0  2  0  .261  T.Olivares 2B       2  0  0  0  .000
I.Suarez 3B         4  0  1  0  .305   J.Cooper CF,PH     0  1  0  0  .333

E.Ayala SS          3  0  2  0  .318  S.Shults 3B         3  2  3  4  .270
                                      T.Pennino C         4  0  1  0  .294

Somerset             2 0 0   0 1 0   0 0 0 -  3  7  3

Newark               1 0 0   0 1 1   4 0 0 -  7 11  1
2B--J.Belcher (2), S.Spiezio 2 (8), J.Griffin (5). HR--S.Shults (1).
RBI--M.Hagen  2 (23), J.Burke (14), S.Spiezio (20), J.Griffin (17),
S.Shults  4 (5). HP--J.Cooper (2). SF--J.Burke (1), J.Griffin (3).

SB--W.Lydon (15), J.Holden (4), M.Hagen (4), E.Ayala (1), N.Logan (5),
F.Cortez (5). CS--N.Hall (3), K.Jones (4). E--M.Hagen (3), E.Ayala 2 (8),
N.Logan (1).
LOB--Somerset 8, Newark 9.
                                                                YTD

                                 IP   H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR     ERA
 Somerset
J.Monti                         5.0   7   2   1   3   1   0    2.94
B.Henderson (L,1-1)             1.1   2   3   2   1   1   0    3.12

C.Cahill                        0.2   1   2   2   0   2   1    5.75
J.Kennard                       1.0   1   0   0   0   1   0    4.91
 Newark
V.Perkins                       5.0   5   3   2   2   4   0    3.60

M.Mehlich (W,1-1)               2.0   0   0   0   2   2   0    4.09
M.Nix                           1.0   0   0   0   0   1   0    2.40
A.Benitez                       1.0   2   0   0   0   1   0    1.13
WP--V.Perkins (1), A.Benitez (1). HB--C.Cahill (1). SO--W.Lydon, J.Holden,

N.Hall, M.Hagen, J.Burke, M.Hernandez, I.Suarez, E.Ayala, N.Logan 2,
S.Spiezio, T.Pennino 2. BB--W.Lydon, N.Hall, M.Hernandez, E.Ayala,
F.Cortez, D.Ward, J.Griffin, T.Olivares. BF--J.Monti 25 (145), B.Henderson
8 (74), C.Cahill 4 (68), J.Kennard 3 (32), V.Perkins 23 (23), M.Mehlich 7

(50), M.Nix 3 (57), A.Benitez 5 (31). P-S--J.Monti 84-53, B.Henderson
20-12, C.Cahill 12-10, J.Kennard 10-8, V.Perkins 82-48, M.Mehlich 29-12,
M.Nix 13-10, A.Benitez 19-12.
T--2:51.  A--1373
1st of a three-game series

The Bears jumped on top for the second straight game.  Kennard Jones’ one-out double, his twelfth on the season, started a string of five straight reaching base successfully in the first.  Fernando Cortez singled in Jones and was followed three batters later by a John-Ford Griffin RBI double to make it 2-0.

Lancaster battled back with a pair of runs in the home second.  A RBI walk with the bases loaded for Lloyd Turner and a RBI single off the bat of Vic Gutierrez tied the game up at 2.

Newark’s bats didn’t stay quiet against Neal Musser as they erupted for three straight hits in the third. Griffin picked up his fourth RBI of the game blasting a three-run homer to the right-centerfield pool of bumper boats and the Bears were up 5-2.  The Bears added four more in the fourth on a Scott Spiezio two-run double followed by a Daryle Ward two-run shot off the picnic tents in right and the lead ballooned to seven runs at 9-2.

The ‘Stormers cracked the scoreboard again in the fifth off Hector Carrasco.  Two errors plated Gutierrez, who reached on a one-out walk.  Salomon Manriquez plated a run with a RBI single to pull the hosts within five runs at 9-5.  The rains came down in the visitors seventh with two on and one out and the game was called.

Carrasco (1-3) registered the victory, firing five innings, allowing four runs, three earned on five hits, with four strikeouts and six walks.  Musser (1-1) was dealt the loss, surrendering nine runs and scattering 11 hits, with just a strikeout and walk in four innings of work.

Newark returns to Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium on Friday, May 28 and welcomes the Somerset Patriots.  Game time is set for 7:05 p.m., with the gates of Riverfront Stadium opening at 6:05 p.m.  Tickets for the game and all upcoming Bears games are available at the Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium box office, by calling (973) 848-1000 ext. 212, or by logging onto www.newarkbears.com and clicking on the tickets icon on the top of the page.

####

GAME DATE: 05/27/2010
Newark Bears  9 AT Lancaster Barnstormers  4

                                 YTD                                   YTD
Newark             AB  R  H BI   AVG  Lancaster          AB  R  H BI   AVG

N.Logan CF          3  1  0  0  .248  L.Turner CF         2  0  1  1  .216
K.Jones RF          4  2  2  0  .372  V.Gutierrez 2B      3  1  1  1  .216
F.Cortez SS         4  0  2  1  .350  J.Perry RF          2  1  1  0  .310

S.Spiezio DH        3  3  2  2  .309  A.Herr 3B           2  0  0  0  .291
D.Ward 1B           4  2  3  2  .288  S.Manriquez DH      2  1  1  1  .200
J.Griffin LF        4  1  2  4  .247  B.Nelson SS         3  1  1  0  .261

T.Olivares 2B       3  0  0  0  .000  R.Mulhern 1B        3  0  0  0  .167
S.Shults 3B         4  0  2  0  .206  J.Gaetti LF         3  0  1  0  .157
T.Pennino C         3  0  0  0  .300  J.Johnson C         2  0  0  0  .213

Newark               2 0 3   4 0 0   0 -  9 12  2
Lancaster            0 2 0   0 2 0   0 -  4  6  1
2B--K.Jones (12), F.Cortez (4), S.Spiezio (6), J.Griffin (4). HR--D.Ward

(7), J.Griffin (4). RBI--F.Cortez (12), S.Spiezio  2 (19), D.Ward  2 (31),
J.Griffin  4 (16), L.Turner (14), V.Gutierrez (5), S.Manriquez (1).
HP--T.Olivares (1), A.Herr (1). E--T.Olivares (2), S.Shults (5), R.Mulhern

(1).
LOB--Newark 5, Lancaster 7.
                                                                YTD
                                 IP   H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR     ERA
 Newark
H.Carrasco (W,1-3)              5.0   5   4   3   6   4   0    8.70

M.Mehlich                       1.0   1   0   0   0   1   0    5.00
 Lancaster
N.Musser (L,1-1)                4.0  11   9   9   1   1   2    5.94
N.Maness                        2.1   2   0   0   1   3   0    9.82

WP--M.Mehlich (1). HB--H.Carrasco (2), N.Maness (3). SO--N.Logan,
J.Griffin, T.Olivares, T.Pennino, A.Herr, R.Mulhern 2, J.Gaetti, J.Johnson.
BB--N.Logan, S.Spiezio, L.Turner 2, V.Gutierrez, J.Perry, S.Manriquez,

J.Johnson. BF--H.Carrasco 25 (101), M.Mehlich 4 (43), N.Musser 24 (73),
N.Maness 11 (80). P-S--H.Carrasco 105-54, M.Mehlich 15-10, N.Musser 85-56,
N.Maness 41-23.
T--2:19.  A--4245

It was a pitcher’s duel early between the Bears’ Matt Smith and Bridgeport’s Paul Oseguera.  Smith struck out five batters and allowed just four base runners through three scoreless innings.  Oseguera allowed two runners in the first, but retired four straight including a 1-2-3 second.  The Bears broke through in the third inning with the back-to-back singles followed by a Kennard Jones sacrifice bunt to put runners in scoring position.  Daryle Ward drove one in with a RBI groundout and it was 1-0 Newark.

The Bluefish pushed ahead in the fourth with the first two batters reaching base.  Joe Jiannetti ripped a two-run double to left-center to give Bridgeport the 2-1 advantage, one they would never relinquish.

Oseguera (2-1) earned the win, hurling eight innings, allowing one run on seven hits, with a pair of strikeouts and a walk.  Smith (2-2) suffered the loss with two earned runs on four hits, while striking out eight in seven and one-third innings.

Newark’s six-game road trip continues Friday night as they begin a three-game series with the York Revolution.  Game time is set for 6:30 p.m.  Fans can tune into all the action via streaming webcast at www.newarkbears.com with David Greenwald providing the play-by-play.

The Bears return to Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium on Tuesday, May 18 to take on the Bridgeport Bluefish.  The teams will a doubleheader, with two, seven-inning games.  Game time is set for 11:05 a.m., with the gates of Riverfront Stadium opening at 10:05 a.m. Tickets for the game and all upcoming Bears games are available at the Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium box office, by calling (973) 848-1000 ext. 212, or by logging onto www.newarkbears.com and clicking on the tickets icon on the top of the page.

With Rob Mackowiak and Carl Everett on base, Salomon Manriquez crushed his fifth home run of the season to give Newark the lead in the bottom of the second inning. Somerset answered in the fourth with a three run homer off the bat of shortstop Anthony Granato that cleared the foul pole yet could have been called either way.

Newark made a run at the lead gathering two runs in the bottom of the ninth, but it wasn’t enough to defeat the Patriots.

Somerset’s Tip Fairchild notched his fourth win of the season after pitching for six innings, allowing eleven hits, four earned runs and striking out five Bears. Newark’s Kyle Kobernus recorded the loss.

The Newark Bears face the Somerset Patriots tomorrow afternoon at 11:05am. Tickets are available by calling 1-888-85-BEARS or by visiting www.newarkbears.com. The Bears have partnered with Habitat for Humanity this week, and a portion of all tickets sales will be donated to Habitat. Visit Bears & Eagles Riverfront stadium and support your Newark Bears as well as a great cause.

If you can’t make the game, make sure to check out Emmy Award winning broadcaster Spencer Ross who will be calling play by play on Newark Bears Internet Radio in partnership with Newark Radio Series. Visit http://wm5.spacialnet.com/NewarkRadionetDC114643 at game time to tune in.

Somerset gave up a seven run lead after putting eight runs on the board over the first four innings. Jeff Nettles hit a two run homer in the first inning, and second baseman Matt Hagen notched his twenty-fifth double of the season.

In every inning except the second and third, Newark put runs on the board to slowly catch up to Somerset. The Bears overcame the deficit and took the lead for the first time in the bottom of the ninth after a series of walks and base hits were enough to drive in the winning run. The Bears continue to improve their league leading team batting average after home runs by Andres Perez, Sandy Madera and Michael Hernandez.

Sandy Rleal closed the game for Newark after pitching for a solid three innings striking out three and allowing no earned runs. He recorded the win and improved his record to 2-2. Somerset’s Bret Prinz took his first loss of the season after walking Carl Everett, which plated Felix Martinez for the game-winning run.

Just five games into the second half of the season, both teams will go into tomorrow’s meeting with a record of 3-2.

The Newark Bears continue their three game series at home against the Somerset Patriots on Wednesday and a special day game at 11:05am on Thursday. Tickets for both games are available by calling 1-888-85-BEARS or by visiting www.newarkbears.com. The Bears have partnered with Habitat for Humanity this week, and a portion of all tickets sales will be donated to Habitat. Visit Bears & Eagles Riverfront stadium and support your Newark Bears as well as a great cause.

If you can’t make the game, make sure to check out Emmy Award winning broadcaster Spencer Ross who will be calling play by play on Newark Bears Internet Radio in partnership with Newark Radio Series. Visit http://wm5.spacialnet.com/NewarkRadionetDC114643 at game time to tune in.

Lancaster scored their only run in the first inning after Matt Watson’s RBI single drove in second baseman Lloyd Turner.

Three of the four runs for Newark were homers – Rob Mackowiak crushed a home run in his second game back as a Newark Bear and Carl Everett launched his twelfth homer of the season in the fourth, quickly followed by a home run off the bat of Michael Hernandez.

Newark’s Ramiro Mendoza pitched like he was still at Yankee Stadium, taking the win after seven innings on the mound, striking out four and allowing only one earned run. Armando Benitez notched his seventh save of the season after allowing just one hit in the ninth inning. Lancaster’s Eric Ackerman recorded the loss.

The Newark Bears start a three game series at home against the Somerset Patriots on Tuesday, Wednesday and a special day game at 11:05am on Thursday. Tickets for all three games are available by calling 1-888-85-BEARS or by visiting www.newarkbears.com. The Bears have partnered with Habitat for Humanity this week, and a portion of all tickets sales will be donated to Habitat. Visit Bears & Eagles Riverfront stadium and support your Newark Bears as well as a great cause.

If you can’t make the game, make sure to check out Emmy Award winning broadcaster Spencer Ross who will be calling play by play on Newark Bears Internet Radio in partnership with Newark Radio Series. Visit http://wm5.spacialnet.com/NewarkRadionetDC114643 at game time to tune in.

The Bears pulled together in the ninth inning to overcome a two run deficit. Rob Mackowiak, who re-signed with the Bears today, hit a single and scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of catcher Salomon Manriqez. Victor Mercedes’ line drive to center field drove in the winning two runs of the game. Tike Redman went three for four and notched another stolen base, and designated hitter Carl Everett went three for three, scoring twice and recording his forty-seventh RBI of the season.

Lancaster gathered six runs, including another home run from former Newark Bear Gerard Haran and from shortstop Aaron Herr, who scored twice and registered two RBI.

On his first day as a Newark Bear, right-hander Franklin Perez pitched for five innings, striking out six and allowing four earned runs. Armando Benitez pitched for one inning, striking out one, allowing no earned runs to record his first win of the season.

This is the first win for Newark in the second half of the season, and the first loss for Lancaster.

The Bears and Barnstormers face each other for the final game of their four game series tomorrow at 7:05pm. Monday’s game kicks off Habitat for Humanity Week at Riverfront Stadium, and tomorrow’s game will “Construction Day.” For more information on the Bears’ partnership with Habitat for Humanity and for information on tickets, please visit www.newarkbears.com.

If you can’t make the game, make sure to check out Emmy Award winning broadcaster Spencer Ross who will be calling play by play on Newark Bears Internet Radio in partnership with Newark Radio Series. Visit http://wm5.spacialnet.com/NewarkRadionetDC114643 at game time to tune in.

The Ducks had a big fifth inning, putting seven runs on the board, starting with a home run by designated hitter Preston Wilson, his fourth this season. Lew Ford and Ray Navarrete each put a pair of runs on the board for Long Island.

The Bears retired the final thirteen Ducks at bat, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the five run deficit. Tike Redman, gathered one run off of two hits and Charlton Jimerson notched another two RBI to take his record to twenty-one for the season.

Newark’s Ryan Bukvich recorded the loss and Long Island’s starter Troy Cate improved his record to 4-2 with the win.

The Bears will face the Ducks on tomorrow evening at 6:05pm at Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium. Wednesday evening will be Lady’s Night at the Den, featuring Danielle Staub of BRAVO TV’s Real Housewives of New Jersey. Tickets are still available for both games by calling 1-888-85-BEARS or by visiting www.newarkbears.com.

If you can’t make the game, make sure to check out Emmy Award winning broadcaster Spencer Ross who will be calling play by play on Newark Bears Internet Radio in partnership with Newark Radio Series. Visit http://wm5.spacialnet.com/NewarkRadionetDC114643 at game time to tune in.

Long Island started strong with eight runs in the first inning after a series of wild pitches and walked batters. They added another two runs in the second after a two run homer off the bat of infielder Victor Rodriguez. In his first day in a Duck’s uniform, Alberto Castillo hit a homerun in the ninth inning to secure the win for Long Island.

The Bears gathered five runs, the first a home run off the bat of Charlton Jimerson, his eighth this season. Jacque Jones crushed a home run in the third and hit a two run single in the bottom of the ninth inning. Jimerson and Jones each put two runs on the board for Newark.

Julio Manon notched his fourth win of the season after pitching for five innings, striking out five and allowing two earned runs. Newark’s newly signed Sean Tracey took the loss.

The loss brings Newark’s record to 34-34 and Long Island’s to 36-31.

The Bears will face the Ducks on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings at 6:05pm at Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium. Wednesday evening will be Lady’s Night at the Den, featuring Danielle Staub of BRAVO TV’s Real Housewives of New Jersey. Tickets are still available for both games by calling 1-888-85-BEARS or by visiting www.newarkbears.com.

If you can’t make the game, make sure to check out Emmy Award winning broadcaster Spencer Ross who will be calling play by play on Newark Bears Internet Radio in partnership with Newark Radio Series. Visit http://wm5.spacialnet.com/NewarkRadionetDC114643 at game time to tune in.

Bridgeport’s Jesse Hoorelbeke hit a two run homer in the second inning, but the Bears overcame the early deficit off the bat of Charlton Jimmerson. Jimmerson’s two-run homer in the fifth secured the win for Newark.

Starter Jose Garcia pitched for an impressive seven innings striking out six Bluefish and only walking two. Armando Benitez notched his fifth save of the season, with a perfect ninth inning.

The win improves Newark’s record to 31-25 and keeps them in second place in the Freedom Division.

The Bears face Bridgeport tomorrow at the Den at 6:05pm, the second game of a five game series. Tickets are still available for tomorrow’s game by calling 1-888-85-BEARS or by visiting www.newarkbears.com.

And now, with Armando Benitez in the Atlantic League, things haven’t changed.

The erstwhile major league closer came into Atlantic League All-Star Game in Newark with his division leading 5-3 and promptly gave up four runs on five hit to give the Liberty Division a 7-5 win.

“Look, I gave up a few base hits, but the game was fun for me,” Benitez said afterwards.

Sure the game was fun, especially with the celebrity softball game before hand. And yes, this All-Star game was an exhibition, but this was an important game for the players. Besides being a game for the fans, this was a showcase with over 20 major league scouts in attendance. The main reason why many of these players go to the Atlantic League is for a chance to prove they can still play and get picked up by affiliated ball.

So for a guy like Benitez, who yearns to go back to the big leagues, this was his chance.

And true to form, he blew it.

Unless of course, there’s an organization who wants an over the hill closer, that overthrows and then gets tattooed, Met fans learned that over the years. No matter how many easy saves this guy gets, when the heat gets turned up, Benitez starts to choke. Just look at Game 6 of the 1999 NLCS, or Game 1 of the 2000 World Series, or down the stretch in 2001.

You can argue that the Mets fortunes would have been better if they had a better closer.

Yet, you can’t blame Benitez for being what he is, the same way you can’t blame a terrible actor like Ben Affleck for constantly getting starring roles. You need to blame those that hire them. Steve Phillips should have jettisoned Benitez after the 1999 season and got another closer – or at least took his chances with John Franco. But Phillips kept him and everything that happened afterwards was not just the closer’s fault, but the general manager’s as well.

At least the Yankees learned their lesson after only three weeks. After he was sent to the Bronx, the Bombers immediately saw Benitez’s true colors – and the strain he put on Mariano Rivera, who was forced to clean up the mess. So he was shipped to Seattle for Jeff Nelson. No harm, no foul.

Now, six year’s later, he is in the Atlantic League, doing his thing. Sure he’s a name and a draw, but as we saw last night, no matter the competition, Benitez brings it on himself and the bigger the game, the bigger the choke.

Just ask any Met fan.

It was a scoreless game until the top of the sixth inning when Rev’s right fielder Jason Aspito hit a solo homerun to put York on the board. In the bottom of the sixth, Newark’s Jacques Jones answered with a solo homerun of his own, his first as a Newark Bear. The game remained tied at one until extra innings when a walk off single by newly signed Felix Martinez drove in Andres Perez for the winning run of the game.

Newark’s starter Jose Garcia pitched for five innings striking out five, and Carlos Almanzar recorded the win, his first of the season.

The Bears face the Revolution on Thursday afternoon at Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium, their final game at home before the 2009 Atlantic League All-Star Game. Tickets are still available for just $10 by calling 1-888-85-BEARS or by visiting www.newarkbears.com.

Newark’s Jay Gibbons crushed a home run in the second inning to put Newark on the board, and newly signed Jacque Jones’ RBI single drove in Michael Sandoval for the Bears second run. York’s Matt Esquival put the Rev’s on the board in the fourth inning, driven home by right fielder Jason Aspito’s run scoring single.

Newark’s Shawn Chacon pitched a very impressive 7.1 innings to record his third win this season. Chacon allowed only one earned run and struck out two. Armando Benitez took the save for Newark, closing out the seventh inning and completing the game with back to back strikeouts.

The win keeps Newark in second place in the Freedom Division with a 23-20 record.

The Bears face the Revolution tomorrow evening at 6:05pm. Tickets for Wednesday’s game as well as the 2009 Atlantic League All-Star game are available by calling 1888-85-BEARS or by visiting www.newarkbears.com.

In game one, Newark’s Charlton Jimmerson put Newark on the board in the first inning, crushing a solo homerun, his fifth of the season. In his first game as a Newark Bear, first baseman Brandon Buckman scored what would be the final run for Newark in the fourth.

Southern Maryland came alive in the sixth inning when Blue Crab infielder Eric Crozier hit a 2 run homer, his eighth of the season. Newark failed to answer, and fell by one run.

Newark took its 22nd win this season in game two, defeating Southern Maryland 3-1 in seven innings of baseball.

Michael Hernandez hit his third home run this season, which drove in two runs in the second inning. The Bears put their third run on the scoreboard in the fifth inning after outfielder Tike Redman doubled, driving in Michael Sandoval for the run.

Travis Garica hit a solo homerun in the sixth inning, but the Blue Crabs were stopped when Keith Foulke took to the mound in the seventh. He struck out two, and picked up his ninth save of the season. Oneli Perez pitched an impressive five innings with eight strikeouts, which brings his record to 4-3.

The Bears face the Blue Crabs for the final game of the series on Sunday at Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium. The Bears welcome Yankees legend Joe Pepitone to greet fans and throw out the first pitch as part of the Legends Sunday series at The Den. Tickets are still available by calling 1-888-85-BEARS or by visiting www.newarkbears.com

Newark’s Solomon Manriquez snapped a three all tie with a two run homerun in the third inning, but it was the bat of Tyke Redman that proved to be the difference.

His seventh inning grand slam homerun capped a six RBI night for the former major leaguer, offsetting an impressive five homerun performance by the visiting Blue Crabs.

Newark’s Shane Komine takes his first win of the season after pitching for 3.1 innings, striking out three and allowing only one earned run. Southern Maryland’s Kenny Rayborn records his second loss of the season.

The win brings Newark’s record to 21-18 and Southern Maryland’s to 24-16.

The Bears face the Blue Crabs on Friday Night which is NASCAR night at Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium, featuring 2004 Sprint Cup Champion Kurt Bush, who will sign autographs and greet fans at The Den. Tickets are still available for Friday night’s game by calling 1-888-85-BEARS or by visiting www.newarkbears.com.

Fan voting for All-Star Team selections will take place in regular fashion on the Atlantic League website, at www.atlanticleague.com/vote, with links from all individual Atlantic League websites as well, and voting will run from 12:00 Noon Wednesday, June 3^rd to 12:00 Noon Tuesday, June 16^th.

A combination of fan, media and team voting will determine the starters and remaining roster players, with the Atlantic League announcement of All-Star selections expected on Wednesday, June 17^th.  The pitching for both squads will be determined by the respective managers selected to lead the Freedom Division and Liberty Division All-Star Teams.  Management and staff for the two All-Star Teams will be announced by the Newark Bears later this week.

Now in its 12^th year, the 2009 Atlantic League All-Star Game will bring together the Atlantic League’s best players in a fierce matchup as the Freedom Division looks to defend its All-Star title against the Liberty Division at this year’s game.  The Newark Bears host the Atlantic League All-Star Game for the second time in Newark, having last hosted the All-Star Game in 2001.

The Newark Bears have several entertaining pre-game activities in store for fans to honor baseball’s rich history and the local community, including a pre-game celebrity softball showdown led by Queen Latifah to benefit charity and empower the local Newark community.  Fans are encouraged to come to Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium early to enjoy the festivities, which will include a special traveling exhibition from the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum titled “Times, Teams & Talent”, the pre-game celebrity softball showdown beginning at 5:15 PM, and much more.

Tickets for the 2009 Atlantic League All-Star Game start at $12 and can be purchased through Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.com), the Newark Bears Box Office located at 450 Broad Street in Newark, NJ or by calling 1-888-85-BEARS.  For more information, also visit www.newarkbears.com.

About the Atlantic League

The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball Clubs, Inc. began play in 1998 to bring a high level of professional baseball and affordable family entertainment to selected communities not presently being served by Major League and Minor League teams. Comprised of 8 teams split into the Freedom Division and Liberty Division, the teams in Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland include the Bridgeport Bluefish, Long Island Ducks, Newark Bears, Somerset Patriots, Camden Riversharks, Lancaster Barnstormers, York Revolution and Southern Maryland Blue Crabs. Led by CEO Frank Boulton, the Atlantic League’s managers, coaches and player development staff all have Major League experience, which includes Bud Harrelson, Atlantic League Executive Director Joe Klein, Ellie Rodriguez, Sparky Lyle, Gary Carter, Tim Raines and Tommy John. For more information, also visit www.atlanticleague.com.

Tim Raines still looks like he can run to first base, time the pitcher’s release and slide into second ahead of the catcher’s throw. But Raines will not be adding to his 808 career major league stolen bases. He now is busy trying to help Newark’s 16 former big leaguers on its roster back to the big time as manager of the Bears, which play in the independent Atlantic League.

Raines forged a borderline Hall of Fame career playing 23 seasons. After retiring from the Marlins in 2002, the man nicknamed Rock managed in Single and Double-A before capturing a World Series ring as a White Sox coach in 2005, marking his third championship overall. Managing in the big leagues is about the only thing left on the checklist, though the soon-to-be 50-year-old said he’s enjoying the freedom of 6,000-seat ballparks and East Coast baseball.

“At least here, you pretty much run your club and you don’t have anyone looking over your shoulder telling you what to do and telling you who to play,” Raines said. “This is a pretty neat situation for me as far as managing is concerned. I haven’t gotten the managing bug at the major league level yet.”

When minor league teams hire prominent former players, the conventional wisdom is that the club’s youngsters and struggling veterans will benefit from picking the brain of someone who has already scaled the game’s greatest heights.

As a seven-time All-Star, Raines certainly falls into the accomplished athlete category. Raines said an impressive track record doesn’t automatically mean his opinion is a premium commodity.

“I think sometimes players don’t understand what they have around them,” Raines said. “A lot of them think they already know how to play the game. And as you see here, a lot of them are not where they want to be.

“I’m not one to go after guys. I’ll take it upon myself to try and help guys out but if these guys really want a chance to go back and get better, they need to take it upon themselves.”

Entering Friday, Raines has helped Newark surge into the Freedom Division’s top spot at 16-9. Even before a pitch was thrown, Raines’ presence helped the Bears acquire a potential MVP candidate. Carl Everett spent two productive seasons for the Ducks before saying he would retire. Then Raines signed with Newark and Everett signed on to play with his friend.

During games, Everett can be seen standing immediately to Raines’ left, looking like a coach himself. As the designated hitter, Everett can spend most of his time in that spot, moving only to take his turn at bat, which usually results in good thing for the Bears.

“We’re friends. When he said he was becoming the manager, I said I would come here and help him out,” Everett said. “It’s as simple as that. Other than that, I was good hanging out with my kids.”

In a career that spanned 1979-2002, Raines’ best seasons came for Montreal, the club for which he made all his All-Star appearances, including MVP honors in the 1987 exhibition. The Sanford, Florida native played with the Expos from the start of his career until 1990, where he also won the Silver Slugger award.

Raines’ stolen base mark is still fourth all-time, behind greats like Rickey Henderson, Lou Brock and Ty Cobb. Before the steroids era, Raines was a peripheral Cooperstown candidate after logging 2,605 hits and a career. 294 average.

Now, with modern sluggers like Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa linked to performance enhancing drugs, players like Raines might receive stronger consideration for enshrinement, evidenced by Jim Rice’s induction after more than a decade of falling short of the necessary vote total.

Though his legacy was built in Montreal, Raines is known in New York as a key role player on the Yankees 1996 and 1998 championship teams, when he served as a complementary designated hitter and left fielder.

Before his Bears took on the Ducks at Citibank Park this week, Raines showed he is still candid about baseball. When asked if he was excited to manage a majority of former major leaguers, he smiled.

“If they were playing better, they wouldn’t be here,” he said. “Guys are trying to fight their way back.”

Hall of Famer Gary Carter was in the opposite dugout as the Ducks manager. The Atlantic League also boasts other big-name managers like Somerset’s Sparky Lyle and Bridgeport’s Tommy John.

“The Atlantic League is the best independent league out there,” Carter said.

The Bears (5-4) scored two runs in the home first and added three more in the second, coming on Everett’s long homer to right, his first of the new season, giving starting pitcher Oneli Perez (1-1) enough cushion to earn the victory. Perez surrendered just two unearned runs in five innings, striking out six. Former MLB All-Star Keith Foulke retired the side in the ninth inning to earn his fourth save of the season.

Former Baltimore Orioles slugger Jay Gibbons had two hits to help in the Bears’ 10-hit assault.

Adam Greenberg had three hits and two RBI for the Bluefish (4-5). Former MLB pitcher Esteban Yan gave up seven earned runs in three innings to suffer the setback for Bridgeport.

The three-game series with Bridgeport ends Sunday at 4:05 p.m. with former Yankee great Tino Martinez making an appearance on the first of the Bears’ Legends Days.

From what we are hearing, the Atlantic League may look to go back to the Road Warrior format if this situation is not settled. The Warriors were back in 2007, but went away last season as the league added an eighth team.

It was though the Warriors would return in 2009 if a team would have been added in Richmond, VA, but those plans have seem to fallen through.

If on the slim chance the Atlantic League does return to Newark next season, we are told the team will be totally different than the Bear team of last season.

We hope to have more on this situation later this week when the league decides on what to do about the Bear collapse.

The Atlantic League is no exception.

After Friday’s stunning announcement that the Newark Bears will cease operations, the Atlantic League and the city of Newark will have to make some tough decisions.

Right now, there are no Newark Bears. Owner Marc Berson it was time to shut the doors rather than lose money next season. Newark is one of the weaker teams in the Atlantic League in terms of attendance, averaging 2,764 a game in 2008, the second lowest on the circuit. It may not get better next year in the current economic climate.

Yet that doesn’t mean Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium will be dark next season. It is possible for the other Atlantic League owners to come in and buy the Bears from Berson. Ducks owner Frank Boulton just bought the Bridgeport Bluefish to keep them afloat and it’s not out of the question for the Bears to get a bailout as well.

In the Newark’s case, the other Atlantic League owners may chip in and each own a piece of the team until a new owner is found. Of course they have to meet Berson’s asking price which may be harder than it seems. According to one Atlantic League official, there are some hard feeling between Berson and the other owners, which contributed to Friday’s move.

If that doesn’t work, the city of Newark may look elsewhere. With an empty stadium comes opportunity and another league may come in to Newark. The Can-Am League – where former Atlantic League teams, the Atlantic City Surf and Nashua Pride, found homes – may be interested in fielding a team. A deal will have to be made with Essex County and Berson, who still owns the rights to the stadium.

As for the Atlantic League, the Bear move won’t hurt the league in the long run. Over the past few seasons, it has been shedding its weaker teams in favor of expansion in stronger markets. The Road Warrior format can return for the 2008 season if a replacement franchise is not found.

Also the league can move the All-Star Game, which was scheduled for Newark, to another market such as Long Island, which is set to host the game in 2010.

The biggest losers in this whole debacle are the full-time Bear employees who will be forced to find jobs in a very tough economic environment.

Just remember it’s still very early in the off-season, so there is still time to resolve this situation and have some sort of professional baseball in Newark for the 2009 season.

Yes, their 6-1 loss to the Somerset Patriots on July 6th was a heartbreaker, a game that had first place in the Freedom Division for the first half on the line, but they had a whole second half to atone for what could have merely been a bump in the road.

However, they started the second half of the Atlantic League season 1-6 and we never able to recover from that disastrous start. Watching the Bears on the field, it was clear they had not gotten over their first half miscue.

It was also clear that they were short on offensive fire power thanks to some key departures. Cory Aldridge, Val Majewski and John Pachot were all key cogs in their attack and they clearly didn’t have the pitching to make up for it.

Pat Stanley, who was unhittable for most of the first half began to struggle. Stanley previously had one professional in which he’d thrown more than 100 innings and subsequently began to suffer from arm fatigue, not used to being the ace of a staff. He still managed to lead the Atlantic League in strikeouts.

Mike Bumstead, the Atlantic League’s wins leader with 14, probably should have had more, but began to suffer from Johan Santana syndrome. The Bears bullpen blew several games for Bumstead over the final month of a season in conjunction with their fall from the divisional race.

Despite everything, however, all of that could have ended up meaningless when the Bears were handed yet another chance to get to the post-season.

In mid-September, the York Revolution came to Riverfront Stadium in first place of the Freedom Division, holding a 3 ½ game lead over the Bears.

They won the first game of the series, thanks to Ramon Castro’s two late inning home runs, which pulled them to within 2 ½ games of York. However, the bats went silent and York took the final two games without much of a fight from Newark. The Bears closed out their season getting swept by the Patriots, who are off to play York in the first round of the playoffs. In a whisper, the season was gone.

Newark hit .303 as a team for the season, managing to actually beat their team total of .302 from last year, and it is a new Atlantic League record.

Leading that charge was Ramon Castro, who was held out of the lineup in the last game, unable to defend his lead for the batting title. He would end up hitting .352 for the year, finishing two points behind Somerset’s Josh Pressley.

Keith Reed continued his gold glove-caliber play in center field and led the team in home runs by going yard 26 times. He also tied fellow outfielder Jose Herrera by driving in 93 runs.

Cory Willey was, by far, the steadiest and most consistent member of the Newark bullpen. He went 7-2 with a 2.96 ERA and struck out 71 batters in 76 innings. The bullpen was mostly a rotating door of arms, and Willey was the one constant who could be counted upon in late-inning pressure situations.

The 2008 season will be remembered as what might have been for the Newark Bears. A small bounce their way here or there and perhaps the Bears are still playing, fighting it out in the post-season to defend their title. But, they had their chances and came up short when it mattered the most. Riverfront Stadium will, unfortunately, be very quiet this late September.

The duo contributed back-to-back jacks during a six-run fifth inning in which the Bears took an 8-5 lead. Mateo’s homer was his second of the game, his seventh in the past six games, and his fifteenth of the season. Not to be outdone, Simon blasted his second homer of the game off the scoreboard in right field during four-run eighth inning to break the game open for the Bears. This was the sixth consecutive game to feature a Bears home run, and multiple Bears have homered in five of the six.

Every Bears starter collected at least one hit during the game. In his second consecutive three-hit game, Keith Reed went 3-4 with three singles, a walk, and scored once. Mateo and Simon both went 3-5 with two home runs and a single. Mateo collected five RBI and Simon earned four in his second consecutive three-hit outing.

After Mateo tied the game 2-2 with a two-run home run launched over the left field net in the third inning, Damian Rolls responded with a two-run shot of his own in the top of the fourth. Jamie Pogue also homered in the inning, giving the Ducks a 5-2 lead. An RBI single by Pogue cut the Bears lead to 8-6 in the eighth inning. Rolls finished the game 3-4, ending a triple short of the cycle.

Bears starter Benito Baez (6-4) earned the win, giving up five runs on ten hits through seven innings of work, walking none and striking out six. Alay Soler (3-4) suffered the loss, allowing eleven hits and eight runs over 4.1 innings.

The Bears begin a three-game home series against the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs tomorrow evening with a 7:05. Jeff Blitstein (0-0) will be making his home debut for the Bears, facing Ryan Bicondoa (11-6). Along with the usual Kids Eat Free Mondays, where all children under age 14 receive a free food voucher, tomorrow is also White Out. Wear white pants, shorts, skirt, or dress and receive free admission in celebration of Labor Day (and the last day of the Wearing White Season).

The Bears play their home games at Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium, conveniently located off Route 280, across the street from the Newark-Broad St. train station, and just minutes from Route 78, the New Jersey Turnpike, and the Garden State Parkway. For ticket information, please call 1-866-55-4BEAR or visit the Bears website at www.newarkbears.com.

Jose Garcia and company halted the powerful Ducks for a third straight game, taking three-out-of-four from a team that entered the series on a nine-game winning streak.

Garcia (9-4) hurled eight fantastic innings, yielding just four hits and one earned run while striking out six. He kept the potent Long Island lineup at bay all afternoon, making just one mistake in the third inning.

Abe Alvarez (6-2) was also fantastic, going the distance for the Ducks but was not quite good enough to defeat Garcia on this day.

With the wind blowing in strongly from right field, runs were at a premium throughout the game. Kevin Haverbusch and Raul Gonzalez combined for nine putouts on the afternoon on balls that couldn’t quite make it over the wall.

Robert Sandora drew first blood for the Long Island Ducks in the third inning. He sent Jose Garcia’s offering to the opposite field, just clearing the short porch in left to give them a 1-0 lead.

Newark answered back in the fourth when Ramon Castro hit a solo home run of his own over the wall down the right-field line, getting enough on the ball to push it through the stiff wind that the ball was facing. The game was tied at 1.

That was all the offenses could muster for most of the game. Garcia found himself in a little trouble in the sixth inning after Dennis Donovan reached on an error by Vic Gutierrez. P.J. Rose singled him to third with two outs and the Ducks had found a rally. But Garcia reached back and struck out Edgardo Alfonzo to leave the runners stranded.

After Will Otanez’s double in the fourth, Alvarez retired 11 straight batters until that fateful eighth inning, when the Bears finally took the lead.

Ramon Nivar smashed a one-out double into the left-centerfield gap, giving the Bears the best chance to score since the fourth. Gutierrez came up and atoned for his earlier error by ripping a single into right. Nivar came flying around third and slid around Jamie Pogue’s block of the late, beating the throw and scoring the winning run.

Shaun Babula came on to face Rose in the ninth and struck him out looking. Manager Wayne
Krenchicki then turned the ball over to Ed Almonte (4) to finish the job. Although he gave up a double to Alfonzo, he got Kevin Haverbusch and Kyle Nichols to ground out and end the game.
It was a thrilling victory for the Bears, who now feel their season turn on a dime and believe they can repeat as champions once again.

Newark travels to Lancaster for a three-game set against the Barnstormers before returning to The Den for another weekend series against the Long Island Ducks.

In six seasons, Blitstein has made 101 appearances, including 81 starts. The 6’2” hurler owns a 40-27 career record with a 3.34 earned run average and has exhibited tremendous control, walking just 123 batters in 592 innings pitched. In his professional career, Blitstein has thrown 12 complete games, 6 six of which were shutouts.

The Burbank, California native was a 39th-round draft pick by the Houston Astros in 1999 but took a four-year break after the 2000 season to attend college. Blitstein came back to professional baseball with the San Diego Surf Dawgs of the Golden League. While in San Diego, he was a teammate of former Bears outfielder Rickey Henderson and led the team to the inaugural league championship with a 10-3 record and 2.93 earned run average.

Blitstein has also made stops with Lincoln of the American Association, Winnipeg of the Northern League, and Laguna and Tijuana of the Mexican League. In 2006, he made a brief appearance in the Atlantic League pitching for the Atlantic City Surf.

The Bears play their home games at Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium, conveniently located off Route 280, across the street from the Newark-Broad St. train station, and just minutes from Route 78 and the New Jersey Turnpike. For ticket information please call 1-866-55-4BEAR or visit the Bears website at www.newarkbears.com.

For most of the year, Newark pounded the opposition with a barrage of hits and home runs, pouring on the runs with a superior lineup. They’re a different team now, winning close, low-scoring games like the one on Saturday night at Riverfront Stadium. They defeated the Long Island Ducks 5-4 to guarantee at least a split of the four-game series.

The Bears had to battle back from a deficit as the Ducks took an early lead in the top of the second inning. With two out and no one on, Damian Rolls blasted a home run over the left-field wall off the netting for a 1-0 Long Island advantage.

Long Island added two more in the top of the fifth on another home run, this one a two-run shot by Dennis Donovan. He shocked every person at the The Den by depositing just his second bomb of the year beyond the left-field wall.

Through six innings, Long Island starter Jose Paniagua was cruising along, with the exception of a bases-loaded jam in the fourth inning which he escaped by striking out the side in between three hits by Newark.

At the time, the game’s outlook wasn’t a rosy one for the Bears. Paniagua had a four-hit shutout going, and Newark was wasting a very good start by Roberto Giron who struggled mightily in his two previous starts, compiling an earned run average of 10.18. Giron had given up three runs, but was battling hard and keeping his ballclub in the game.

The Bears were finally able to reach Paniagua in the seventh inning. Randall Simon and Raul Gonzalez led-off the frame with singles bringing up Ramon Nivar. Nivar smashed a double down the left-field line scoring Simon from second. Scott Knazek came up to the plate and was hit by the first pitch that Paniagua threw.

At that point, Long Island manager Dave LaPoint had seen enough. Paniagua (3-1) was lifted after that sequence in favor of right-hander Travis Wade. Wade struck out Bobby Hill on a three-two fastball to get the first out of the inning. But then Ramon Castro stepped to the dish and singled up the middle, scoring Gonzalez and Nivar to knot the game at 3. After Keith Reed grounded into a fielder’s choice, Will Otanez laced a single into left field. Castro beat a close play at home to give the Bears a 4-3 lead.

Wayne Krenchicki also went to the bullpen after that inning. Cory Willey came on in the eighth, replacing Giron (1-2) who, despite behind on the losing end most of the game, left as the pitch of record on the winning side. Giron kept his team in the game by giving up just three runs on five hits over seven innings and striking out six.

Andy Shibilo (5) came on with one out in the ninth and got the final two outs for the save.
Rolls led Long Island offensively, going four-for-four and being a thorn in the side of the Bears all night long. Gonzalez countered Rolls by reaching base four times himself on three singles and a first-inning error by the shortstop Donovan.

Newark and Long Island complete their four-game series on Sunday at The Den. The Long Island southpaw Abe Alvarez will start on the hill against Newark’s Jose Garcia.

He entered the night’s contest with a 13-6 record, his win total tying Jack Armstrong’s 2001 campaign total. Bumstead pitched an excellent game, yielding just four hits and striking out six over eight strong innings. However, his bullpen could not hold his lead and he took a no-decision for the night.

In three previous starts against the Ducks, Bumstead was 1-2 and had not pitched particularly well in any of those games. However, he managed to earn a win on July 8th at Citibank Park, despite giving up five earned runs.

The Ducks offense got on the board early, striking for two runs in the first inning. Edgardo Alfonzo, the second batter of the game, reached on a broken-bat single up the middle which brought P.J. Rose to the plate. Rose hit Bumstead’s offering deep over the right-field wall for the early advantage.

Bumstead settled down yielding just one walk and one more hit through the sixth inning. Meanwhile, the Bears offense was able to wake up and beginning hitting off Ducks starter Randy Leek.

Newark responded in the bottom of the fourth inning with two runs of their own to re-tie the game at 2. Ramon Castro and Keith Reed hit back-to-back home runs off Leek to nearly the same spot beyond the left-center field wall. Reed’s homer was his team-leading 20th of the season.

Newark charged ahead 3-2 in the bottom of the sixth inning. Keith Reed smashed a one-out double off the wall in centerfield, setting the table for Willis Otanez’s two-out RBI single through the right side of the infield.

The Ducks responded immediately when Ray Navarette tied the game with his 23rd home run of the season.

However, the Bears would counter right back in the bottom of the frame. Raul Gonzalez reached with a one-out single and was lifted for pinch-runner Mike Just. After Just advanced to second on Ramon Nivar’s groundout, Bobby Hill singled into right field. Third base coach Ryan Jones waved Just around beat a close play at the plate to give Newark the lead.

Bumstead entered the eighth with the lead and set the Long Island order down 1-2-3, entrusting his bullpen to protect his lead.

Reliever Andy Shibilo (1-1) entered the ninth to try and hold the small margin, but Rose blasted Shibilo’s fastball over the wall for his second home run of the game, knotting the game at 4.

Ramon Nivar led-off the tenth, singling off Ducks reliever Vic Darensbourgh. After Hill sacrificed him over to second, Ramon Castro hit a slow ground ball to third, where Rose had moved to in the sixth inning. Even a perfect throw would not have gotten Castro at first, but the throw was wild and Nivar came around to score and send the Bears home as winners.

Unfortunately for Bumstead, he will have to wait for his next start to try and break that record.

Randy Leek who was on the short end of the decision until Rose’s home run still has not lost since Jun. 4. He battled Bumstead well, giving up nine hits and four earned runs over seven innings.

The Bears and Ducks meet Saturday afternoon for the third game of a four-game series. Robert Giron takes the mound for Newark while Long Island counters with Jose Paniagua.

Bear capped a perfect evening with his walk-off jack, finishing four-for-four with two doubles, five RBIs and two runs. He tied the game in the first inning with a two-run double then gave his team the lead in the third with another two-bagger that scored Jay Caligiuri.

Bridgeport took a 6-4 lead into the ninth but could not hang on against the league’s leading offense. Jose Herrera’s sacrifice fly to left field tied the game at six and ultimately sent the game to extra innings. Atlantic League leading hitter Ramon Castro’s only hit of the night drove in Vic Gutierrez in the tenth to give his team a one-run edge. Shawn Babula (0-2) surrendered the game-winning long ball in the bottom of the inning.

Andy Weimer (1-1) picked up the win in relief despite allowing the go-ahead Newark run to score. Caligiuri (two runs) and Jesse Hoorelbeke (double, run) both recorded two hits for Bridgeport.
Ramon Nivar led the Newark offense with a four-for-five night with two runs scored. Raul Gonzalez also drove in two runs for the Bears.

Bridgeport looks to continue their success against the Bears tomorrow night at 7:05 P.M. Mike Connolly (2-1) will square off against Frank Rodriguez (1-1) of Newark.

In the first half of the 2008 Atlantic League season, they pounded teams into the ground with an explosively potent lineup that was unrivaled by any team. Whether it was Bobby Hill and Brian Burgamy setting the table, or Cory Aldridge, Ramon Castro and Val Majewski launching baseballs into the Ironbound’s evening sky, this was an offense that was second-to-none.

Then their pitching finally began to take shape. Pat Stanley and Mike Bumstead anchored the top of the rotation, getting consistently outstanding starts. Stanley, in particular, was dominating, including a 15-strikeout performance against the Lancaster Barnstormers in late May. Benito Baez finally got healthy as well and gave the Bears an excellent top 3 in their rotation.

Although the team lacked a true closer due to Al Levine’s early-season retirement, Cory Willey and J.J. Trujillo became a fantastic late-inning duo that shut teams down in those crucial seventh, eighth and ninth innings.

However, the unfortunate nature of the Atlantic League is that teams will lose their best players as the season rolls on. Brian Burgamy was the first to go. Burgamy, an on-base machine, was picked up by the New York Mets. Then, out of nowhere, Majewski was snapped up by the Houston Astros, which came as a complete surprise to him.

“I haven’t really heard from anyone yet” said Majewski after a June 19th game against Camden. “We’re all just working hard here and waiting for our number to get called.”

Finally, Aldridge, the rock-steady veteran in the middle of their lineup, went to the Kansas City Royals organization.

Despite that, the Bears were essentially one winning streak away from wrapping up the Freedom Division title for the first half. Instead, they began to falter, playing very inconsistently with their once-potent offense going dry on some nights. After taking two out of three from the Camden Riversharks and York Revolution, the Bears had finally re-positioned themselves in the right place to earn their playoff spot.

In early July, it all came down to a five-game series with the Somerset Patriots. The Bears went into the series dead-even with their rival for first place. After splitting the first four games, it came to a Sunday showdown and everything looked right for Newark.

Stanley was on the mound with an 8-1 record against Jim Magrane who hardly seemed to be able to get anyone out for most of the year. But, the Bears went quietly in a 6-1 loss in front of a packed house in Somerset. Just like that, the magical first half was over.

That brings the story to mid-August, Newark now has a 15-19 record for the second half. Forced to re-load, the Bears have been unable to re-capture the magic that Aldridge and Majewski brought to the middle of their order. Aldridge had consistently driven in runs the entire season and had a David Ortiz-like habit of coming through in the clutch. Majewski’s pure professionalism was unmatched, showing from day one that his bat belonged back in the major leagues. Combining the two of them with Castro, Jose Herrera and Randall Simon gave nightmares to opposing pitchers.

No matter who they have brought in since, none of their players have been able to duplicate the pure power and hitting ability the middle of their order once had.

The staff has suffered as well recently. Stanley and Bumstead remain at the top, but a rotating cast of starters have failed to establish themselves behind the two of them. Trujillo and Carlos Mirabal, both key contributors on last year’s championship team, have retired and Steven Kent has been traded away for catching help with the loss of John Pachot to the Mexican Minor League.

There are still pieces in place for the Bears. Castro, Herrera, Keith Reed, Raul Gonzalez and Ruben Mateo are all still dangerous hitters and Hill and Mike Just are still capable of getting on base ahead of them. But this is clearly a much different team without their superstar corner-outfielders.

Barring a sudden turnaround, Newark could very well be left wondering what might have been in 2008.

Five Bears collected multiple hits, led by Keith Reed who went 3-4 with two singles, one double, was hit by a pitch, scored twice, and collected one RBI. Raul Gonzalez was 3-4 with three singles, and Will Otanez recorded two doubles. Jose Herrera, who smacked his tenth home run of the season in the sixth inning, scored three times during the game and gathered two RBI.

Bobby Hill jump-started the Bears offense, leading off the bottom of the first with a solo home run – his third of the season. After scoring again in the first, the biggest offensive strike came in the second, with a two-out grand slam home run by Ruben Mateo to make the score 6-0.

Mike Bumstead (12-6) was the beneficiary of the Bears’ offensive onslaught, earning his league-leading 12th win of the season. He gave up five hits and only one earned run, walked four, and struck out six through six innings of work.

The Bluefish got on board with an RBI single by Jay Caligiuri in the top of the fourth, and then, while trailing 9-1, strung together four runs in the top of the fifth to cut the Bears’ lead to 9-5. The inning included a two-RBI single by Caligiuri, who finished the game 2-4 with two singles and three RBI.

Bluefish starter Ryan DiPietro (3-4) suffered the loss, giving up ten hits and nine runs – five earned – during 3.1 innings. By pitching the final three innings of the game, Bears reliever Ed Almonte picked up his third save of the season.

The Bears finish their series against the Bluefish tomorrow with an 11:05 am game. The Bears play their home games at Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium, conveniently located off Route 280, across the street from the Newark-Broad St. train station, and minutes from Route 78 and the New Jersey Turnpike. For ticket information, please call 1-866-55-4BEAR or visit the Bears’ website at www.newarkbears.com.

Garcia had allowed four hits and no runs until the seventh inning when Wilson Batista blasted a two-run home run over the right field wall to put the Bluefish on board, making the score 9-2. Garcia (7-3) earned the win, giving up two runs on eight hits through seven innings of work.

A three-run homer by Jay Caligiuri in the top of the eighth cut the Bears’ lead to 9-5, but the Bears scored again in the bottom of the inning to take a 10-5 advantage. The ‘Fish scored one more run in the ninth and were poised for a rally until reliever Cory Willey induced a double play and struck out Ryan Bear to end the game.

Vic Gutierrez led off the bottom of the first with a triple and the hits kept on coming, with the Bears scoring six runs in the inning to jump out to a 6-0 lead. Back-to-back jacks highlighted the inning: first Will Otanez blasted a two-run shot and then Manny Mejia immediately followed with a solo homer.

After scoring another run in the second, the Bears were held scoreless until the sixth inning, when the scored two more runs to take a 9-0 lead. Jose Herrera recorded an RBI double, and he later scored on a sacrifice fly by Raul Gonzalez.

Bluefish starter Jordan Pals (0-1) took the loss in his first game coming off Tommy John surgery. Pals did not pitch out of the first inning, lasting two-thirds of an inning and giving up six runs.

The Bears continue their home stand tomorrow with a 5:05 game. Bears ace Mike Bumstead (11-6) will be facing Ryan DiPietro (3-3). The Bears play their games at Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium, conveniently located off Route 280, across the street from the Newark Broad St. train station, and minutes from Route 78 and the New Jersey Turnpike. For ticket information, please call 1-866-55-4BEAR or visit the Bears website at www.newarkbears.com.

Fast forward to Saturday night and it was quite a different story. Mike Bumstead took the mound as the last Newark Bears pitcher to record a win and played the role of the stopper once again. Bumstead went the distance in the Bears 12-3 win over the Camden Riversharks.

The game did not begin well for Bumstead or the Bears. Nick Jackson led off the game with a solo home run for Camden and Sheldon Fulse added another one in the top of the third to give the Riversharks a 2-0 lead.

However, everywhere in between and after, Bumstead was completely dominant. Camden hitters took a lot of bad swings against Bumstead’s curveball, which was sharp the entire evening. He struck out 11 batters in his nine innings of work, a new personal high for him.

Newark’s offense broke loose in the third inning when Keith Reed hit a triple over Jackson’s head in center field. Vic Gutierrez and Ramon Castro scored on that drive to tie the game at 2.

Ruben Mateo, back for another tour of duty with Newark, hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning to put the Bears ahead. Raul Gonzalez, another recent newcomer with major-league experience, hit a three-run bomb in the fifth to stretch the lead further.

The rest of Newark’s offensive explosion was highlighted by catcher Scott Knazek’s two-run triple in the bottom of the seventh.

Saturday night was also “Lima Time” at Riverfront Stadium. Former major-leaguer Jose Lima was Camden’s starter for the night. Much like his time in the majors, he was tagged for seven earned runs in five innings of work.

Bumstead, however, was the star of the show. He only suffered one more blemish when he gave up a third solo home run in the seventh to L.J. Biernbaum. But, the game was far out of reach at that point. He completed his nine innings in just 108 pitches and two hours and 32 minutes.

A lot of positives came from tonight’s game for the struggling club. Newark had lost six in a row, including a sweeping at the hands of the Bridgeport Bluefish just before the all-star break. Gonzalez went three-for-four and scored three times in the contest. He and Mateo are hoping to fill the huge offensive void left by the departures of Cory Aldridge and Val Majewski.

For Bumstead, it was his tenth win of the season, which leads the Atlantic League. It is also another new career-high for the young right-hander.

The Bears finish their three game series with Camden on Sunday at 1:35. Benito Baez is the scheduled starter for Newark.

Mateo returns to the Bears after joining the team during their stretch run towards the championship last year. He appeared in 15 games during the regular season, batting .288 with 5 home runs and 10 RBI.

Before joining the Bears, Mateo played six seasons of major league baseball from 1999 to 2004 with the Texas Rangers, Cincinnati Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Kansas City Royals.

Joining Mateo will be Gonzalez, who also brings a wealth of professional experience to Newark. Gonzalez started his pro career in 1991 in the Kansas City Royals organization and made his major league debut in 2000 with the Chicago Cubs. After the Cubs, Gonzalez also appeared with the Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets, and the Cleveland Indians in a major league career that spans from 2000 to 2004.

Gonzalez was most recently in the Mets organization playing for Triple-A New Orleans, where he had been batting .279 in 17 games. Last season, Gonzalez played for Oaxaca, where he hit for a .327 average with 12 home runs and 83 RBI.

The Newark Bears play their home games at Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium, conveniently located off of Route 280, across the street from the Newark-Broad St. train station, and minutes away from Route 78 and the New Jersey Turnpike. For ticket information, please call 1-866-55-4BEAR or visit the Bears’ website at www.newarkbears.com.

Ray Navarrete started at second and Jamie Pogue got the nod at catcher, though the pair of Ducks pitchers were each tagged for two runs as the Sparky Lyle-lead Freedom Division held on for an 8-6 victory in front an All-Star record crowd of 8,290 at Commerce Bank Ballpark.

Leek allowed a leadoff single to Lancaster’s Michael Woods before Newark’s Ramon Castro drilled an opposite-field homer to rightfield. Castro’s blast was the first of his pair of two-run home runs, earning the Bears’ shortstop the game MVP for the Freedom Division.

“Everybody got in the game and everybody played and showed their wares to the scouts,” said LaPoint, who used all 22 players on the roster. “The fans had a good to show to watch, so that’s what we’re here for.”

Leek settled down and left after two innings down 2-0. It was another honor for the southpaw. The Levittown native was also selected to start Opening Day, giving him two honors in a four-month span.

Valentine, the Ducks closer, entered in the unfamiliar situation of the third inning. He allowed two runs but none of them were earned after Pogue couldn’t handle a third strike pitch, allowing Somerset’s Brandon Larson to reach first and eventually score on Newark’s Jose Herrera.

“I’m sure they [Leek and Valentine would have liked to have done better, but All-Star games are different,” LaPoint said. “Joe’s pitching the third inning instead of the ninth. Who knows if he’s mentally ready for that. But everybody had a good day.”

Pogue atoned for his mistake, registering an RBI groundout in the Liberty Division’s four-run fourth inning. His shot to third was gloved on a nice scoop by Matt Hagen, but he still turned a four-run deficit into a tie game with the productive out and took teammate Leek off the hook for the loss.

“It was a whole lot of fun,” Pogue said. “You come here with the expectation of just going out there relaxed and try and enjoy the game. You try and slow it down as much as you can and take as much in as you can. I had a lot of family and friends able to come and watch. It was extremely enjoyable.”

Castro ensured the Freedom Division went back on top on the bottom of the fourth. Southern Maryland right-hander Ryan Bicondoa relieved Valentine before walking Woods. That set up Castro’s second blast, handing Bicondoa the loss.

No Duck was in the game after the sixth inning. Navarrete finished 0-3 but wowed the crowd before the contest in the home run derby. The All-Star second baseman advanced to the championship round and blasted eight home runs in total.

“It’s always a great opportunity to be able to be in the same clubhouse with the other guys you are admiring through the season,” said Navarrete about sharing a dugout with the best players from Bridgeport, Southern Maryland and Camden. “You don’t get a chance to talk to them or hang out with them as much. I was really lucky to be a part of it.”

Pogue said making the trip to New Jersey instead of taking the full four days offs was a sacrifice worth making. Even after catching five innings and giving way to Adam Shorsher, Pogue still kept busy by warming up Liberty Division pitchers in the bullpen.

“I like to play all the time, so the way they do it, we still have three days off,” Pogue said. “There are only a few guys tonight that had to play nine innings anyway. To go over four days and have to catch half a game, that’s not going to wear me down. It was just awesome.”

Sitting in his familiar home dugout, Lyle trotted out Newark’s Patrick Stanley to start for the Freedom Division. As the Somerset manager, Lyle previously watched his team face off against the righty ace, who struck out 15 Lancaster batters in a game in May.

Stanley was dominating in his two innings last night, striking out three while not allowing a base-runner. In a statically oddity, Lancaster’s Eric Ackerman picked up the victory despite giving up four runs and five hits in his one inning of work, the product of Castro’s well-time homer in the bottom of the fourth when Ackerman was technically still the Freedom Division’s pitcher.

Herrera, Castro’s teammate with the Bears, added another RBI single. The two teammates played all nine innings in front of the 22 major league scouts in attendance.

“An All-Star Game is about rising to the occasion,” Lyle said.

The Bluefish trailed 4-2 heading into the ninth after a two-run top of the inning for Newark. Outfielder Branden Florence capped his great day at the plate with a game tying double that scored Jesse Hoorelbeke and Ryan Bear. It was his third game-tying hit of the afternoon as the 2008 All-Star also knotted the game up 1-1 with a second inning RBI single and 2-2 with a solo home run in the seventh. Florence finished four-for-five with four RBIs.

The Bluefish had runners on base in all innings except the first. They stranded 14 runners over the course of the game as they out-hit the Bears 15-13. Jesse Hoorelbeke had three hits with a double and a run scored. Ryan Bear, Jay Caligiuri and Alex Prieto all added two hits apiece.

The Bears scored the go-ahead run in the ninth on an RBI fielder’s choice by Bobby Hill. The Newark infielder just barely beat out a throw from Bluefish shortstop Alex Prieto that would have ended the inning. The Bears tacked on one more when Hoorelbeke lost a high pop up that allowed catcher Scott Knazek to score.

Tim Sweeney added another great game offensively to lead the Bears. The infielder went three-for-five with a double, RBI and a run scored. He notched seven base knocks in the three-game series.
Eddy Ramos (1-3) picks up the Bridgeport victory with a scoreless tenth inning of work. J.J. Trujillo (1-6) picked up the loss with 1.2 innings of work and three runs allowed on three hits. The Newark reliever served up the game-tying double to Florence and the game-winner to Lopez.

The Bluefish now head into the All-Star break at 4-2 in the second half. They will return to play this Friday with a three-game road series against the Somerset Patriots. Eric DuBose (5-2) will likely get the nod in the first game after the break.

One of eight Bluefish named to the 2008 All-Star game, Hertzler allowed two runs (zero earned) on three hits with three walks and three batters fanned over his six innings of work.

The Bridgeport bats provided plenty of run support for Hertzler with six runs through the first three innings. The ‘Fish plated three in the first on a pair of RBI singles by Calvin Pickering and Branden Florence and a fielding error on Newark catcher Scott Knazek. Jesse Hoorelbeke, another 2008 All-Star, cranked a towering solo home run (17) in the fifth to pad his league lead in long balls and finished two-for-three with two RBIs and two runs scored. Bluefish catcher Brian Munhall blasted his fourth home run of the year in the second and added an insurance RBI single in the eighth to finish two-for-four with two RBIs and a run.

The majority of the Bluefish offense came at the hands of Newark ace Pat Stanley (8-3). The burly right-hander worked six innings and allowed seven runs on seven hits with two walks and two strikeouts. It was his third consecutive start allowing at least six runs to cross the plate.

The Bears did not go quietly after Hertzler left the game. They scored four runs over the final two frames off Bluefish relievers T.J. Tucker and Franklin Perez. Jose Herrera and Ramon Castro added an RBI single apiece in the eighth and combined finished the night four-for-eight with three RBIs and a run scored. Mike Just and Tim Sweeney each added two hits, a run and an RBI on the evening. Newark loaded the bases and brought the go-ahead run to the plate before Tommy John called on Matt Pike to get the final out of the game, earning his first save in 2008.

Bridgeport goes for the sweep tomorrow at 2:05 P.M. Rafael Bergstrom (4-5) will make his first start in ten days for ‘Fish and square off against the Atlantic League wins leader Mike Bumstead (9-5).

Bridgeport starter Tim Drew had the makings of a solid outing through his first four innings having allowed just three hits. A five-run fifth inning by the Bears knocked him out of the contest and gave Newark the lead.

The Bluefish immediately answered with two runs in the bottom of the fifth to reclaim the lead.

Infielder Jay Caligiuri offered a beacon of life to the Bluefish offense when he drove in Calvin Pickering on a two-out go-ahead double. Caligiuri finished two-for-three with two RBIs and a run scored. Pickering also finished two-for-three with a double and two runs scored.

Franklin Perez (3-2) picked up the victory despite allowed the tying run to score in the eighth. Newark’s Scott Knazek scored the run on a Keith Reed bloop RBI single to left. Perez worked out of the rest of the inning to keep the game tied.

Steve Kent (0-2) takes the tough-luck loss for Newark allowing the unearned run to score in his one inning of work. Kent came on in the eighth to relieve Carlos Mirabal. The Newark starter pitched seven innings and allowed six runs on ten hits and two walks with two batters struck out. Tim Sweeney had a solid night at the plate for the Bears, finishing two-for-three with a run scored.

The two teams will meet again tomorrow night at 6:05 P.M. Bridgeport’s Barry Hertzler (3-6) squares off against Pat Stanley (8-2) in a battle of 2008 Atlantic League All-Stars.

The extra-inning homer came off Newark reliever J.J. Trujillo (1-5), who was dealt the loss. Joe Valentine (5-2), who had surrendered the tying run in the ninth, worked a perfect 10th and picked up the win. Randy Leek started for Long Island and pitched seven innings, giving up five runs on eight hits. Jose Garcia went six and one-third innings for the Bears, allowing six runs on 10 hits.

The Ducks built up a 6-0 lead over the first two innings. P.J. Rose and Richard Hidalgo both clubbed two-run homers in the first, while Rose and Carl Everett delivered RBI in the second. The Bears came back with four in the third, hitting three doubles in the inning, and one in the fourth. The tying run scored on a bloop single down the left field line in the ninth by Bobby Hill.

Rose went 3-for-5 with three RBI, while Hidalgo had two hits and a pair of RBI. Edgardo Alfonzo continued to swing well since returning to the club, turning in a 2-for-4 performance.

The Ducks hit the road this weekend for their final series before the All-Star break. Long Island visits Lancaster for a three-game series beginning on Friday. Game time is 7:05 p.m. Fans can tune into all the action live on WNYG 1440 AM, WLIR 107.1 FM, or via streaming webcast at www.liducks.com, with Ducks radio voice Chris King calling the play-by-play. The club returns home on Friday, July 18, to host the York Revolution at Citibank. First pitch will be at 7:05 p.m., and the ballpark gates open at 6:05 p.m. The Ducks will celebrate the annual Long Island Luau, presented by Adelphi University. Tickets to the game and all upcoming Ducks home games are available at the Citibank Park Box Office, by calling (631) 940-TIXX, or by logging onto www.liducks.com and clicking on the tickets icon at the top of the page.

The Long Island Ducks play their home games at Citibank Park and are in their ninth season of play in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. For further information, visit www.liducks.com, or call (631) 940-3825.

The Ducks rallied from a two-run deficit with three in the ninth to take the second game of the three-game set. Ray Navarrete’s infield hit with the bases loaded brought in the winning run when catcher John Pachot could not get a handle on the ball as it rolled along the grass. Earlier in the frame, Edgardo Alfonzo had come through with a game-tying single, capping a 2-for-3 night in his first game back with the Flock. Alfonzo scored four runs and drew two walks in the contest as well. Navarrete went 3-for-6 at the plate with four RBI. Jamie Pogue had a stellar game at the plate, going 5-for-5 while driving in two. Meanwhile, the Bears got home runs from Ramon Castro, who drove in three runs, and Joe Herrera, along with a two-RBI performance by Gerard Haran.

Alay Soler pitched six innings for Long Island, allowing six runs – three earned – on six hits. Counterpart Benito Baez worked seven frames, giving up four runs – three earned – on nine hits. Joe Valentine (4-2) got the win in relief, and former Duck Steve Kent (3-4) took the loss, allowing the three ninth inning runs. Ryan Knippschild contributed with two scoreless innings for Long Island.

The Ducks conclude their series against Newark on Thursday with a 7:05 p.m. contest. The Citibank Park gates open at 6:05 p.m., and the first 1,500 fans in attendance will receive black home replica baseball caps, courtesy of Adecco. Fans unable to attend the game can tune into all the action live via streaming webcast at www.liducks.com, with Mike Solano calling the play-by-play. Tickets to the game and all upcoming Ducks home games are available at the Citibank Park Box Office, by calling (631) 940-TIXX, or by logging onto www.liducks.com and clicking on the tickets icon at the top of the page.

The Long Island Ducks play their home games at Citibank Park and are in their ninth season of play in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. For further information, visit www.liducks.com, or call (631) 940-3825.

Most of the scoring was done early, as the teams traded multiple-run frames. Carl Everett’s two-run homer in the first kicked off the scoring, but Mike Just knotted it with a two-RBI single in the second. The Ducks regained the edge a half-inning later, but the Bears went ahead to stay with three in the third. Ramon Castro doubled home two in the fourth to make it a 7-4 contest. The Ducks scored twice in the sixth to cut the deficit to one, but could not get the tying run home.

Cory Willey came out of the pen to escape the sixth inning jam, getting two strikeouts with the tying run at second base to preserve the lead. J.J. Trujillo shut out Long Island over the final two and one-third innings of the ballgame to earn his eighth save of the year. Starter Mike Bumstead (9-5) got the win with five and one-third innings of works, allowing six runs – five earned – on 10 hits. Clint Nageotte (0-3) was dealt the loss, leaving the game after three innings after being struck by a line drive off the bat of Jose Herrera. Nageotte gave up five runs on eights with two strikeouts.

The Ducks continue their series against Newark on Wednesday with a 7:05 p.m. contest. The Citibank Park gates open at 6:05 p.m. Fans unable to attend the game can tune into all the action live via streaming webcast at www.liducks.com, with Mike Solano calling the play-by-play. Tickets to the game and all upcoming Ducks home games are available at the Citibank Park Box Office, by calling (631) 940-TIXX, or by logging onto www.liducks.com and clicking on the tickets icon at the top of the page.

The Long Island Ducks play their home games at Citibank Park and are in their ninth season of play in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. For further information, visit www.liducks.com, or call (631) 940-3825.

The Bears took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Second baseman Bobby Hill walked and later scored on an RBI single by shortstop Ramon Castro.

Somerset answered with a run in the bottom of the second inning. Right fielder Ryan Radmanovich doubled and scored on an RBI single by designated hitter Vito Chiaravalloti.

The Patriots took the lead with four runs on three home runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. First baseman Josh Pressley (12) and second baseman Matt Hagen (11) hit back-to-back home runs. After Chiaravalloti singled, center fielder Sean Smith hit a two-run home run (8) for a 5-1 lead.

Somerset extended the lead on a solo home run by third baseman Brandon Larson (14) in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Magrane (3-6) picked up the win, allowing just one earned run on five hits in nine innings. Bears starter Pat Stanley (8-2) suffered the loss, allowing six earned runs on nine hits in six innings pitched.

The 2008 Somerset Patriots season presented by Ford will continue on the road until Wednesday, July 16th when the 2008 Atlantic League All-Star Game takes place at Commerce Bank Ballpark. Tickets are available by stopping by the Patriots Ticket Office located at the ballpark, by calling (908) 252-0700, or on-line at www.somersetpatriots.com.

The Patriots took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Center fielder Sean Smith doubled and scored on an RBI double by shortstop Teuris Olivares.

Somerset scored three runs in the bottom of the third inning. Olivares walked, stole second, and scored on an RBI single by first baseman Josh Pressley. Second baseman Matt Hagen followed with a two-run home run to center (10) for a 4-0 lead.

The Patriots added three runs to the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. Designated hitter David Housel walked and scored on a two-run home run by Smith (7). Left fielder Elliott Ayala then singled and scored on an RBI single by third baseman Brandon Larson for a 7-0 lead.

Newark got on the board with a run in the top of the fifth inning. Third baseman Mike Just walked and scored on an RBI double by center fielder Keith Reed.

The Bears cut the lead to 7-3 with two runs in the top of the sixth inning. Shortstop Ramon Castro reached on an error and first baseman Randall Simon singled. Both runners scored on errors.

Patriots starter Josh Brey (3-0) picked up the win, allowing an earned run on six hits in five innings pitched. Bears starter Frank Gracesqui (0-4) suffered the loss, allowing seven earned runs on eight hits in 3.2 innings pitched.

The 2008 Somerset Patriots season presented by Ford will continue at home with a 6:05 pm on Sunday night against the Newark Bears. The game includes a Post Game Fireworks Show presented by John Maltese Iron Works, Inc. Tickets are available by stopping by the Patriots Ticket Office located at the ballpark, by calling (908) 252-0700, or on-line at www.somersetpatriots.com.

The Patriots took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning. Shortstop Teuris Olivares doubled and scored on an RBI double by third baseman Brandon Larson.

Newark took a 2-1 lead with two runs in the top of the fifth inning. Right fielder Jose Herrera singled and shortstop Ramon Castro doubled to put runners on second and third. Catcher John Pachot followed with a two-run single.

Somerset tied up the game on a solo home run by designated hitter Michael Ryan (13) in the bottom of the fifth inning.

The Bears regained the lead with a run in the top of the seventh inning. Herrera doubled and scored on an RBI single by first baseman Randall Simon for a 3-2 advantage.

Bears starter Jose Garcia (3-2) picked up the win, allowing two earned runs on nine hits in six innings pitched. Patriots starter Brian Adams (5-4) suffered the loss, allowing three earned runs on six hits in six innings pitched. Steven Kent earned his fifth save for Newark with a scoreless inning pitched.

The 2008 Somerset Patriots season presented by Ford will continue at home with a 6:05 pm on Sunday night against the Newark Bears. The game includes a Post Game Fireworks Show presented by John Maltese Iron Works, Inc. Tickets are available by stopping by the Patriots Ticket Office located at the ballpark, by calling (908) 252-0700, or on-line at www.somersetpatriots.com.

The Riversharks took a second-inning lead on a solo homer by left fielder Ron Davenport. Davenport continues to own Bears pitching. He entered the game .556 with two homeruns and nine RBIs from four previous games against Newark. He ended the night 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a run.

Davenport’s second RBI came in the sixth. Down 4-2, Davenport singled to center, scoring centerfielder Nic Jackson.

The Bears’ offense was led by second baseman Bobby Hill, who recorded an RBI on a sac fly in the third and three more bases-clearing double in the fifth.

The series continues tomorrow at 5:05 p.m. Bring your dog out to the park because it’s Dog Days of Summer. Tickets are available online at www.riversharks.com or by calling 1-866-SHARKS-9.

It was a rainy 11:05 AM start for The Bears who earned a quick run in the bottom of the first. Mike Just led off with a single and then stole second and third base. Ramon Castro brought him in with a sacrifice fly to put Newark up 1-0.

Just scored again on a sacrifice fly in the fifth, this one was off the bat of Cory Aldridge. Just was three-for-four on the day, all singles, scoring two runs and swiping two bases as well.

Starter Patrick Stanley (7-1) carried the Bears through the game, dominating the Southern Maryland lineup striking out ten in his 6 1/3 innings of work.

“I brought a good tempo today,” said Stanley. “It was better than I’ve had in the last couple of starts, as a result I was able to keep the ball down, everything was a little sharper, last couple of weeks I was slowing down and my arm was dragging behind me, I got back on track today.”

“He was a lot better today,” said manager Wayne Krenchicki. “And he’s still that type of pitcher where he may lose for a half-inning like he did and then come back and strike out the side and that’s the way he is, but overall it was a real good outing.”

Indeed, in the sixth inning the bases were loaded with no one out and the Blue Crabs had Stanley on the ropes. Stanley reared back and struck out John Ramistella, Curtis Pride and Clinton Johnston in successive fashion to keep Southern Maryland off the board.

In the seventh, a freak occurrence ended Stanley’s outing a little early.

After striking out James Shanks, catcher Scott Knazek casually tossed the ball back to Stanley who just happened to be caught the wrong way and the ball hit Stanley flush in the eye. He was okay after the game, but was taken out of the game at that point as a precaution.

“Yeah, its okay now,” said Stanley. “It burned a little bit at the time, but its fine now.”

Steven Kent (1) came on in the ninth and picked up his first save of the season.

Despite the win, the Bears let a few chances slip by the wayside in the middle innings to get a few more runs across the plate and the bullpen, aside from Kent was a little shaky in this game.

“I don’t know how we got a shutout with nine walks,” said Krenchicki. “And we had some opportunities to put some runs on the board and we weren’t able to get that timely hit and bust the door wide open.”

However, the fact remains that the Bears keep pace with Somerset and remain just one game out of first place. The team will embark on a 12-game road trip beginning with a three-game set in Camden against the Riversharks. Mike Bumstead will take the hill for Newark on Friday night.

Keith Reed created the only Bears run of the game with a solo home run over the centerfield wall in the second inning. It was his sixth of the year and gave the Bears a 1-0 lead.

The Blue Crabs tied the score in the fifth on an Eric Crozier solo home run and then took a 3-1 lead in the sixth with a two-run homer by Curtis Pride.

The Crabs added 2 more runs to increase their lead to 4-1 in the eighth inning. Pride led off the inning with a double and later scored on a long outfield single by Pat Osborn. Osborn then scored on an error by shortstop Ramon Castro.

Osborn rapped a two-RBI single in the top of the ninth to extend the score to 7-1.

Keith Ramsey (1-2) took the win for the Blue Crabs, allowing just one run and three hits over seven innings of work. Despite a solid pitching performance, Bears starter Jose Garcia (2-2) picked up the loss, lasting seven innings and giving up three runs on five hits. He also walked two and struck out five.

The Bear end their series against the Blue Crabs tomorrow morning with an 11:05 game. Pat Stanley (6-1) will take the mound for the Bears, facing Joe Gannon (3-0). For great seats to this or any other Bears home game, call 1-866-55-4BEAR or visit the Bears’ website www.newarkbears.com.

Osborn’s first two RBI were the result of a two-run home run he hit in the first inning to quickly give the Blue Crabs a 2-0 lead.

The 2-0 score held until the fifth inning when Osborn added two more runs to the Blue Crabs’ lead. With two outs and the bases loaded, he rapped a two-RBI single to make the score 4-0.

Ramon Castro put the Bears on board in the bottom of the sixth with a two-run home run to make the score 4-2. The homer was his team-leading ninth of the season.

Osborn collected his fifth RBI of the game in the seventh inning with a shallow right field single to score George Sandel and make the score 5-2.

The Bears tacked on another run in the bottom of the eighth on a Cory Aldridge RBI double, cutting the Blue Crabs’ lead to 5-3.

Jonathan Connolly (1-1) picked up the win, pitching six innings and allowing two runs on four hits. Franklin Gracesqui (0-2) absorbed the loss, giving up four runs and six hits in five innings. Derrick DePriest earned his ninth save of the season by tossing a scoreless ninth inning. None of the Blue Crabs’ pitchers allowed a walk during the game.

The Bears continue their series against the Blue Crabs tomorrow night with a 5:05 game. Jose Garcia (2-1) will take the mound for the Bears, facing Keith Ramsey (0-2). For great seats, call 1-866-55-4BEAR or visit the Bears’ website www.newarkbears.com.

But this time, they found a way to win. After blowing their 3-0 lead, John Pachot’s tenth-inning infield single won the game for Newark by the score of 4-3.

The Bears got on the board early when Jose Herrera launched a two run shot over the right field wall to give them an early advantage.

For most of the evening, starter Benito Baez was the story. Baez faced the minimum through three innings until he allowed back-to-back walks in the fourth, but he was able to strike out Jeremy Owens to end the threat. From there on, he retired nine more in a row.

Baez carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning, but saw it broken up by a ball that traveled about 20 feet from home plate, very similar to the hit that New York Mets starting pitcher John Maine gave up last September against the Florida Marlins that broke up his no-hit bid.

At that point, Baez had two runners on and then gave up a single to shortstop George Sandel which brought in both runners. The lead was cut to just one at 3-2.

J.J. Trujillo came on to get the final out of the inning and pitch the ninth, but four Southern Maryland hits off him and Cory Willey tied the game at 3. Ramon Nivar’s spectacular unassisted double play ended that frame and sent the game into extras.

Herrera and Cory Aldridge started the bottom of the tenth with singles and were sacrificed to second and third by Keith Reed. The order came from the dugout to intentionally walk Randall Simon to load up the bases. After Gerard Haran popped out to the first baseman, Pachot came up and hit a slow grounder that died very quickly in the infield. Third baseman Pat Osborn bare-handed the ball and threw to first, but he wasn’t in time. Pachot ripped his batting helmet off in celebration and the Bears swarmed the field to congratulate him.

However, for his second straight outing, Baez had another gem of a start wasted. He went 7 2/3 innings giving up just two hits and two runs while striking out seven, but did not factor in the decision.

“He threw outstanding tonight,” said manager Wayne Krenchicki. “They got a couple of cheap hits on him and then their shortstop put some solid contact on the ball to get them back in the game. That’s a scrappy team that comes to play every night and they didn’t give up.”

Edwin Almonte (3-2) came on in the ninth with one out to get Newark out of their jam and pitched a scoreless tenth for the win. He has excelled in sticky situations this year with inherited runners on base and was able to help his club once more.

Frank Gracesqui (0-1) takes the hill for Newark tomorrow evening at Riverfront Stadium. He will face off against Jonathan Connolly (0-1).

Bumstead (6-5) pitched a season-high eight innings, giving up just four hits and one run. He struck out four and for the first time in twelve starts, he did not walk a batter. Cory Willey relieved Bumstead in the ninth but after recording two outs, he surrendered an RBI single to Ron Davenport to make the score 5-2. JJ Trujillo collected his sixth save of the season by striking out Richard Lewis to end the game.

Both teams scored early and were tied 1-1 at the end of the first inning. Gary Cates hit a lead off single and later scored on a sacrifice fly by LJ Biernbaum to put the Riversharks ahead. Then with two outs in the bottom of the inning, Cory Aldridge smacked an RBI single to even the score. This season, Aldridge is batting .556 with two outs and runners in scoring position.

With one out and the bases loaded in the fourth inning, Ramon Castro hit a 2-RBI single to put the Bears ahead 3-1. The Bears added two runs to their lead in the seventh on a double by Keith Reed to make the score 5-1.

Riversharks starter Chris Young (4-4) absorbed the loss, lasting six and one-third innings, and giving up five runs – four earned – with nine hits.

The Bears start a four-game series against the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs tomorrow night with 7:05 game. Benito Baez (3-2) will take the mound for the Bears, facing Chris Gale (2-3). For great seats to this or any other Bears home game, call 1-866-55-4BEAR or visit the Bears’ website www.newarkbears.com.

Phillips went 2-4 with two home runs and collected four RBI on the night. His three-run shot in the third inning gave the ‘Sharks an early 3-0 lead.

The Bears got on board in the bottom of the fourth. Cory Aldridge reached base with a lead off walk, and he eventually scored on an RBI single by Gerard Haran to make the score 3-1. An RBI double by Ramon Castro in the fifth inning cut the Riversharks lead to 3-2. Castro went 3-5 on the evening with two singles, a double, and collecting one RBI.

With the bases loaded in the top of the sixth, Bears reliever Steve Kent walked in two runs to extend the ‘Sharks lead to 5-2.

The Bears struck again the bottom of sixth, scoring one run on an RBI double by Haran, but Phillips hit his second home run of the game to give the Riversharks a 6-3 lead. The ‘Sharks scored once more in the eighth to create the 7-3 ¬¬¬¬final score.

The Riversharks’ Ryan Drese (6-1) picked up the win, pitching six innings and giving up three runs on nine hits. Bears starter Pat Stanley (6-1) absorbed the loss, giving up five runs on five hits in five innings of work. He also walked three and struck out six batters.

The Bears finish their four-game series against the Riversharks tomorrow afternoon with a 1:35 game. Mike Bumstead (5-5) will take the mound for the Bears, facing ‘Sharks starter Chris Young (4-3). For great seats to this or any other Bears home game, call 1-866-55-4BEAR or visit the Bears’ website www.newarkbears.com.

It is not known what was said amongst the players, but they responded by crushing the Camden Riversharks 10-1 on Friday night at Riverfront Stadium.

The Bears offense came on in the early innings. Newark picked up two quick runs on a sacrifice fly by Keith Reed and an RBI-single by Randall Simon.

They opened the floodgates with a seven-run third inning which Vic Gutierrez got started with a double down the left field line. Mike Just followed with a walk and then the RBI carousel began. Ramon Castro and Jose Herrera both plated runs with RBI base hits. Both of them came home when Cory Aldridge slammed his ninth home run of the year over the left-center field wall. Val Majewski reached on a single and then Keith Reed launched a two-run shot to right field giving the Bears a healthy 9-0 lead.

John Pachot added an RBI-single in the fifth inning to close out the scoring for the Bears.

It was pretty smooth sailing for Jose Garcia (2-1), Newark’s starting pitcher for the evening. Garcia picked up the win and kept the Camden lineup quiet, yielding just six hits and one run over seven innings of work. Garcia was very aggressive, throwing first-pitch strikes to 20 of the 27 batters he faced. He was also hitting his targets well, throwing 76 of his 107 pitches for strikes.

“Well, we feel Garcia is capable of doing that every time,” said manager Wayne Krenchicki. “He was aggressive and I’ve been trying to pound that into our pitchers. We’ve been giving up a lot of runs lately and they’ve been constantly pitching into 2-0, 3-0 and 3-1 counts and we can’t have that.”

Cory Willey finished the final two innings for Newark and gave up just one hit.

Camden’s one run was a solo home run by L.J. Biernbaum which led-off the sixth inning. It was Garcia’s only mistake in an otherwise outstanding performance.

It was an all-around effort for the Newark Bears offense. Six different hitters contributed RBIs, led by Aldridge and Reed who picked up three RBIs apiece.

After the game, there was a special moment when reliever Rich Scalamandre proposed to his girlfriend on the field with all the Newark players and coaches staying in the dugout to watch after the team celebrated their win. It was a sweet sight for all those in attendance and it perfectly capped off a big night in Newark for a team that really needed a big win.

Notes: Their seven run third inning tied a season high. They previously achieved this on April 29th during the fourth inning against the Bridgeport Bluefish. The time of the game was a very brisk two hours and eleven minutes. Attendance was 4,256.

The Riversharks opened the scoring in the top of the first on back-to-back RBI doubles by L.J. Biernbaum and Richard Lewis.

The Bears got the bottom frame off well when Mike Just singled and stole second. He went to third on a base hit by Ramon Castro. Jose Herrera grounded into a double play, but Just was able to score to cut the lead in half.

Unfortunately for the Bears, starter Frank Gracesqui (0-1) could not settle down and was pulled after three innings. He gave up six hits, but they were all for extra bases including a Ron Davenport solo home run.

Carlos Mirabal didn’t fare any better in the fourth. He gave up six hits including back-to-back home runs by Jason Phillips and Biernbaum. The deficit was 12-1 after four innings of play.

Double plays were a large part of the problem for the Bears offense. Newark grounded into four of them on the evening, each one killing a rally that they desperately needed. Jose Herrera was a guilty party twice, grounding into 4-6-3 double plays in the first and sixth innings.

Camden had another big inning in the seventh, highlighted by Davenport’s second home run of the game, a three-run shot off Rich Scalamandre. Davenport went 5-for-5 and had seven RBIs on the night. He was a big catalyst in the Rivershark offense, igniting them at key times in the ball game.

Newark was long out of the game at this point, but they battled and picked up some runs in the late innings. Val Majewski and Castro each hit home runs to help Newark close the gap a bit to 17-6.

Majewski continues to shine bright for a Newark club that has leveled off a bit in the past couple of weeks. After dropping a tough series two-out-of-three to the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, this was not the way the Bears intended to start their home-stand.

Despite his .365 batting average with eight home runs and 47 RBIs, he says he hasn’t heard from any major league clubs as of yet.

“I’m just playing the best I can here,” said Majewski. “You can’t decide where you go, I don’t have control over that decision, it doesn’t work like that.”

Still, it’s difficult to imagine he lasts the entire season with Newark.

Fortunately for the Bears, the Somerset Patriots blew a ninth inning lead against the Bridgeport Bluefish. This allows the Bears to stay in a tie for first place and attempt take sole possession again tomorrow. Jose Garcia will take the mound for Newark against Nate Buttenfield

Benito Baez (2-2) took the loss for Newark, but pitched an absolute gem tossing just 94 pitches in a complete game effort.

“I did my best to give the team a chance to win,” said Baez. “I was able to go all the way, we just fell a little short, I can’t complain about it.”

“We’ve had some bad starts from our starters,” said manager Wayne Krenchicki. “So it was a shame we had to waste this one by running into another pitcher that threw as well as our guy. It’s something you can’t control, but when you get an outing like that you like to win.”

From start to finish there were great defensive plays in the field which made the outstanding pitching duel of Baez and Carlos Castillo stand up to look even better.

Mike Just made an incredible sliding stop at third base on a hot line drive, he then got to his feet and was able to throw the runner out.

Ramon Castro did a perfect Derek Jeter impersonation when he back-handed a ball in the hole at shortstop and then leapt in the air as he turned and fired to throw the runner out at first.

In the fifth, P.J. Rose went way up in the air and snagged a hard-hit ball off the bat of Just.

The sixth inning was the only frame to feature runs by either team.

The Ducks broke through in the top of the sixth, scoring two runs on RBI-singles by Dennis Donovan and Kevin Haverbusch.

Newark responded with one of their own in the bottom of the sixth when Bobby Hill hit a solo home run to the opposite field.

However, that would be all. The Bears ability to get the big hit, a hallmark for much of the season, did not show through in this game. The two teams combined for just 13 hits in this game after combining for as many as 27 in a game in their previous series.

Notes: Franklin Gracesqui will make his Bears debut on Saturday. Krenchicki said that he’s thrown up to 80 pitches in simulated games, so he’ll hopefully go five or six innings, but the bullpen is fresh and ready to go just in case.

However, help is on the way in the form of Franklin Gracesqui. The big, six-foot-five left-hander with a live arm is about to be added to Newark’s stable of pitchers.

Gracesqui has been in professional baseball since 1998 as a 21st round pick of the Toronto Blue Jays in that year’s amateur draft.

Since then, the Dominican Republic native posted fairly impressive numbers in the minors. In 362 career minor league innings, his 382 strikeouts stand out as an indicative stat of his pitching style.

He also made it to the majors in 2004 with the Florida Marlins who had claimed in two years prior in the Rule 5 Draft. He earned seven relief appearances with the team and picked up one save. He pitched in Japan last year for the Chunichi Dragons posting a 3-0 record with a 2.35 ERA.

Gracesqui was signed ten days ago, but has been recovering from an emergency appendectomy he had earlier in the spring. This has delayed his debut with the Bears.

After the Bears 10-4 win on Long Island on Saturday night, pitching coach Steve Foucault mentioned that he’d already been on the mound three times. He’d thrown a bullpen session that day and was scheduled for a simulated game on Tuesday in Newark.

“If all goes well and we think he’s ready to face hitters in a real game, we’ll activate him on Friday [at home against Long Island],” said Foucault.

Foucault spoke highly of the 27-year-old’s stuff as well as his pitching motion.

“He’s got a great fastball,” he said. “I’m just guestimating, but he’s throwing between 88 and 90 MPH probably, and he’s got a slider and a change-up that look good too and he’s mechanically pretty sound.”

Gracesqui is already familiar to a couple of Newark Bears. He was teammates with outfielders Keith Reed and Val Majewski during a stint in the Baltimore Orioles organization. He also played in the Dominican League with right fielder Jose Herrera.

Gracesqui is listed as the probable starter for Saturday, June 14th against the Long Island Ducks.

The Ringwood resident will begin his third season pitching in a Bears uniform.

Last season with Newark, Carlos tied for the Bears team lead in wins (8), led the team in games started (21) and innings pitched (133.2); and was third in the league in complete games (2). Mirabal was an integral part of last season’s championship run for the Bears until he was sidelined by a shoulder injury in September.

The product of Fairleigh Dickinson University has had extensive professional baseball experience overseas, with three seasons in Taiwan and six seasons with the Nippon-Ham Fighters of Hokkaido, Japan. His best season came in 2003 with a 16-win campaign for the Fighters.

“We’re excited to welcome Carlos back to the Bears family,” says Assistant General Manager of Baseball Operations Jim Cerny. “He adds a much needed veteran presence to our staff and we look for great things from him the rest of the way.”

The 6’2”, 196 pound pitcher was originally signed as a free agent by the Yankees in 1995. In 1996, he pitched for the Altoona Rail Kings of the now-defunct North Atlantic League before pitching overseas.

Additionally, RHP David Pellegrine has been traded to the Kansas City T-Bones of the Northern League to complete an earlier trade.

Bears ticket information may be obtained by calling 1-866-55-4BEAR and by logging on to the team’s official website, www.newarkbears.com

The offense got on the board quickly in their first turn at bat thanks to Randall Simon’s bases-clearing double off the center field wall. It was part of a four-run first that vaulted the Bears out of the gate.

Mike Bumstead (5-4) threw five innings for the win and pitched well, but couldn’t get deep into the game. Unfortunately, he couldn’t muster up any 1-2-3 innings which elevated his pitch count, but he had the Lancaster hitters off balance during his time in the game.

“Its nice to get strikeouts,” said Bumstead. “But, I’d rather get deeper into the game, get through at least six, but the bullpen came in and did their job and we were able to get the win.”

Indeed, Bumstead struck out ten Barnstormers in his five innings of work.

“I threw quite a bit of sliders,” Bumstead said. “Probably threw too many, but I was able to get ahead with the fastball to set up the slider and it was definitely working today.”

“He was pretty solid today,” said manager Wayne Krenchicki. “He got into trouble with his pitch count, the hitters were fouling off a lot of pitches in their at-bats. We weren’t afraid to use our bullpen since they’re pretty fresh.”

It was a fairly quiet game from there on. Edwin Almonte, Cory Willey and J.J. Trujillo finished out the game with Trujillo picking up his fourth save when he came on in the ninth inning.

Newark scratched out a couple of extra runs as the game went on. Ramon Castro picked up a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning and then an RBI-single in the sixth to add some insurance to the Bears lead.

The win, coupled with a loss by the Somerset Patriots, drew them even for first place in the Freedom Division with Long Island coming to The Den for a three-game weekend series.

“Surely our goal is to win two out of three,” said Krenchicki. “We’ve got some different pitching matchups this time with Baez, who will hopefully be ready to go and Gracesqui on Saturday. I think our matchups will be better this time around.”

The Bears and Ducks square off for game one at 7:05 PM on Friday night at Riverfront Stadium.

Notes: Newark announced before the game that they’ve signed right-handed pitcher Carlos Mirabal. Mirabal was a key cog in last year’s championship team until he was sidelined with an injury in September. David Pellegrine was also traded to the Kansas City T-Bones of the Northern League to complete an earlier trade.

Bears starter Stanley (6-0) earned the win, pitching six and two-thirds innings, giving up four hits, striking out six and walking three. Stanley has won six consecutive starts and in his last three appearances combined, he has pitched 22 and one-third consecutive scoreless innings. Reliever Trujillo tossed a scoreless two and one-third innings and struck out the final three batters to secure the win.

The Bears scored two runs in the bottom of the first to take an early lead. The Bears collected four consecutive base runners to start the inning. Jose Herrera plated second baseman Bobby Hill with an RBI single. Then, with one out, Ramon Castro scored on a fielder’s choice play activated by Cory Aldridge to make the score 2-0.

The Bears added another two runs in the third when Val Majewski smacked a two-out 2-RBI double to give the Bears a 4-0 lead.

The Bears then scored single runs in the fourth and the fifth. In the fourth inning, John Pachot blasted a solo home run over the left field wall, boosting the score to 5-0. The homer was Pachot’s sixth of the season. The Bears made the score 6-0 in the fifth on an RBI single by Randall Simon.

Jose Herrera led the Bears offensively, going 3-4 with three singles.

Paul Thorp (0-1) suffered the loss for the Barnstormers, giving up four runs on seven hits during three innings of work.

The Bears continue their six-game homestand tomorrow with an 11:05 against the Barnstormers. Mike Bumstead (4-4) will take the mound for the Bears, facing Eric Ackerman (0-3). For great seats, call 1-866-55-4BEAR or visit the Bears’ website www.newarkbears.com.

Benito Baez was scheduled to pitch for the Bears, however, he has been battling the injury bug. When he came to the ballpark yesterday, he was stiff and sore and not ready to go.

“He threw fine in his bullpen session two days ago,” said manager Wayne Krenchicki. “But then he came to the park yesterday and he was sore all over, so we decided to make it a bullpen-effort for tonight.”

Rich Scalamandre, normally a reliever, got the call to take the mound. It was his first in six years. He filled in admirably, yielding four runs and five hits in four innings of work.

“It was the first time I started since 2002 at Jamaica College,” said Scalamandre. “I just wanted to try and keep us in the game and with our bullpen a little thin right now, I just wanted to go as long as I could.

For the second straight game, Newark struck quickly, scoring two runs in the top of the first inning when Val Majewski knocked in two runs with a sharp single to center. The hit brought in Bobby Hill and Jose Herrera who had reached via walks.

The third inning saw Randall Simon step up to the plate with two outs and the bases loaded. Simon promptly delivered another hard-hit ball up the middle which scored two more runs.

In the fourth, Mike Just reached with a single to lead-off and then proceeded to steal second. Hill brought him in with a single down the right-field line.

The Ducks fought their way back with three runs in the bottom of the fourth to cut the lead to 5-4. The inning was highlighted by a Carl Everett two-run homer. It was an impressive shot that cleared the 400 feet sign in center field.

Cory Willey (5-0) picked up the win when he came on in the fifth and fired three shutout innings, giving up just one hit and issuing one free pass. It was a difficult situation for Willey to be in, but he provided stability in the crucial middle innings that allowed the Bears to keep and extend the lead.

“It was kind of up in the air,” said Willey. “We all knew we were going to get some time tonight, but I didn’t know if it would be a one-inning deal or more. But, on days like this you just have to be ready to throw as many as you can.”

When Willey came on, the Long Island bats went quiet and the Bears went back to work on offense. Aldridge added RBIs in the sixth and eighth innings to move Newark further ahead.

Randall Simon picked up his third RBI of the game on a solo home run in the ninth. They added two more runs for the final margin of 10-4.

J.J. Trujillo finished the final two innings keeping the Ducks scoreless and picking up the save.

“Everyone pitched great tonight,” said manager Wayne Krenchicki. “And again, we swung the bats, put some runs on the board and that’s what its all about, a team effort.”

Notes: Mike Sweeney is scheduled to pitch the final game of a four-game set in Long Island, the Ducks started is TBA. Pitching help is on the way as Franklin Gracesqui is almost ready to go for the Newark Bears. If everything goes to plan, he will be activated Friday. No word yet as to who will be inactive.

CENTRAL ISLIP, NY – It was a wild one on Long Island in the second of a four-game set between the Ducks and Bears. 17 runs, 26 hits and six errors provided a stark contrast to the previous night’s contest which saw the two teams play a low-scoring, fundamentally sound game. Long Island won this one 9-8.

The Newark Bears’ hit-carousel got started right from the first pitch of the game. Bobby Hill drew a walk to lead-off the game, followed by two singles from Ramon Castro and Jose Herrera. Cory Aldridge brought in the first run of the game on a fielder’s choice. Randall Simon plated two more with a two-run single.

Aldridge knocked in another run in the second, bringing Mike Just around who led-off the frame with a single of his own. Val Majewski then followed Aldridge with an RBI-single of his own making the score 5-0 after two innings.

But, Long Island would claw their way back and got two off of Mike Bumstead in the bottom of the second. Estee Harris ripped a triple down the right field line scoring a run and then he was brought home by a Damian Rolls sacrifice fly.

The Ducks tied the game in the fourth on a base-hit by Jamie Pogue. Estee Harris broke back towards third base on the hit, but then went home and collided with Bumstead en route to the plate. With Pachot up the line fielding the relay throw, no one was at home to cover. That allowed Damian Rolls to score.

Donaldo Mendez came up as the next batter and hit a high two-run homer over the left field fence. Bumstead’s night would end two batters later.

Newark knotted the game at 8 in the top of the sixth inning, taking advantage of two more errors by the Ducks. Hill reached base when first baseman P.J. Rose’s toss to Manny Ulloa was behind him as he broke for the bag. After a Castro single, Herrera brought both of them in with a long double to left-center. Herrera crossed the dish when Keith Reed reached on a groundball that was bobbled by the third baseman Rolls.

Long Island went back ahead on a strange play. Mendez led off the inning with a double and appeared to be picked off of second base. Edwin Almonte threw over to Castro, who was covering second and Mendez broke for third. Castro’s throw to third was off-target and that allowed Mendez to score.

That run was the final score between the two teams. Neither Manny Ulloa nor Mike Bumstead pitched particularly well in their starts and both were gone by the sixth inning.

Almonte was the tough-luck loser while Ryan Knippschild, the losing pitcher in game one, got the win.

But when the Ducks finally produced two strong pitching performances, the lineup picked a poor time to go into a slump. One night after wasting ace Randy Leek’s complete-game effort, the Ducks couldn’t capitalize on Carlos Castillo’s stellar outing, mustering just four hits against Newark’s Patrick Stanley in a 4-0 loss to the Bears at Citibank Park.

Castillo allowed no runs in 5 2/3 innings, looking sharp in his Ducks’ debut. Signed off the waiver wire from Bridgeport the previous day, Castillo surrendered just four hits and walked one, earning the no-decision. The 6-3, 245-pound righty was coming off a two-week respite and said he needed to work his way back into game shape.

“When I was Bridgeport, I hadn’t gotten my rhythm yet. I missed spring training,” Castillo said. “My rhythm was better and I kept us in the ball game. In the sixth inning, I ran out of gas a little bit.”

Robert Sandora caught Castillo and the former White Sox hurler said he developed a rapport with his backstop.

“It was just about making my pitches,” Castillo said. “I got along real good with my catcher; the signs and stuff. I felt comfortable with him and good defense always helps.”

Castillo was overshadowed by Stanley, who struck out 15 batters last month. Stanley wasn’t that dominate last night, though solid defense allowed him to log a complete-game shutout as the Ducks fell to 19-21 and into sole possession of last place, — behind Camden.

The Ducks scored just one run during the previous game, dropping a 3-1 decision despite Leek’s outing. One run in 18 innings left manager Dave LaPoint frustrated. His team hasn’t racked up more than two consecutive wins since May 21.

“I’ve never lost confidence in this team, period,” LaPoint said. “But we do need to put everything together for a little rush. As long as we stay one, two or three games out of first until we start putting it together, then I’m comfortable.”

Ryan Knippschild ensured Castillo of a scoreless ledger, entering a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the sixth. The southpaw induced Val Majewski into an inning-ending double play. Knippschild’s luck ran out when he gave up two straight singles to start the seventh. Ben Grezlovski entered the game following John Pachot’s sacrifice bunt and facilitated a comebacker to the mound for the second out.

Grezlovski couldn’t escape the jam, watching as Bobby Hill lifted a two-out double that landed just over Ray Navarrete’s head in left field, plating Keith Reed and Randall Simon to break open the scoring.

One inning later, Majewski added two insurance runs by turning on a belt-high fastball. As the ball cleared the fence in right, the Bears surged to a four-run lead. Stanley capitalized on the support to improve to 5-0.

“He didn’t make a whole lot of mistakes,” LaPoint said. “He’s got a pitch that no one else in the league has with that overhand curveball, so you’re on the defensive. You don’t get a lot of chances to hit that, so it’s a learning process.”

Just like the previous contest, the Ducks enjoyed chances to ignite a rally. Newark responded by playing highlight-reel defense, punctuated by Keith Reed’s wall-climbing catch in center to rob Kevin Haverbusch of a second-inning home run. Reed jumped over the yellow line in left-center to complete the catch, resulting in one of his 10 putouts.

Stanley finally showed signs of cracking in the sixth. Alex Sanchez singled but was caught stealing. Pete Rose Jr. started a two-out rally, signing and advancing to third when Stanley drilled Carl Everett and walked Navarrete to load the bases.

Up stepped Haverbusch, who worked the count to 2-0 before Newark catcher John Pachot threw down to first and picked off Navarrete to end the threat. Navarrete, the Atlantic League-leader in runs scored, extra base hits and slugging percentage, stated down on the ground and pounded the dirt in frustration.

“Ray’s won a lot more games for us then he’s made mistakes and cost us the game,” LaPoint said. “He’s always an aggressive base-runner but that was not the right time to be fooling around.”

CENTRAL ISLIP, NY  - The Newark Bears have an emerging star in their starting rotation.

Patrick Stanley followed up his dominating 15-strikeout performance of the Lancaster Barnstormers with a four-hit shutout of the Long Island Ducks. Newark took the first game of a four-game set 4-0.

Early on, Long Island starter Carlos Castillo was matching zeros with Stanley, however once he left the game in the fifth inning, the Newark offense was able to strike and Stanley continued to roll on through the end of the game.

“More important than anything he’s finding command with all of his pitches,” said manager Wayne Krenchicki. “Earlier in the year his pitch counts got so high from walking guys and getting behind in the count and he hasn’t done that in his last two starts so he’s getting deeper into games and it saves our bullpen”

Stanley’s outing on Thursday night was in stark contrast to his previous one. He only struck out three batters while inducing more ground balls and getting plenty of fly balls to Keith Reed in center, who had ten put-outs.

“Well, they’re a great team,” said Stanley, referring to the Ducks. “If I had gone out there trying to strike out a bunch of guys, they would’ve done some damage so my goal was just to go out there and throw strikes and force them to put the ball in play and the defense was great behind me. Its great to pitch knowing your defense is playing so well like that.”

Reed made a highlight-reel catch in the second inning which would set the defensive tone for the game. Kevin Haverbusch sent a deep drive to left-center field that appeared to be a home run until Reed climbed the wall and brought the ball back into the park.

“We played solid tonight and overall we’ve been great defensively,” said manager Wayne Krenchicki. “When you have a pitcher who is pitching quick and he’s getting ahead of the hitters it helps your concentration.”

In the sixth inning, each team had a golden opportunity to get the game’s first run, but neither could capitalize on the opportunity.

First, Newark had loaded up the bases on a hit-by-pitch and two singles from the middle of their order, which brought up Val Majewski. However, Majewski hit a hard ground ball right to Brett Abernathy at second who turned the 4-6-3 double play.

In the bottom of the inning, Long Island had all the sacks occupied with two outs and Haverbusch at the plate. However, Ray Navarrete was leading a little too far off of first and Newark catcher John Pachot gunned him out at first base and the inning was over.

The Bears finally broke through in the seventh off of reliever Ben Grezlovski. Keith Reed and Randall Simon started the inning with singles and were bunted over by Pachot. After a groundout, Bobby Hill stepped in and lined a double over Navarrete’s head in left plating both Reed and Simon.

In the eighth inning, Majewski was handed a chance at redemption. After hitting into a double play in his previous at-bat, he would atone for that by hitting a two-run homer deep into the Long Island night to give his team a 4-0 lead. Majewski has experienced a power-surge lately with three home runs in his last four games.

“I don’t want to say I’m doing anything different,” said Majewski. “I think I’ve had the same swing all year, I guess I’m just elevating the ball a little better right now.”

Mike Bumstead takes the mound for Newark on Friday night, he followed Stanley’s last performance with an impressive start of his own.

Notes: It was Stanley’s second career shutout and third complete game of his professional baseball career. His last two complete games have been back-to-back, his last shutout came in 2006 when he pitched for Washington in the Frontier League. Attendance was 5,936.

While with the Bears, Burgamy proved to be a highly versatile member of the team. He started games at five different positions – all the outfield spots, second base, and third base. In his final game with the Bears, Burgamy even spent an inning on the pitcher’s mound, tossing a scoreless ninth inning. Offensively, he was a consistent contributor and until his departure, he had reached base in 28 consecutive games. He had a .265 batting average with six doubles, three home runs, and 14 RBI. His on-base percentage was .420 and he led the team in walks.

“Brian proved himself to be a very valuable part of our club in the first five weeks of the season, and we are very happy that he has earned another opportunity with an affiliated organization,” said Assistant General Manager of Baseball Operations Jim Cerny. “We wish him much success with the New York Mets organization.”

Burgamy will be reporting to the St. Lucie Mets, the Single-A affiliate of the New York Mets.

The Bears return home on June 10th for a six-game home stand against the Lancaster Barnstormers and Long Island Ducks. For great seats, call 1-866-55-4BEAR or visit the Bears website www.newarkbears.com.

The four-run seventh inning wiped out the Bears’ 3-0 lead, which they had grabbed in the bottom of the sixth on Keith Reed’s two-out three-run home run. The homer was Reed’s second of the season.

The lead would not last long for Newark as the Bluefish loaded the bases to start the seventh inning. Alex Prieto singled home the first run across the plate, which set up Ezi’s bases-clearing double to left-center field that gave the Bluefish a 4-3 lead.

The Bluefish nearly scored the first run in the top of the third inning when Ezi attempted to score from second base on a Henry Mateo single. However, right fielder Jose Herrera launched a throw from the outfield to catcher Scott Knazek, who tagged Ezi for the out.

Both Ramon Castro and Reed went 2-4 in the game, and Reed collected three RBI from his home run.

Bears starter Matt Sweeney (1-4) held the Bluefish scoreless for six innings but then gave up four runs in the seventh to take the loss. He allowed ten hits over six innings of work, struck out three and walked one. Eric Dubose (1-2) earned the win for the Bluefish, giving up three runs on four hits in six innings. The Bridgeport bullpen of Jeff Tam, Eddy Ramos, and Wes Wilkerson retired all nine batters they faced. Wilkerson earned his eighth save of the season, retiring the Bears in order to end the game.

The Bears finish their three-game series against the Bluefish tomorrow with an 11:05 am game. Jose Garcia (0-0) will take the mound for the Bears, facing Matt Pike (3-1). For great tickets to this or any other Bears home game, call 1-866-55-4BEAR or visit the Bears website www.newarkbears.com .

Bridgeport took an early 3-0 lead in the second inning when Jesse Hoorelbeke led-off with a home run. Starter David Pellegrine then hit Ryan Bear and allowed a double to Branden Florence. Travis Ezi’s double to center field brought home Bear and Florence was called safe on a very close play at the plate.

The Bears fought back with two runs of their own in the bottom of the frame. Cory Aldridge and Val Majewski hit back-to-back solo home runs to cut the lead to 3-2.

Newark took the lead in the following inning. Bobby Hill led off with a single and Ramon Castro followed him with a walk. Jose Herrera’s base-hit up the middle plated Hill and Majewski came up and knocked in Castro to give the Bears a 4-3 lead.

Bridgeport re-tied the game in the fourth when Alex Prieto, who was on second with a double, came in on a Henry Mateo single.

After loading up the bases in the fifth with no one out, Pellegrine was lifted in favor of Cory Willey. After giving up a run-scoring single, Willey was able to induce a short fly-out and then a double play to escape further damage.

Hoorelbeke struck again in the sixth inning, hitting his second home run of the game, another solo shot, giving Bridgeport a 6-4 lead.

Bridgeport starter Rafael Bergstom settled down after a rough first couple of innings to pick up the win. He kept the Newark lineup off-balance in the second-half of his outing.

“The last time we faced him [Bergstom] it was the same thing,” said manager Wayne Krenchicki. “We scored some early runs and then he settled down and threw a lot of change-ups and we didn’t do anything against after we scored early.”

The Bears were unable to re-gain any ground. Newark got a runner into scoring position in each of the sixth, seventh and eighth innings, but couldn’t find the hit to bring the runner home.

A lead-off walk in the ninth by Castro was erased by a double play and then a two-out single by Aldridge when to waste with a game-ending groundout.

“You have to give a lot of credit to the pitching tonight,” said Krenchicki. “We have been very good with runners in scoring position and runners in scoring position with two outs, so you have to give their staff credit.”

Notes: The Bears lost for just the fifth time at home this season. They are 13-5 at Riverfront Stadium, while just 9-9 on the road. With his 2-for-4 night, Aldridge is now hitting exactly .400 on the season. He is 56-for-140 with six home runs and 35 RBIs. His batting average and RBI total lead the Atlantic League. Hoorelbeke’s two home runs gave him nine on the season, also an Atlantic League leader.

Bumstead shut out the Barnstormers while yielding just two hits and two walks, ringing up nine strikeouts as well. He improved to 4-4 on the season, though he has been excellent in his last few outings, he’s been victimized by some bad luck, but none of that on this day.

“I felt pretty good today, I just went out there trying to throw strikes,” said Bumstead. “I made a couple of bad plays in the field myself, but we played good defense out there afterwards and I was able to battle back and I was fortunate enough to come away with a good performance.”

Bumstead carried a no-hitter through 4 2/3 innings, having it broken up by Michael Woods, who it a double to left-center.

“I’d like to say I didn’t notice, but, when you pitch, you know what you’re doing,” said Bumstead. “I’d have loved to get the no-hitter, but they’re rare, I’d rather just go out there and get a strong performance and come away with a win.”

Once again, the Newark Bears hitters provided some offensive fireworks of their own, paving the way for their starting pitcher.

Val Majewski continued his torrid streak by going 4-for-5, including a solo home run in the first inning to kick-start the offense.

Randall Simon’s resurgence continued with RBI-singles in the third and fifth inning. Simon went 3-for-4 and has raised his batting average nearly fifty points since returning from a shoulder injury.

Designated Hitter Gerard Haran blew the game wide-open in the bottom of the fifth with an impressive three-run homer that cleared the center field wall with plenty of room to spare. The young utility player has been a pleasant surprise playing in spot-situations for the Bears.

Cory Aldridge also picked up two more RBIs to extend his Atlantic League-leading total to 34 and raised his batting average to .397.

However, for the second straight day, this poweful offense to a back seat to another fantastic pitching peformance.

“It’s been real big for us,” said manager Wayne Krenchicki. “To follow up Stanley like that and he had nine punchouts himself, it was huge, especially after the extra innings two nights ago and being a little short in the pen right now.”

Next up for the Newark Bears are the Bridgeport Bluefish, who come to Riverfront Stadium for a three-game set starting Monday. Game one will pit Bridgeport’s Rafael Bergstom against Newark’s David Pellegrine.

Notes: In the three game series with Lancaster, a Bears pitcher recorded a strike out in each of the final 20 innings, dating back to the eighth inning of game one on Friday night. Bumstead is the only pitcher in the Atlantic League to receive a decision in all of his starts (minimum four starts).

Stanley went the distance for the Bears, impressively striking out 15 hitters along the way, setting a new club record and falling just one strikeout short of the Atlantic League record set by Ray Davis of the Somerset Patriots.

“I thought I kept a lot of pitches down tonight,” said Stanley. “The slider I felt was working great so that helped with the strikeouts and the fastball was staying down, I was able to force them to put the ball in play.”

Stanley’s family was also on hand tonight, making the performance even sweeter for him. The native of Lakewood, N.J. had a crowd of his parents, brothers and nephews and some friends as well at The Den to witness his pitching feat.

“It feels great, you know,” Stanley said. “I’m just glad to be here where my family can see me, I’ve always played far away, so it’s great they can come up and see me.”

Stanley had the Barnstormers off-balance all night long. He started off hot, fanning five batters in the first two innings and he had set down ten hitters on strikes at the end of five innings. Stanley then struck out one batter in each of the next three innings before ringing up two more in his final frame. He was still strong at the end of his 135-pitch night. His only real blemish was a solo home run he yielded in the third inning to Lancaster catcher Lance Burkhart.

The ever-reliable Bears offense provided plenty of run-support for Stanley to chase the record.

Newark picked up four runs in the bottom of the first. Val Majewski knocked in two runs with a long double to left-center field, and then Randall Simon plated two runs of his own by doubling off the 365 feet sign in right-center, missing a home run by just a few feet.

The Bears picked up one more run in the second inning on an RBI-single by Ramon Castro. Cory Aldridge further padded the lead with his Atlantic League-leading 32nd RBI in the bottom of the eighth inning.

But, the night belonged to Stanley, whose performance also helped a bullpen that is a little short on arms due to injuries.

“We were just hoping for six or seven innings to ensure that our bullpen would be sharp for the next couple days,” said manager Wayne Krenchicki. “But a complete game and 15 strikeouts is just a huge lift for us.”

Indeed, spirits were high in the locker room after the game. The atmosphere was a lively one as all the Bears were offering their congratulations to Stanley. As reliever Rich Scalamandre headed off towards the shower he remarked “here’s the guy you want to talk to tonight,” while pointing towards the 6’7 right-hander. That really summed up the evening.

Notes: Newark’s previous record-holder was Brian Givens, who struck out 14 batters on July 2nd, 1998 against Somerset. Stanley’s complete game was the second of his career. His first came in 2006 while pitching for Washington in the Frontier League.

Newark started off the game with an early run as Cory Aldridge extended his hitting streak to 17 games with a single to left field that drove in Ramon Castro to give the Bears a 1-0 lead after the first inning.

Lancaster took the lead in the next inning when Jutt Hileman hit a two-run homer over the left field fence.

In the fourth, Aldridge doubled to lead off the inning and set up a two-run shot towards the scoreboard in right field by Rutgers product Val Majewski, his second long ball of the season, that allowed the Bears to re-take the lead. Randall Simon followed with a single to centerfield and scored on John Pachot’s fifth home run of the year to give the Bears a 5-2 advantage.

Lloyd Turner countered with a solo home run on the first pitch of the fifth inning to put Lancaster within two runs. They added another run after a delayed double steal allowed Juan Francia to score and earn a steal of home plate.

The Bears got those runs back in the sixth inning after Pachot’s ground out with runners on the corners scored Majewski. Mike Just gave the Bears their three-run lead back with a double down the left field line to send home Simon, making the score 7-4 Bears.

Allowing four runs on four hits in his first start since taking the ball in last season’s Atlantic League Championship Game Four clincher for the Bears, Jose Garcia was pulled after six innings for Edwin Almonte, who struggled through the seventh and gave away the lead to Lancaster, capped off by Hileman’s second home run of the game, a three-run blast that gave the Barnstormers an 8-7 lead into the seventh inning stretch.

In the bottom of the ninth, the Bears started their comeback with a single by Just to right field. Brian Burgamy then bunted down the first base line, and forced a throwing error by Manny Meija which resulted in Just being awarded home plate for the tying run. The decision brought about an argument by Barnstormers manager Von Hayes, who was tossed from the game.

After Hayes’ ejection, Castro lined out to first. Jose Herrera came up and hit a single to center field. Burgamy was thrown out at home plate and Herrera was also thrown out trying to get to second base. Herrera’s hit prolonged his hitting streak to 20 games.

J.J. Trujillo came in relief for the Bears in the tenth inning and pitched two scoreless innings of relief until he gave up the leadoff home run in the 12th to Ball, giving the Barnstormers a 9-8 lead.

Lefty Eric Ackerman came in for the save in the bottom of the inning, and the Bears were able to get a runner to third in Castro, but Aldridge struck out to end the game, giving Ackerman his first save of the season.

Jose Cabrera (1-0) earned the victory for Lancaster, while Trujillo (1-2) was saddled with the loss. Pachot led Newark with three runs batted in, while Hileman knocked in five runs for Lancaster.

The Newark Bears return to action against the Barnstormers at Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium tomorrow night. Pat Stanley (3-0, 4.06) is scheduled to start for the Bears, with the first pitch scheduled for 6:05 p.m. Tickets for the game are still available at the Bears box office, online at www.newarkbears.com, or by calling 1-866-55-4-BEAR.

Newark starter Matt Sweeney cruised through most of the game, scattering Bluefish hits over his first seven innings. The Bluefish bats finally put together a string of runners together when Sweeney walked the first two men in the eighth before being relieved by Rich Scalamandre. Luis Lopez drove in his 24th and 25th runs on the season off Scalamandre to tie the game at three. The Bluefish infielder crossed the plate on a Calvin Pickering sacrifice fly to make the game 4-3. Scalamandre is charged with the loss going .1 innings with one hit and one walk while allowing the go-ahead run to score.

Sweeney finished with seven plus innings, allowing three runs on six hits with four walks and two strikeouts.

Eric DuBose put together a nice start with just two bad pitches leading to his three runs allowed. The Bluefish southpaw went 7.1 innings allowing six hits with five walks and five strikeouts. Jeff Tam got out of a bases loaded jam in the top of the eighth to earn the win. Wes Wilkerson gave up two hits in the ninth but was able to get Cory Aldridge, who homered earlier, to fly out to earn his sixth save of the season.

Travis Ezi got things started for Bridgeport leading off the game with a triple and scoring two runs with one steal. Bears shortstop Ramon Castro continued to dominate Bluefish pitching with his third home run in the series only three pitches into the contest. Aldridge and Jose Herrera both extended their hit streaks to a staggering 19 games.

The Bluefish welcome the Camden Riversharks to town for a three-game weekend series. Matt Pike makes his third start of the season on Friday for the ‘Fish opposed by Darren Sack of Camden.

The Bridgeport bats were quiet all night with just four hits over their first six innings. Rafael Bergstrom threw his strongest outing since his first start of the season, going seven innings and allowing two runs on six hits with four walks and five strikeouts. He was on the hook for the loss until his offense came alive in the seventh. Travis Ezi drove in Shea Harris on his first RBI single as a Bluefish and later scored on a throwing error by Newark catcher John Pachot.

The two teams traded runs in the eighth to keep the game tied. Randall Simon’s RBI single off Bluefish relief pitcher Franklin Perez made the game 3-2, but Alex Prieto answered right back with his own RBI single in the bottom of the inning. In the end the Bears tacked on that one extra run the Bluefish could not answer when Castro drilled Bentz’s pitch over the left field wall. The Bears infielder finished the game two-for-four with the homer and two runs scored. J.J. Trujillo worked 1.1 innings in relief for the win despite allowing the tying run to score in the eighth. Bentz gets the loss with one run on three hits in the ninth.

Bridgeport’s Branden Florence and Brian Munhall both had their extensive hit streaks snapped while Jose Herrera and Cory Aldridge of Newark both extended their hitting streaks to 18 games each. Herrera finished the night three-for-five with a triple, an RBI, a stolen base, and a run. Harris recorded his second multi-hit game with the Bluefish this season, going two-for-four with a double and a run.

The Bluefish look for a series split in the finale tomorrow night. Tim Drew will take the mound for Bridgeport to face Matt Sweeney.

Bumstead, who at one point in the game retired 11 batters in a row, came into the seventh inning with a 4-3 lead. He was pulled in favor of Edwin Almonte after loading the bases for one of the league’s leading hitters in Luis Lopez. Almonte was unable to keep the lead intact as a wild pitch and a Lopez sacrifice fly gave Bridgeport their first lead of the day. Bumstead (3-4) finished going 6.1 innings allowing six hits and five runs (two earned) while walking two and striking out two.

Hertzler settled down after his first two innings of work and lasted into the eighth. T.J. Tucker came on in relief after Hertzler allowed the tying run to reach third base with one out. After an intentional walk Tucker struck out back-to-back hitters to work out of the jam. Hertzler (2-2) picks up the win going 7.1 innings and allowing four runs on nine hits while striking out three and walking one. Wes Wilkerson worked a perfect ninth for his fifth save of the season.

Lopez drove in two runs on the day on two sacrifice flies and a walk. Branden Florence and Brian Munhall both extended their hitting streaks on the day, 12 and 9 games respectively. Florence went 2-3 with an RBI while Munhall went 1-4 with a double. Calvin Pickering added the only other multi-hit game for Bridgeport, going 2-4 with an RBI.

Mike Just went three-for-four in the nine spot for Newark with a run and a stolen base while each of the first four hitters in the Bears lineup had an RBI a piece.

The Bluefish improve to 15-16 on the season and will continue and will continue their four-game set with the Bears tomorrow. Rafael Bergstrom, hot off his first career Atlantic League win, will take the mound for the Bluefish opposed by Benito Baez of Newark.

The Bluefish 6-5 lead was erased by three runs in the seventh and four more in the eighth, capped by a two-run homer by Val Majewksi. Majewski was 2-4 on the night with three RBIs and a run. Ramon Castro and Brian Burgamy also added two hits adna home run a piece on the evening.

The Bluefish bats were quiet until the fourth inning when they sent nine men to the plate and scored five runs. Calvin Pickering and Brian Munhall both cranked two-run shots in the inning to contribute. Munhall and Luis Lopez notched the only multi-hit performances for Bridgeport with two base knocks each.

Matt Pike took advantage of his second spot start and pitched well. The righty went 5.1 innings and allowed four runs on seven hits with four walks and a strikeout. Jeff Tam (0-1) helped Pike get out of a bases loaded jam with an inning ending double play in the sixth but then gave the lead back to the Bears in the following inning to take the loss. Pat Stanley (3-0) worked the win for Newark, going six innings and allowing eight hits and six runs (five earned) while walking three and striking out six.

Bridgeport will try to rebound with game two of four tomorrow night. Barry Hertzler will head to the hill for the Bluefish and will be opposed by Mike Bumstead.

The game itself was a wild one, starting with both offenses lighting up the scoreboard.

The Bears jumped all over Somerset starter Brian Adams. Bobby Hill got the offense rolling with a single and he was followed by Ramon Castro sending a sizzling shot to Teuris Olivares at shortstop. It was ruled an error and the Bears had two men aboard with one out. Cory Aldridge continued his hot hitting, delivering an RBI single. Val Majewski batted in a run with a double later in the inning and John Pachot knocked in two runs with a single. Newark was up 5-0 after the opening frame.

Majewski went five-for-six in the game and fell a home run short of the cycle, which he nearly accomplished in the eleventh inning, falling just a few feet short in right-center field.

“I don’t know, I mean, I knew I hit the ball pretty high up in the air,” said Majewski when asked about his eleventh inning bid. “So I wasn’t sure it had the distance, maybe earlier in the day when it was gustier out there it might have gone.”

Sean Smith’s solo home run in the top of the third made the game 5-1, but Newark posted three more runs on triples by Jose Herrera and Majewski, whom was knocked in by Pachot once again, giving the Bears an 8-1 lead.

The Patriots got back to 8-3 on a two-RBI double by Elliot Ayala in the top of the fourth. Vito Chiaravalotti reached on an error and Jason Belcher singled to put runners in position for Ayala who ripped a line drive down the left-field line.

The Patriots continued to chip away and eventually caught up. Starting pitcher Benito Baez began the top of the fifth by walking Gera Alvarez and Michael Ryan. Two singles and a wild pitch brought them in to make it 8-5. After Baez got two outs, he had almost worked himself out of the jam when Jason Belcher launched a three-run homer to right-center field to tie the game at 8.

“Its disheartening to have your biggest rival down 8-1 and they come back,” said manager Wayne Krenchicki. “You need to score more runs and we need to go out there and stop them from scoring and we didn’t do that. But we did win and its an important ‘W’”

From there on, it was a tightly-contested game featuring a battle of the bullpens.

Edwin Almonte came on in the seventh and tossed three scoreless frames, giving up just two hits and striking out four. Al Levine followed with two shutout innings of his own and Rich Scalamandre finished it off and picked up his second win of the season in his one inning of work.

Eddie Cahill and Travis Minnix were equal to the task, keeping the powerful Newark offense off the scoreboard for four innings. Frank Brooks took the loss for Somerset and fell to 2-1.

There were a few close calls later on in the game. In the seventh, the Bears had the bases loaded with no one out, but were unable to bring anyone in. Castro and Cory Aldridge drew one-out walks in the eighth, but again could not capitalize.

On the Somerset side, Alvarez grounded into a costly double play in the top of the eighth inning with Belcher on third base. They had small rallies in the ninth and tenth inning but were turned aside each time by the Bears.

Then in the 12th, after ripping a long foul ball, Castro got a second opportunity and parked one into the netting in left field to win the game.

“I was thinking about that [homering after hitting the foul ball] but they just kept pitching me inside, inside, inside,” said Castro. “So I knew that and I was able to make good contact and it went out.”

Notes: Herrera’s triple gave him three triples in three games. Castro is now tied for the team lead in home runs despite only playing in ten games so far this season. Somerset starter Adams now only has four career Atlantic League losses and three of them have come from the Bears. Attendance was 2,378.

“We’re playing really well right now,” said Wayne Krenchicki. “We made a couple of mistakes defensively which we’ll have to make adjustments on, but the hitting and pitching are coming along very well.”

With an electric crowd filling up Riverfront Stadium and roaring in support of their home team, it would be the Revolution who would strike first. Keoni De Renne sent an offering from Michael Bumstead over the right-field wall for a home run in the top of the first inning.

York starter Corey Thurman was cruising along retiring the first eight Newark hitters that he faced. Then in the bottom of the third, catcher John Pachot smashed a home run down the left field line. It was his second in the last two days and third on the season.

Luis Taveras’s one-out double in the top of the fourth led to a run for the Revolution. Taveras made it home on a throwing error by third baseman Brian Burgamy. But Kevin Kotch, who hit the grounder to third, was thrown out trying to take second base on the play. Despite two singles by Enrique Cruz and Kazunori Tanaka, the Bears were able to escape down by one run.

The Bears went back ahead in the bottom of the fifth inning when Randall Simon and Val Majewski started the frame with back-to-back singles. Pachot sacrificed them over to second and third and then Simon scored on a very wild pitch by Thurman. Burgamy brought Majewski in with a double down the right field line to give Newark the 3-2 lead.

The see-saw battle continued in the top of the sixth. Bumstead got into a little more trouble after walking Jason Aspito and yielding a single to Taveras. Kotch tried to bunt them over, but Bumstead got the lead runner out at third. After striking out Cruz, he walked Tanaka and an infield single brought in Taveras. Bumstead struck out De Renne to avoid further damage and the game was left knotted at 3.

“Its frustrating when you get into those jams,” said Bumstead. “They’re tough circumstances but you have to pitch through them and we were able to make the plays when we needed to.”

As usual, the Bears offense had an answer. Cory Aldridge smoked an opposite field line drive over the bullpen gate in left to put Newark back ahead. Aldridge’s third home run of the year re-tied Pachot for the team lead who homered earlier in the game.

Little by little, the Bears broke the game open.

Newark tacked on a couple on insurance runs in their next turn at bat. An RBI single by Ramon Castro followed by a triple by Jose Herrera brought in another run to give Newark a 6-3 lead through seven.

“We’ve really swung the bat well with runners in scoring position throughout this whole streak,” said Krenchicki. “We’re getting runners on and getting big hits.”

The Bears extended the lead to 8-3 on a two-RBI double by Majewski, who continues to knock in runs at a high rate for Newark. The scoring play was set up by a lead-off single by Keith Reed followed by reliever Matt Trent issuing a free pass to Simon.

Majewski came in to score on a wild throw by the Revolution third baseman De Renne. With Pachot on first Ramon Castro ripped a double into the right-center field gap to make it 10-3.

Notes: Herrera left the game after fouling a pitch off of his right calf muscle in the eighth inning. He had ice wrapped around it after the game but said he would be fine and that it was just a little stiff. The Bears have run their record to 16-9 and are 1.5 games ahead of the Somerset Patriots in the Freedom Division. Newark and Somerset will square off in a three-game set this weekend.

Cunnane, who has battled some elbow problems in the early going, pitched five innings giving up two runs and striking out three, tossing what he called his “best performance of the season.”

“I’ve been dealing with some elbow issues,” said Cunnane. “You know, you have two years off and something is going to happen, although I thought it would be my shoulder. I’ve gotten much more bite on the ball than the last two or three starts.”

The 34-year-old veteran could have possibly gone a little longer into the game. However, a few tough chances in the field extended a couple of innings. Twice the Bears had a chance to turn a double play but came up just short. Still, it was an encouraging sign for Cunnane.

“It was all fastball and changeup, because the curveball has been hurting my elbow,” Cunnane said. “I toss in a rinky-dink slider every now and then just to change things up a little.”

Newark was in control of the game from start to finish. Ramon Castro put the Bears up 2-0 with a solo shot in the top of the third inning.

Even when York tied the game at two on a double by Matt Dryer, it seemed inevitable that the Bears offense would come storming back as they have during their seven-game winning streak.

That prophecy became fulfilled in the top of the fifth when the floodgates began to open up for Newark.

Cory Aldridge got the hit carousel rotating when he doubled in Jose Herrera from first base for his team-leading 21st RBI. Keith Reed followed with a walk and that set the stage for Simon’s towering three-run homer to right field which broke the game wide open. Val Majewski came up next and singled and then he was plated by catcher Scott Knazek when he doubled down the right field line. One batter later, Bobby Hill came up and knocked in Knazek with a double of his own.

Majewski and Mike Just picked up RBI singles in the bottom of the sixth to further the lead to 10-2.

From a pitching standpoint, Corey Willey and Rich Scalamandre tossed scoreless frames to finish off the game for the Bears. It was a solid all-around effort for Newark who has stormed into first place in the Freedom Division of the Atlantic League.

“Its three doubleheaders in a row now and I don’t know, it’s pretty hard to sweep doubleheaders,” said Wayne Krenchicki. “We’ve been fortunate to go out and play well in the first game and that gives us a chance to win the second one. The starting pitching is definitely coming around from where it was earlier in the year.”

Notes: Cunnane improved to 2-0 on the season with the win he picked up tonight. Attendance for the doubleheader was 1,736. Newark finishes their four-game set with York Thursday morning at 11:05 AM. Mike Bumstead takes the mound against Corey Thurman.

Aldridge has taken his .411 batting average into the cleanup spot and leads the team with 20 RBIs, including the two he picked up in his first two at-bats of Game 1.

Newark starter Patrick Stanley got into some trouble early on in the game. He walked the lead-off man Kenny Perez and got Keoni De Renne to ground into a fielder’s choice. Then Matt Dryer blasted Stanley’s 1-1 offering over the left field wall to give the Revolution a 2-0 lead.

“I had to get past the first inning, I settled down after that,” said Stanley. “Especially with a doubleheader I tried to go as long as I could and the defense has been excellent, it helped me out a lot. I was fortunate to get out of that inning with just two runs against me.”

Newark got one back with Bobby Hill leading off the inning with a base-on-balls. Jose Herrera followed with a walk of his own and Cory Aldridge singled in Hill to cut the deficit in half.

In the bottom of the third, the Bears took the lead when Ramon Castro got them going with a lead-off double. Herrera attempted to bunt Castro over but popped the ball up. However, pitcher Wayne Franklin dove for the ball and came up empty and Castro was safe at first. Once again, Aldridge plated the run with a single and the game was tied. Keith Reed then hit into a fielder’s choice that brought in Herrera and Newark was ahead 3-2.

“I’ve been playing for 11 seasons now, so I’m confident I can square up on a couple of balls,” said Aldridge, with a grin. “I’m just trying to feel good and I’m getting hits and helping the team out.”

York came back to tie the game at 3 when Dryer struck again. With two on and one out, Dryer sent a hot shot down the third-base line that Brian Burgamy was able to snag on his backhand. With his momentum carrying him into foul territory he unleashed a one-hopper to first that was on target but dropped by one-sacker Gerard Haran. However, it was ruled a single for Dryer.

Once again, Newark was able to answer. In the bottom of the fourth inning, catcher John Pachot connected off Franklin for a home run sending the Bears back ahead 4-3.

“Our lineup is getting better and a little more consistent,” said Wayne Krenchicki. “We’ve certainly filled some holes that we had early on and we’re able to win games by knocking in runs.”

That home run closed out the scoring. After settling down over the next four innings, Stanley gave way to J.J. Trujillo and Al Levine who each tossed scoreless innings. Levine earned his seventh save of the season and Stanley improved to 2-0 scattering eight hits over five innings while giving up three earned runs. Wayne Franklin went the distance for York and took the loss, falling to 3-1.

Notes: The Bears are now 5-1 in doubleheader games this season, sweeping their previous two twin-billings. Aldridge’s .411 batting average (after Game 1) is the best amongst all qualifying hitters in the Atlantic League.

Newark got off to a quick start in the bottom of the second. Starter Tim McClaskey walked Cory Aldridge to start the inning, and then got two outs before walking Tim Sweeney. Scott Knazek made him pay by smashing a line drive over the left-center field wall for a three-run homer to give the Bears a 3-0 lead.

Things got dicey in the top of the third when David Pellegrine got into trouble. Manny Mejia singled to lead off the inning which was followed by Jutt Hileman hitting a ball off of third baseman Mike Sweeney’s glove. Mike Woods came up and singled to load the bases. Pellegrine then proceeded to walk five of the next six hitters, giving up four runs before he was finally replaced by Edwin Almonte. Almonte struck out Hileman to end the inning.

The walk carousel continued in the bottom of the inning, but this time it went against Lancaster when Bobby Hill led-off with a free-pass of his own. Keith Reed and Cory Aldridge followed up with walks loading the bases for Val Majewski. Majewski singled into right field plating Hill and Reed. One batter later, Tim Sweeney brought in Aldridge and Majewski after both advanced on a wild pitch by Yamel Guevara.

However, before that, what must have been a first in Atlantic League history took place.

Aldridge and Majewski attempted a double steal of second and third. On the attempt, Barnstormers catcher Larry Burkhart threw a peg that landed somewhere near the Hudson River. However, he ordered Aldridge and Majewski back to their bases ruling umpire interference. In essence, he called a do-over.

“I saw him put his hands up and he was saying ‘interference,’” said hitting coach Ryan Jones. “And I figured he meant batter’s interference, which didn’t happen and I was about to go out there and let him know that. And he said ‘no, it’s umpire’s interference’ and I said ‘oh, really? ‘I’ve never heard of that before.’ So, that was an interesting situation to say the least.”

Lancaster made it 7-6 on an RBI single by Vasili Spanos which scored Woods who reached on Sweeney’s second error of the game.

Newark added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth when Mike Just led the inning off with a walk. He stole second and Hill moved him to third with a ground out. Brian Burgamy then laced a single into left scoring Just. Later in the inning, Val Majewski plated Burgamy on a sacrifice fly. The next batter, Jose Herrera pinch-hit for Gerard Haran and doubled down the right field line, bringing home Reed.

Notes: Cory Aldridge walked in all four of his at-bats in Game 2. He also walked in his final at-bat of game 1 and singled before that, reaching base in six consecutive plate appearances. Mike Just has now dropped to ninth in the order, giving Bobby Hill the opportunity to lead off. “I’m working on some things right now,” said Just. “I’ll work through it and be ready to go.” Almonte picked up the win in relief.

However, the game began with the Bears falling behind. Lancaster wasted little time getting on the board scoring in the top of the first inning. Michael Woods led-off with a double over right fielder Jose Herrera’s head. Danny Gonzalez then sacrificed Woods over to third and Brian Stavisky sent a fly ball to right field that was deep enough to score Woods.

The Barnstormers struck again in the fourth inning when Vasili Spanos connected off of starter Benito Baez for a solo home run to left field.

The Bears returned fire in the bottom of the fourth. Ramon Castro took first after he was hit by a pitch from Lancaster starter Michael Nannini. Simon singled to the opposite field giving Jose Herrera an opportunity to drive in a run. Herrera drove both in with a triple to the right-center field gap, knotting the game up at 2.

Nannini was lifted two batters later after issuing consecutive walks to Keith Reed and Val Majewski. Judd Songster came on to end the threat getting catcher John Pachot to ground out to third.

Newark took the lead 3-2 in the bottom of the fifth when Cory Aldridge singled in Bobby Hill who had previously doubled with one out to get on base.

Bears starter Benito Baez left the game with that lead. After recording one out in the bottom of the sixth, he was replaced by right-hander J.J. Trujillo.

“They had their two right-handers in the middle of the lineup that Trujillo had dominated earlier in the series and it didn’t happen, it kind of backfired on us,” said Wayne Krenchicki. “But, [reliever Corey] Willey came in and did a great job.”

There was a scary moment in the bottom of the seventh for Lancaster reliever Ryan Cullen. Bears shortstop Vic Gutierrez lined a pitch directly back at Cullen and it hit him in the head, knocking his baseball cap clear off of him. However, Cullen immediately stood right up and walked into the dugout to get his jacket and then walked down the line back towards the Lancaster bullpen. He appeared extremely angry, but not hurt. Initial word came up to the press box saying that Cullen was going to be fine and E.M.S. was not called.

Gutierrez ended up with a single since the ball ended up in right field as a result of that strange play. Nate Hoelscher came on and walked Castro and Aldridge which brought Simon to the plate with the bases loaded and one out. Simon hit the walk-off single through the right side to win the first game of the twin-bill.

Notes: Cullen showed no signs of concussion after the game, but unfortunately took the loss. Willey improved to 3-0 on this season, picking up the win in relief. Jose Herrera and Ramon Castro have both recently re-joined the team, they have gotten their visa issues worked out.

A ceremony took place before the game to honor the players from last season’s championship Newark squad. Ed Almonte, J.J. Trujillo, John Pachot, Keith Reed and Vic Gutierrez were the players honored as well as manager Wayne Krenchicki and pitching coach Steve Foucalt.

Brian Peterson of Bridgeport picked up the game’s first hit in the top of the first, but he was thrown out trying to stretch his single into a double by Brian Burgamy to end the inning.

The Bluefish appeared poised to draw first blood in the game when Alex Prieto hit a one-out double off the left field wall. However, the outfield arms were able to contribute once again. A Henry Mateo single sent Prieto around third towards home, but an impressive peg from right fielder Val Majewski nailed Prieto at the dish to keep the game scoreless.

Newark would pick up the game’s first run in the bottom of the third. The rally began with two outs when Vic Gutierrez reached on a tough chance for the shortstop Prieto, it was ruled an error. Mike Just then reached on an infield single, followed by two straight walks to Bobby Hill and Keith Reed, the latter bringing Gutierrez in from third. The bases were left loaded, however, when Randall Simon grounded out to end their rally.

Bridgeport came storming back in the top of the fourth when Brian Peterson tripled to right field to lead off. Calvin Pickering worked a free-pass from Will Cunnane and one batter later Ryan Bear doubled in Peterson. Jake Daubert singled in a run and then Bobby Darula hit a sacrifice fly to center to put the Bluefish up 3-1.

Once again, the Bears were equal to the task and roared right back into the lead in the bottom of the fourth. Mike Just doubled in two runs and Cory Aldridge cleared the bases with a double of his own accounting for five of the Bears seven runs in their turn at bat. Gutierrez also reached on an error by counterpart shortstop Prieto for the second consecutive inning.

“We swung the bats really well tonight and got some timely hitting,” said Krenchicki.

Bridgeport’s starter Barry Hertzler started strong by retiring his first eight in a row, but saw bad bounces and a couple of errors turn fortunes against him. He was lifted for reliever Matt Ford after Just’s double and Hill’s hard single up the middle. He ended up with seven runs against him, but only three were earned.

Newark put the conclusion in little doubt in the bottom of the fifth when Keith Reed came up with a bases-loaded double of his own that cleared the sacks of Bears runners and put Newark up 12-3.

Cunnane pitched five innings for the Bears on a cold night which saw him in the dugout for extended periods of time due to Newark’s offense stringing several long innings together. However, Krenchicki says that wasn’t why he was taken out.

“It was his first time out for the season,” said Krenchicki. “We wanted him to get around 80 pitches, so it didn’t have to do with the cold, it was just where we wanted him to be with his pitch count.”

Cunnane was positive about his first start in two years. “I’m coming off a surgery, so the start itself was a big deal for me, regardless of the outcome,” said Cunnane. “Granted, I came away the winner tonight. But, a lot of hard work went into getting back here and I’m really pumped about that, especially with my team picking me up the way they did.”

The Bears continued to tack on runs thanks to another RBI-double by Just and a two-run single by Bobby Hill, Newark now led 15-4 after six innings of play. Bridgeport picked up a couple of late runs to close out the scoring.

Third baseman Mike Just came into the game batting .077, but collected three hits and three RBIs, which he owes in part to his mother.

“My mom threw me batting practice this morning, actually, so that was pretty interesting,” said Just. “Then I came over with Jonesy (hitting coach Ryan Jones) and did some top-hand drills to keep my swing in that line drive and lower plane.”

Newark and Bridgeport meet again tomorrow with Michael Bumstead facing off against Eric Dubose.

Notes: Newark had three outfield assists in the game. Bridgeport catcher Brian Peterson was a home run short of the cycle, going five-for-five with three doubles, a single and a triple. Attendance for the night’s game was 4,745. Each outfielder for Newark contributed an assist in throwing out a runner. The most runs Newark has ever scored in a game is 20. It happened against Atlantic City on August 16, 1998. Majewski hurt his shoulder on a great catch in right field. Krenchicki said there’s some tightness in his leg, but was simply taken out of the game as a precaution. He most likely will not play tomorrow and be re-evaluated then.

Of course, a baseball team looks smart when every member of the lineup reaches base safely and the bullpen is stellar. The Ducks wasted a six-run lead before capitalizing on a key two-out Newark error in the sixth, pulling out a 10-6 victory over the Bears Sunday afternoon.

Donaldo Mendez lined run-scoring doubles in the second and third innings. The ninth-hitting shortstop finished 3-4 and also scored two runs, adding a nice defensive play to throw out the leadoff man in the eighth inning.

“We have good speed and our lineup has veteran guys who can get on base. That’s the key,” said Mendez, who played on last year’s Atlantic League champion Bears’ squad.

Ben Grezlovski retired all six batters he faced to hold the lead in the seventh and eighth innings, allowing the Ducks to take two of three in the season-opening series. The contest featured a combined 16 runs, three errors and eight walks. But the victory made it a thing of beauty for the manager.

“I would say it was very pretty because we got the first weekend out of the way,” LaPoint said.

Joe Magrane cruised through the first three innings after the Ducks staked him to a 6-0 lead. Carl Everett broke open the scoring with a RBI single in the first. Mendez and Brent Abernathy tacked on to the lead by lining consecutive run-scoring hits.

Four hits and a walk in the third inning chased Newark starter Matt Sweeney. Estee Harris’ one-out single plated Dominick Ambrosini before Robert Sandora added a RBI single. Mendez ended Sweeney’s effort, belting the third straight hit to score Harris before reliever David Pellegrine induced a double play to end the threat.

Magrane nearly gave it all back the next inning. Randall Simon started the fourth by turning on a fastball, blasting a home run that cleared both rows of advertisements in rightfield. The monster solo shot appeared to rattle the righty, who allowed four straight singles after a deep fly-out.

Mike Just came to the plate with runners on first and third. Magrane got the outcome he wanted: a comebacker to the mound. Yet the former Yankees’ farm-hand promptly added to his woes, blowing a sure double play by throwing the ball wide to second. Scott Knazek scored on the error and Vic Gutierrez came home on sac fly to cap the five-run inning.

“Once again a pitcher’s error cost us momentum,” said LaPoint, referencing Randy Leek’s fielding error in the first game. “We let them back in the game. But we didn’t back down from it, so I’m OK.”

The Ducks would also benefit from a poorly timed fielding miscue. Harris and Sandora both walked in the fifth against Pellegrine (0-1), advancing to second and third on a groundout. Abernathy then grounded sharply to short. Gutierrez fielded it but his throw went past Simon and into foul territory, allowing the go-ahead runs to score for an 8-6 lead.

Scott Rice (1-0) pitched 2 1/3 quality innings in relief of Magrane, surrendering just one run on a fifth-inning ground out to pick up the victory in his Atlantic League debut. Grezlovski made his third appearance in as many days, forcing five groundouts and one shallow fly-out against six batters faced. Closer Joe Valentine pitched a 1-2-3 ninth in a non-save situation.

“Ben was the most important guy out there today,” LaPoint said. “If he struggled, I was going to put Joe in for two innings. But we were very short today so we let him go. He was throwing strikes and usually when he’s throwing strikes, he has good fortune.”

Grezlovski was tagged for Saturday’s loss, allowing one hit and one run in a third of an inning. LaPoint went back to him again, continuing a trend set last season. Grezlovski’s 58 appearances were second on team in 2007, and he looks like he’ll be receiving regular work as the rotation is still unsettled.

“I pride myself on being ready every day,” Grezlovski said. “I feel more of a team player when I’m in there every day like that and getting ready to play as much as possible.”

Notes: The attendance at Citibank Park was 5,234. Pre-game rainy conditions contributed to the season’s first non-sellout…Pete Rose Jr.hit a two-run single in the eighth to add to the lead…The Ducks unveiled new Sunday attire. The new uniforms feature a sleeveless green shirt with orange number, black undershirts and white pants. In prior seasons, the team featured black shirt with orange numbers and white hats on Sundays.

Right?

“That’s what Pointer told me,” Leek said with a laugh, indicating that manager Dave LaPoint was the reason behind his exit. “I hadn’t thrown more than 60 pitches in spring training. I felt good. But it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

A two-out rally in the opening inning provided Leek with all the necessary support, staking the southpaw to a four-run lead that would be sufficient for a 4-1 season-opening victory over the Bears in front of a sold-out crowd.

Eleven players are back from the 2007 team that captured the second-half division championship. Four holdovers—Carl Everett, Ray Navarrete, Kevin Haverbusch and Damien Rolls—lined four consecutive two-out hits to jump on Newark starter Michael Bumstead in the first.

Jamal Strong led off the contest with a single before Bumstead retired the next two batters. Everett kept the inning alive by beating out an infield single. Navarrete poked a single into shallow left to break open the scoring and Haverbusch followed by lining a full-count offering into the rightfield gap to plate two more. Rolls capped the rally by belting a run-scoring single.

“It’s a manager’s dream that your team comes out and gets that many two-out hits at important times,” LaPoint said. “They worked the count good. They waited for their pitch and they got some big hits.”

Staked to a 4-0 lead, Leek worked quickly and limited the Bears to just five hits. The 31-year-old struck out four and walked one.

“It’s a confidence boost when you jump out on top,” Leek said. “It’s a lot easier pitching with the lead. To get those four runs was big.”

Leek’s only mistake came not on the mound, but in the field. He dropped Cory Aldridge’s two-out popup by the third base foul line, allowing Mike Just to score the visitor’s lone run.

Other than the fielding miscue, Leek showed the form that led to a 5-1 record with a 2.23 ERA last year. That would have led the league if he accumulated enough innings to qualify. His time in Long Island was curtailed after getting a call to play for the Blue Jays’ Triple-A affiliate in Syracuse and going to Taiwan for a stint.

“I was all over the place. My wife was ready to kill me,” Leek said. “That’s the goal. You want to get back into affiliated ball and get back to the big leagues.”

Leek (1-0) left 15 tickets for family and friends before the game. The cheering section witnessed his first Opening Day start since his collegiate days at William and Mary. It also marked a rematch of last season’s first-round playoff series. Newark swept the Ducks in the best-of-three North Division set, tagging Leek for the heartbreaking 3-2 Game 2 loss.

“Jamie Pogue mentioned to me in the spring training that I was going to be the first pitcher in Ducks history to start two games in a row,” Leek said while laughing. “I’ll try to work a bonus into my contract.

“I wish it wouldn’t have been the last game last year. But I got the Opening Day start. It’s an honor.”

LaPoint, who is entering his second season as Ducks manager, brought back the core of a team that finished 72-54. Before the game, he cited his team’s baseball intelligence as a reason why the Ducks can be contenders for the franchise’s first championship since 2004.

“When we throw the nine guys out there, we have nine smart guys. And that’s what wins baseball games,” LaPoint said.

That intelligence was show in the opening two innings when the Ducks’ veteran hitters worked deep counts against Bumstead (0-1). Newark’s righty lasted just three innings, giving up all four earned runs on six hits.

“I would say the first two innings he had to be up around 65-70 [pitches],” LaPoint said. “That’s from having a bunch of smart players who know how to play the situation. They were letting him get in trouble and waiting for their pitch. They didn’t give in.”

LaPoint cited Haverbusch as a player who worked hard to improve in the offseason. Former Duck Dominick Ambrosini was signed before the game, giving the Massapequa native some extra competition in the outfield. Haverbusch responded with a game-high two RBIs, which he said came as a product of a patient approach.

“Two out hits are the name of the game if you can do them,” Haverbusch said. “A couple of us were saying you wanted to see pitches the first game instead of swinging wildly. We were patient and he missed his spots a couple of times and we got in good hitter’s counts.”

After a quiet top half of the first inning, starting pitcher Michael Bumstead gave up a lead-off single to Jamal Strong, but made two quick outs of Brent Abernathy and P.J. Rose. He was one pitch away from escaping the inning unscathed until Carl Everett reached on a single and Ray Navarrete, Kevin Haverbusch and Damian Rolls all followed with two singles and a double.

“A couple of bad breaks early,” said Bumstead. “I left the ball up and good hitters will get hits that way.”

Bumstead escaped trouble in the second after once again loading up the bases in a two-out rally; however he was able to escape trouble when he caught Navarrete looking to end the threat.

He settled down after that but was lifted by manager Wayne Krenchicki after three innings.

The Bears offense began to awaken in the fourth inning when Keith Reed and Cory Aldridge started the frame with back-to-back singles. However, the rally ended after Brian Burgamy grounded into a double play and Sal Majewski flied out to left.

In the top of the sixth, third-basemen Mike Just led off with a double down the left field line, but two quick outs threatened to shut down their rally once again. But, the Bears finally got a break when Randy Leek dropped a pop-up in fair territory which allowed Just to score. Burgamy then sent a long shot to deep center, but Strong was there to make the play just in front of the wall.

Patrick Stanley came on in the fifth inning and restored order with three very strong innings. He also struck out the first four batters he faced.

“I just came in trying to throw strikes and get as many outs as I could,” said Stanley. “The fastball, curveball, slider were all working really well, I was able mix it up and keep them off-balance.”

The Bears got one more rally going in the top of the ninth after a solid double by Cory Aldridge. Burgamy drew a walk and then Majewski grounded into a fielder’s choice putting Aldridge on third. Randall Simon, the team’s latest signing came to the plate but was unable to keep the inning alive.

Randy Leek earned the win for the Ducks throwing six solid innings giving up just one run and striking out four and Joe Valentine earned the save in the ninth with an inning of work, it is his first save of the season.

The Newark locker room remained positive with the promise of a new day

“It’s a different experience, but I’m real confident about our team,” said Just. Everybody got the jitters out of the way today, so we’ll go out there and get them tomorrow.”

Notes: Everett reached base in all four of his plate appearances with three singles and a walk. Stanley faced the minimum number of batters in his three innings of work. The attendance was 6,165 and the time of the game was two hours and 26 minutes

“We look pretty good this year,” said outfielder Keith Reed, one of the few holdovers from last season. “We lost a couple of real big bats in the middle of our lineup, but we got some new guys coming in that look like they can really hit. We can definitely give it another run.”

“We’re aggressive,” said pitcher Will Cunnane. “This is a very aggressive team, we swing and we swing hard, and that’s the name of the game, its time to play ball and let it rip.”

Indeed, a few new offensive pieces have been added to the puzzle this season. The biggest new name would have to be former major league first basemen Randall Simon.

Simon brings a lot of major league experience to the table as he is a veteran of 16 years to professional baseball. His best season came in 2002 while with the Detroit Tigers. He posted a .301 batting average with 19 home runs and 82 RBIs.

“He’s going to bring a lot of power to our lineup and leadership to our club,” said manager Wayne Krenchicki. “We look forward to getting him here.”

Another new offensive weapon will be infielder Mike Just, a Woodcliff Lake, N.J. native, who will be the table-setter this season. He is a dangerous hitter capable of getting on base at any time, as evidenced by his 5-for-5 performance against the Somerset Patriots in an exhibition game. Just was in camp with the Houston Astros camp, but was cut despite a fantastic spring performance.

“He’s a real scrappy-type kid,” said Krenchicki. “He gets on base and makes things happen and he’s local so it’s a good fit for us. He’s going to create some havoc from the lead-off spot.”

With Simon, Just, Herrera and former Pittsburgh Pirate Bobby Hill, the offense appears to be in excellent shape, but has a daunting task in trying to repeat the offensive production of a year ago.

“If we hit even close to the way we did last year, it will be a miracle” said Krenchicki. “When you hit .302 as a team it says a lot about the talent you have. It was a lot of fun watching that team, if we can get near that level, I’ll be happy.”

On the mound, there is plenty of experience with Will Cunnane and Al Levine. Cunnane is a veteran of 16 years in professional baseball, and he is looking to prove that he still has the talent left to get back to the majors.

“I had two years off because of surgery.” said Cunnane. “I didn’t like it one bit, I really needed to get back on the field and do this again. I want to get back to the big-leagues.”

Levine is another pitcher that brings plenty of experience and leadership and even has a World Series ring on his finger. He won it all as a reliever with the Anaheim Angels in 2002.

The pitching staff also boasts plenty of young arms with pitchers like David Pellegrine, Patrick Stanley, Rich Scalamandre, Josh Fields, and Matt Sweeney. The rotation and bullpen has a good mix of young pitchers and veterans and should be in fine shape for the 2008 Atlantic League season.

The spirits are high in Newark and the atmosphere is a mixture of excitement, anxiousness and confidence for the up-coming year. The Bears are ready to defend their title, and just may be successful in doing so.

“We’ve made some changes,” said Krenchicki. “But it is because we had so many players that made professional clubs out of spring training. When you have as good a ball club as we had, you’re going to lose a lot of players, because the players that play so well here usually won’t be back.”

The Bears open their season on Friday, April 25th in Long Island against the Ducks. Their home-opener is Tuesday, April 29th when they welcome the Bridgeport Bluefish.