D.C. loses first; Falcons pounded by Rats

Look for a new This Week in the DMBL tonight!

The Bushslappers finally lost their first game, as the Hitmen defeated them 8-3 Sunday. Hillsborough scored five runs in the 7th and 8th innings to give them a healthy lead. Dan Haren got the win after pitching six innings and surrendering only 2 runs on 7 hits. Dmitri Young, Ryan Howard, and Carlos Lee each had 2 RBIs.

The Rat Pack spanked the winless Falcons 15-2 after a ridiculous 11-run fifth inning. Reliever Jonathan Broxton took the biggest brunt of the attack, surrendering eight runs in 1.1 innings and issuing six walks. Starter Jeremy Bonderman left the game in the first inning with a minor injury but will make his next start. Jeff Keppinger was 4-6 for the Rat Pack and is batting .441 on the season.

Newark's Jack Cust had quite the weekend: After hitting a home run in Saturday's game, Cust followed it up with two more in the 4-2 loss to Marietta. Then in the second game against Hoboken, Cust went 3-4 to raise his average to .382.

Speaking of the Hoboken-Newark game, the Cutters battled back twice to tie the game, but ended up on the short end of the stick in the end. After Newark went up 4-2, the Cutters tied the game after Aaron Rowand hit an RBI single in the seventh. But Newark took a 7-4 lead after back to back homers by Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Mike Fontenot. Hanley Ramirez hit a two-run shot to get to within one the next inning and then, in the ninth, the Cutters scored one more to tie it up, though they left the bases loaded at the end. Newark finally went ahead for good when Bobby Abreu drove in the winning run in the bottom of the 12th.

Vancouver continues to struggle, losing six of their last seven, after falling to D.C. 4-2. Kelvim Escobar pitched 8 solid innings for the win. Brian McCann had a 2-run double in the top of the ninth to give the Slappers the lead and Jonathan Papelbon closed it out for his third save.