'Nadoes lose, slip into split.

• Position: SPORTS

Byline: Chad Garner

WORCESTER - What started out as a promising four-game series for the Worcester Tornadoes turned out to be pretty mediocre.

While the Tornadoes won the first two games against the American Defenders of New Hampshire, they watched the visitors - dressed in camouflage uniforms - salvage a series split with a ninth-inning rally on Saturday night and yesterday's 7-4 win at Hanover Insurance Park at Fitton Field.

"We went out there and took two to start off with, it's just a matter of closing out the series," said Worcester starting pitcher Matt Weagle, who absorbed the loss. "They are a good team. They're not just going to lay down and die for us, we've just got to finish it."

Worcester took a 1-0 lead in the second inning off New Hampshire winning pitcher Miguel Flores, who was making his first start of the season. Mike MacMillan flicked a single over the first baseman's head and hustled around to score on Jeff LaHair's RBI triple to left field that took a bad hop and skipped past Jerod Edmondson.

But New Hampshire struck for two runs off right-hander Weagle. Argenis Tavarez got aboard on a one-out infield single, and designated hitter Rob Riley lined a single to right. Both scored on Boomer Berry's booming two-run double off the right field wall.

Worcester catcher Alex Trezza got the Tornadoes back even at 2-2 with a towering solo home run to right.

Weagle labored in the third inning, as Edward Ovalle drilled a double off the right field wall and Edmondson followed with an RBI single up the middle. Weagle's errant pickoff throw to first base allowed Edmondson to scamper to third on the two-base error, and the left...