SANFORD — Before Friday night, it had been exactly two weeks since a team had beaten the Sanford Mainers.

On Friday against the Keene Swamp Bats, the Mainers beat themselves.

Entering the game with an eight-game winning streak, Sanford allowed two unearned runs on an error by shortstop Cory Raley in the first inning and couldn’t take advantage of multiple opportunities to dig themselves out of the hole the rest of the game, falling to Keene 2-1 in an NECBL baseball game at Goodall Park.

It was the first loss for Sanford (16-9) since June 27, ending the team’s winning streak one short of the team record of nine. With Vermont’s 5-3 victory over Valley on Friday, the Mainers’ lead in the Northern Division drops to just half a game.

“You never know what’s going to cost you,” Mainers third baseman Sam Dexter said. “You don’t know if that one routine play, or that play where you didn’t get a runner over, that’s what can decide the game. It’s a funny game.”

After scoring a run in the fifth, Sanford had a chance to tie it up in the ninth with runners on first and third with two outs and Dexter at the plate. But after running the count to 3-2, Dexter hit a soft grounder to second baseman Taylor Perez, who made a fantastic play charging in to throw out Dexter diving head-first into the base.

After the out was called, Izaryk ran over to get into the face of field umpire Shawn McCurdy, saying that Keene (12-12) pitcher Ben Criscuilo had balked before delivering the final pitch, which would have allowed Dan Hetzel to score from third and tie the game.

“I just thought he didn’t come to his normal stop,” said Izaryk, who was thrown out. “We’re trying to get a jump at first base, and it turned out to be a big play in the game.”

The Mainers got another sterling performance from their pitching staff, which has now allowed just five earned runs in its last 41 innings.

Ben Wessel allowed just three hits and a walk in five solid innings, but an uneven first inning came back to haunt the Sanford starter. After a leadoff single by Jared Mederos, Alex Liquori walked to give Keene runners at first and second with no outs.

Wessel nearly worked his way out of the inning, striking out Zach Lauricella, inducing a tame groundout from Dominic Severino and then a hard-hit grounder off the bat of Bret Dennis that was right at Raley. But the ball short-hopped and went through Raley’s legs, allowing Mederos and Liquori to score and give the Swamp Bats an early 2-0 advantage.

Sanford had a chance to get a run back in the second when Kendall Patrick led off with a double but was stranded without advancing.

Dexter was also stranded at second in the fifth, but the Mainers were able to get one across when Hetzel scored on a wild pitch. Sanford had another chance to get a run across, but Raley grounded out back to pitcher Alex Robinson to end the threat.

“We need to do a better job offensively of getting guys over once their in scoring position and get them in,” Izaryk said. “We had opportunities up and down the game.”

Matt Clancy relieved Robinson in the sixth and threw three shutout innings to set the stage for Criscuilo, who entered with a 0.00 ERA in 12.1 previous innings. But the closer got into trouble when he hit Hetzel to lead off, and then hit Matt Harris. Sam Balzano then grounded into a force out to shortstop, reaching first and moving Hetzel to third with two outs, but Criscuilo just got out of the inning as Dexter was a foot short of reaching on the grounder.

“They played a clean game,” Dexter said. “They threw strikes, didn’t walk many guys. We put it in play a good amount, but they played the defense and didn’t give us the runs.”

“I thought we played well enough to win tonight,” Izaryk said. “It could have been cleaner, but we played another good game tonight.

“I think it’s important to go ahead and keep plugging ahead. There’s no reason to change what we’re doing. Tomorrow could be the start of another good stretch.”

MOOSE TRACKS: It was announced on Friday that Izaryk would manage the Northern Division in the 2014 NECBL All-Star game, which will be held in Holyoke, Massachusetts on July 20. The All-Star rosters will be selected today and released over the following days ”¦ The Mainers will finish this week’s homestand today with a 6:30 p.m. game against the Southern Division-leading Plymouth Pilgrims. Righty Jeff Singer (1-0, 2.45 ERA) will get the start for Sanford.

— Staff Writer Cameron Dunbar can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 323 or cdunbar@journaltribune.com.