The Ducks officially are in the midst of a five-game road trip, though the two-game set against the expansion York Revolution is being played at the Camden Riversharks stadium while construction of York’s new park is being completed.

An afternoon game at the neutral site meant a crowd size that failed to hit triple digits, though the Ducks still suffered a 5-3 loss to the Revolution yesterday afternoon in the first-ever meeting between the two teams.

A youth league game usually attracts a bigger crowd, a product of the delayed construction on York’s 5,306-seat Sovereign Bank Stadium that is set to open by the middle of next month. The Ducks are having trouble getting anything generated on the road so far, falling to 8-8 overall while going 1-3 to start the road trip.

Three weeks into the regular seasons, the Ducks were four games behind Bridgeport in the North Division heading into last night. No. 2 starter John Halama continued to struggle away from home Citibank Park, as York scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to chase the former Seattle Mariners standout.

Halama’s (1-1) performance came one game after ace Pat Ahearne was rocked for six runs on four innings as Somerset bested the Ducks in the rubber match of the three-game series. Ahearne led the Ducks to the playoffs last season thanks in part to a 12-4 record, though he is in danger of matching that loss total in the first month of the new campaign.

Campbell’s Field, located in Camden, N.J. is the temporary Revolution home. The Riversharks had a scheduled home game at night, meaning few fans outside of the players’ family and friends attended the midweek day game. Despite the little league-type atmosphere, Pete Rose Jr. did his best to get the Ducks headed in the right direction by drilling a solo home run in the first inning to open the scoring.

That was all York starter Ryan Boerlocher (2-1) would allow until Kevin Haverbusch extended his hitting streak to nine games with a run-scoring single in the seventh. Boerlocher allowed those two runs in 6 2/3 innings before turning it over to Chris Cooper and Jeff Farnsworth.

Farnsworth, brother of Yankee reliever Kyle Farnsworth, watched from the dugout as Revolution closer Adam Thomas struck out Jorge Piedra to end the game with Rose in scoring position, giving him five saves on the season. The Ducks will need a win tomorrow to avoid the sweep finish 1-4 on the road swing before returning to Central Islip for a three-game series against the Road Warriors that commences Thursday.

Ahearne is not the only front-line player looking to recapture an old form. Former Mets Edgardo Alfonzo and Carl Everett own over 2,900 games combined of MLB experience, but both have failed to produce clutch hits in the early going.

Entering Tuesday’s action, Alfonzo was batting .137 in 14 games, recording no home runs and just three doubles. Everett was batting .200 with no homers and five RBIs, missing five games with a tight calf.

Other role players have compensated with early showings, and manager Dave LaPoint will look to get another quality start from John Riedling (1-0, 2.12 ERA) tomorrow night at 5:05 p.m. York will send out Dave Gil, (0-0, 0.00 ERA) who will be making his second start this season.

Riedling’s acclimation to the Atlantic League, coupled with Donovan Osborne’s return to the lineup after a bout with a serious virus, means the Ducks can sustain Ahearne’s slow start and Halama’s early road woes without falling too far behind Bridgeport. But unless the veteran players start getting into a groove, the Bluefish’s 12-4 start might be enough to propel them to a first-half championship and the automatic playoff spot that feat entails.