Complex sentence: A name-the-team contest never panned out and the press began calling the team the Lowell Orphans and after August 18 they were indeed as they became a "road" team.
Split into simpler sentences: A name-the-team contest never panned out, and the press began calling the team the Lowell Orphans. After August 18 they were orphans indeed, as they became a "road" team.