Six relievers combine for five and two-thirds scoreless innings to preserve victory
(Photo courtesy of Joe Doll)
(Bridgewater, N.J., Aug. 6, 2018) – The Long Island Ducks defeated the Somerset Patriots 7-2 on Monday night in the opener of a three-game series at TD Bank Ballpark.
Long Island got started quickly, scoring three runs in the first inning off Patriots starter Duane Below. Travis Snider’s RBI single and Taylor Ard’s two-run home run to left field highlighted the inning.
Somerset closed to within 3-2 in the fourth on a two-run single to left by Yovan Gonzalez. However, a solo homer to left in the top of the fifth by Cody Puckett pushed the Ducks lead back up to two.
Puckett restored Long Island’s three-run advantage in the seventh on an RBI single to left-center. David Washington then put the game out of reach in the eighth with a mammoth two-run homer to right field.
Ducks starter Chris Pike did not factor into the decision but pitched three and one-third innings, allowing two runs on two hits and two walks. Lorenzo Barcelo (1-0) picked up the win after pitching a scoreless fifth inning. Below (6-4) took the loss, conceding five runs on nine hits over six and one-third innings while striking out four.
Six Ducks relievers appeared in the game and combined to pitch five and two-thirds shutout innings, yielding seven hits and a walk while striking out seven batters. Ard, Washington and Puckett each had two hits and two RBIs to lead the Flock at the plate.
The Ducks and Patriots continue their three-game set on Tuesday night. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at TD Bank Ballpark. Fans can follow all the action on the Long Island Ducks Broadcast Network. Live streaming HD video and audio will be available via BoxCast on the Ducks official Facebook page, YouTube channel and at LIDucks.com. Left-hander Hector Silvestre (0-0, 6.75) takes the mound for the Ducks against Patriots righty Kyle Davies (5-5, 3.05).
Long Island returns home on Thursday, August 9 to open a four-game series with the York Revolution Game time is slated for 6:35 p.m., with the Bethpage Ballpark gates opening at 5:35 (5:20 for full season ticket holders). The first 1,500 fans in attendance will receive Ducks Can Koozies, courtesy of the YMCA of Long Island. It’s also a Thirsty Thursday! The Duck Club Restaurant/Bar, normally reserved for VIP/season ticket holders, will be open to all fans to enjoy. The bar will feature drink specials, including half price domestics, while the restaurant will offer special menu selections. Tickets to the game, and all Ducks home games, are available by visiting the Bethpage Ballpark box office, calling (631) 940-TIXX, CLICKING HERE or downloading the Ducks mobile app.
The Long Island Ducks are members of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball and play their home games at Bethpage Ballpark. For further information, call (631) 940-DUCK or visit www.liducks.com.
About the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB)
The Atlantic League has been a leader in professional baseball and a gateway to Major League Baseball since 1998. Over 38 million fans have attended Atlantic League games and more than 900 players and 50 managers and coaches have joined MLB organizations directly from the ALPB. The Atlantic League emphasizes winning baseball games, showcasing the talent of top-caliber players and offering affordable family entertainment.
For more information, please visit www.atlanticleague.com.
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Game Date: 08/06/2018 Long Island Ducks 7 AT Somerset Patriots 2 YTD YTD L Island AB R H BI AVG Somerset AB R H BI AVG Valdespin, J 2B 5 0 0 0 .356 Massey, C 2B 3 0 1 0 .355 Fields, D CF 4 1 1 0 .243 Flores, R LF 5 0 0 0 .250 Snider, T RF 4 1 1 1 .297 Rodriguez, A SS 5 0 1 0 .309 Ford, L LF 4 0 1 0 .296 Boyd, J 1B 5 0 1 0 .222 Ard, T 3B 4 2 2 2 .300 Coronado, N 3B 4 0 1 0 .288 Washington, D 1B 4 1 2 2 .243 Fransoso, M CF 3 1 0 0 .293 Cabrera, R C 4 1 1 0 .261 Trapp, J RF 3 1 0 0 .267 Navarro, D DH 4 0 1 0 .176 Chavez, E DH 4 0 3 0 .276 Puckett, C SS 4 1 2 2 .227 Gonzalez, Y C 4 0 2 2 .258 37 7 11 7 36 2 9 2 L Island 3 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 0 - 7 11 2 Somerset 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 - 2 9 0 2B--Washington, D 1B (12), Cabrera, R C (10), Chavez, E DH (7). 3B--Fields, D CF (1). HR--Ard, T 3B (13), Washington, D 1B (16), Puckett, C SS (4). RBI--Snider, T RF (68), Ard, T 3B 2 (43), Washington, D 1B 2 (51), Puckett, C SS 2 (24), TOTALS 7 (0), Gonzalez, Y C 2 (28), TOTALS 2 (0). HP--Trapp, J RF (4). E--Snider, T RF (2), Ard, T 3B (6). LOB--L Island 3, Somerset 11. DP--C. Puckett(SS) - J. Valdespin(2B) - D. Washington(1B), C. Massey(2B) - N. Coronado(3B) - J. Boyd(1B). YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA L Island Pike, C 3.1 2 2 2 2 0 0 7.11 Abad, F 0.2 2 0 0 0 1 0 0.00 Barcelo, L (W,1-0) 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 Tolliver, A 1.0 2 0 0 1 1 0 4.26 OGrady, D 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 3.29 Ondrusek, L 1.0 1 0 0 0 2 0 4.26 Murray, C 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 7.02 9 9 2 2 3 7 0 Somerset Below, D (L,6-4) 6.1 9 5 5 0 4 2 4.12 Huchingson, C 0.2 0 0 0 0 1 0 4.50 Molleken, D 1.0 2 2 2 0 3 1 4.46 Antolin, D 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2.97 9 11 7 7 0 9 3 HB--Pike, C (1). SO--Valdespin, J, Fields, D 2, Snider, T, Ford, L, Ard, T, Washington, D, Cabrera, R 2, Massey, C, Rodriguez, A 2, Boyd, J, Fransoso, M, Trapp, J, Gonzalez, Y. BB--Massey, C 2, Fransoso, M. BF--Pike, C 16 (34), Abad, F 4 (8), Barcelo, L 3 (7), Tolliver, A 6 (143), OGrady, D 3 (163), Ondrusek, L 4 (25), Murray, C 4 (79), Below, D 27 (397), Huchingson, C 2 (134), Molleken, D 5 (152), Antolin, D 3 (147). P-S--Pike, C 66-42, Abad, F 15-10, Barcelo, L 8-5, Tolliver, A 30-18, OGrady, D 13-9, Ondrusek, L 17-13, Murray, C 7-6, Below, D 96-71, Huchingson, C 9-6, Molleken, D 20-15, Antolin, D 10-7. T--3:08. A--4882 LI, B4, MGR MV; LI, B6, MGR MV; Weather: Clear, hot , humid, high 80's Plate Umpire - Calvin Baker, Field Umpire #1 - Freddie DeJesus, Field Umpire #3 - Mel Chettum