Quality start from Bobby Blevins not enough for Ducks

(Central Islip, N.Y., May 15, 2016) – The Long Island Ducks were defeated by the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs 5-3 on Sunday afternoon in the finale of a four game series at Bethpage Ballpark.

GAME AUDIO: Highlights from the series finale

POSTGAME VIDEO: Kevin Baez and Dan Lyons talk about the game and upcoming road trip

The Blue Crabs struck first, bringing in two in the top of the third inning. A RBI double by Zach Wilson and a RBI single by Jamar Walton did the damage. The Ducks answered in the fourth, as Lew Ford hit a RBI double to right to make the score 2-1.

They struck again and took the lead with two more runs in the bottom of the seventh. Mike Blanke led off with a walk and scored from third on a passed ball to tie the game, and Fehlandt Lentini came in with the go-ahead run on an infield single by Dan Lyons and a throwing error by Steve Lombardozzi.

Southern Maryland took the lead for good with three runs in the top of the eighth. Bryant Nelson walked with the bases loaded, and Angel Flores brought in two more with a single to make the score 5-3.

Neither starter factored into the decision. Ducks starter Bobby Blevins pitched six innings of two-run ball, allowing six hits and two walks while striking out six. Blue Crabs starter Brian Burres lasted six and one-third innings, giving up two runs on four hits and three walks with five strikeouts. Justin Berg (1-3) picked up the win with one and two-thirds innings of relief, allowing three hits and one unearned run with two strikeouts. Amalio Diaz (1-1) took the loss, pitching one-third of an inning and yielding three runs on four hits and one walk. Cody Eppley earned his second save with a scoreless ninth.

Lyons led the Flock with three hits on the day, while Lentini added two.

The Ducks hit the road on Tuesday morning to open a four-game series against the Sugar Land Skeeters. Game time is slated for 12:05 p.m. EST from Constellation Field. Fans can follow all of the action live on the Ducks’ official YouTube channel. Streaming audio will be available online by CLICKING HERE.

Long Island returns home on Tuesday, May 24 to begin a three-game set against the Bridgeport Bluefish. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m., with the Bethpage Ballpark gates opening at 5:35 (5:20 for full season ticket holders). Following the game, all fans in attendance will be treated to a Grucci Fireworks Extravaganza. It’s also Two-Fer Tuesday and a Humana Senior Discount Tuesday! Tickets to the game and all Ducks home games are available by visiting the Bethpage Ballpark box office, calling (631) 940-TIXX or CLICKING HERE.

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 34 million fans have attended Atlantic League games and more than 800 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 to metropolitan markets serving nearly 15{508e0238204740d3d9c141f5965096b8721e890fc8446b80b243ba5070871f7e} of the US population.

For more information, please visit www.atlanticleague.com.

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 Game Date: 05/15/2016 Southern Maryland Blue Crabs 5 AT Long Island Ducks 3 YTD YTD S Maryland AB R H BI AVG L Island AB R H BI AVG Brown, G CF 3 1 1 0 .235 Lentini, F RF 5 1 2 0 .287 Lombardozzi, S SS 5 1 1 0 .359 Lyons, D SS 4 1 3 0 .274 Wilson, Z 1B 4 2 2 1 .280 Ford, L DH 4 0 1 1 .287 Walton, J LF 4 0 1 1 .254 Colvin, T 1B 4 0 1 0 .182 Myers, D RF 4 1 1 0 .234 Puckett, C 2B 2 0 0 0 .273 Nelson, B 3B 3 0 1 1 .230 Tekotte, B CF 4 0 0 0 .219 Flores, A C 4 0 2 2 .212 Blanke, M C 3 1 0 0 .182 Garcia, E 2B 4 0 0 0 .155 Vega, A LF 3 0 0 0 .270 Dziomba, J DH 4 0 2 0 .214 Wessinger, M 3B 4 0 0 0 .176 35 5 11 5 33 3 7 1 S Maryland 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 3 0 - 5 11 2 L Island 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 - 3 7 0 2B--Wilson, Z 1B (9), Nelson, B 3B (6), Lentini, F RF (5), Lyons, D SS (4), Ford, L DH (6). RBI--Wilson, Z 1B (9), Walton, J LF (10), Nelson, B 3B (7), Flores, A C 2 (6), TOTALS 5 (0), Ford, L DH (12), TOTALS (0). SH--Vega, A LF (0). CS--Brown, G CF (2), Dziomba, J DH (1). E--Lombardozzi, S SS (3), Myers, D RF (1). LOB--S Maryland 7, L Island 7. DP--C. Puckett(2B) - D. Lyons(SS) - T. Colvin(1B). YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA S Maryland Burres, B 6.1 4 2 2 3 5 0 3.28 Berg, J (W,1-3) 1.2 3 1 0 0 2 0 5.79 Eppley, C (S,2) 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2.89 9 7 3 2 3 8 0 L Island Blevins, B 6.0 6 2 2 2 6 0 3.38 De La Rosa, E 1.0 1 0 0 0 2 0 4.32 Diaz, A (L,1-1) 0.1 4 3 3 1 1 0 6.48 Crider, P 0.2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.00 Blewett, D 1.0 0 0 0 1 0 0 3.72 9 11 5 5 4 10 0 WP--Burres, B (3). PB--Flores, A 2. SO--Brown, G 2, Lombardozzi, S 3, Wilson, Z, Walton, J, Garcia, E 2, Dziomba, J, Lyons, D, Ford, L, Colvin, T, Tekotte, B 2, Blanke, M, Vega, A, Wessinger, M. BB--Brown, G 2, Wilson, Z, Nelson, B, Puckett, C 2, Blanke, M. BF--Burres, B 26 (109), Berg, J 8 (67), Eppley, C 3 (38), Blevins, B 24 (112), De La Rosa, E 4 (36), Diaz, A 6 (38), Crider, P 2 (28), Blewett, D 3 (41). P-S--Burres, B 112-69, Berg, J 31-18, Eppley, C 13-8, Blevins, B 83-59, De La Rosa, E 15-11, Diaz, A 16-10, Crider, P 4-4, Blewett, D 11-4. T--3:04. A--5443 Plate Umpire - Kris Engstrand, Field Umpire #1 - Warren Nicholson, Field Umpire #2 - Joe Iglio