(Bridgeport, Conn., May 1, 2012) – The Bridgeport Bluefish defeated the Long Island Ducks 8-2 on Tuesday night in the first game of the 2012 Ferry Cup Series at The Ballpark at Harbor Yard.

GAME AUDIO: Ryan Garko puts the Ducks ahead with a RBI single

The Ducks cracked the scoreboard in the first against Bluefish starter Gilbert De La Vara on Ryan Garko’s RBI single to center. Bridgeport responded with a pair of unearned runs in the third against Ducks starter Mike Loree. A RBI groundout from Ramon Vazquez and a run-scoring double off the bat of Brock Peterson gave the Bluefish a 2-1 lead.

Long Island pulled back even in the fourth on a RBI single to center by Dan Lyons. However, Bridgeport broke the tie with single runs in the sixth and seventh and added four more in the eighth, capped by Prentice Redman’s two-run double, to put the game out of reach.

Neither starter factored into the decision. Loree went five innings, allowing two unearned runs on five hits while striking out four, and De La Vara threw four innings, yielding two runs on eight hits with three punch-outs. Jonah Bayliss earned the win with three scoreless innings of relief, while Jeff Lyman took the loss, surrendering two runs on a hit and three walks in two innings of work.

Garko’s three hits paced the Ducks offensively, while Lyons and James McOwen each added two.

The cross-sound rivals continue their three-game set on Wednesday night. Game time is set for 7:05 p.m. from The Ballpark at Harbor Yard. Fans can follow all the action live online at www.liducks.com by clicking the Listen Live icon on the home page, with Chris King calling the play-by-play. Streaming audio will be provided by iBN, the Internet Broadcast Network. Fans can also keep track of the game pitch-by-pitch via Pointstreak’s GameLive application by visiting www.atlanticleague.com.

The Ducks return home on Friday, May 4 for Opening Night against the Camden Riversharks. First pitch is slated for 7:05 p.m., with the Bethpage Ballpark gates opening at 6:05. The first 2,000 fans in attendance will receive a “Whistle Guy” Bobblehead, courtesy of P.C. Richard & Son. Tickets for the game and all Ducks home games are available by visiting the Bethpage Ballpark Box Office, calling (631) 940-TIXX, or visiting www.liducks.com.

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 GAME DATE: 05/01/2012 Long Island Ducks 2 AT Bridgeport Bluefish 8 YTD YTD L Island AB R H BI AVG Bridgeport AB R H BI AVG K.Binick LF 5 1 1 0 .227 J.Gathright CF 5 1 1 2 .182 B.Nelson 3B 5 0 0 0 .143 K.Jones LF 5 2 2 1 .500 B.Sing DH 5 0 0 0 .190 P.Redman RF 4 1 2 2 .353 R.Garko 1B 4 0 3 1 .400 L.Lopez 3B 4 1 2 1 .308 R.Navarrete 2B 3 0 1 0 .421 R.Vazquez DH 5 0 1 1 .357 L.Ford CF 4 0 1 0 .316 B.Peterson 1B 5 0 1 1 .063 J.McOwen RF 4 1 2 0 .429 L.Rodriguez C 3 1 0 0 .235 J.Johnson C 3 0 1 0 .286 P.Lopez 2B 0 1 0 0 .250 D.Lyons SS 3 0 2 1 .308 E.Rogers SS 1 1 0 0 .182 36 2 11 2 32 8 9 8 L Island 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 - 2 11 1 Bridgeport 0 0 2 0 0 1 1 4 x - 8 9 0 2B--R.Navarrete (5), P.Redman (3), L.Lopez (2), B.Peterson (1). RBI--R.Garko (3), D.Lyons (3), J.Gathright 2 (3), K.Jones (4), P.Redman 2 (4), L.Lopez (4), R.Vazquez (1), B.Peterson (1). HP--R.Navarrete (1). SH--P.Lopez (0). SB--K.Binick (2). CS--L.Lopez (1). E--B.Nelson (1). LOB--L Island 10, Bridgeport 10. DP--P. Lopez(2B) - B. Peterson(1B), E. Rogers(SS) - P. Lopez(2B) - B. Peterson(1B). YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA L Island M.Loree 5.0 5 2 0 3 4 0 2.61 J.Lyman (L,1-1) 2.0 1 2 2 3 0 0 5.79 J.Hill 0.1 3 4 4 2 0 0 27.00 C.Graham 0.2 0 0 0 1 2 0 37.79 8 9 8 6 9 6 0 Bridgeport G.De La Vara 4.0 8 2 2 1 3 0 7.71 J.Bayliss (W,1-0) 3.0 1 0 0 0 3 0 0.00 R.Lewis 1.0 2 0 0 0 2 0 4.50 J.Bateman 1.0 0 0 0 1 1 0 9.00 9 11 2 2 2 9 0 WP--J.Lyman 2 (2). HB--J.Bayliss (1). SO--B.Nelson, B.Sing 2, R.Garko, L.Ford, J.McOwen 2, J.Johnson 2, J.Gathright, K.Jones, R.Vazquez, B.Peterson 2, L.Rodriguez. BB--J.Johnson, D.Lyons, P.Redman, L.Lopez, L.Rodriguez, P.Lopez 3, E.Rogers 3. BF--M.Loree 24 (45), J.Lyman 9 (19), J.Hill 6 (12), C.Graham 3 (15), G.De La Vara 20 (35), J.Bayliss 10 (21), R.Lewis 5 (12), J.Bateman 4 (15). P-S--M.Loree 97-56, J.Lyman 31-13, J.Hill 24-11, C.Graham 16-8, G.De La Vara 84-48, J.Bayliss 37-24, R.Lewis 22-14, J.Bateman 17-10. T--3:07. A--1087 Weather: Cool and Breezy Umpires: Plate Ump - Matt Hensel, Field Ump #1 - Chase Edmonson, Field Ump #3 - Matt Beaver