Ducks fall in series opener despite Mark Blackmar’s strong start
(Central Islip, N.Y., May 24, 2016) – The Long Island Ducks were defeated by the Bridgeport Bluefish 5-1 on Tuesday night in the opener of a three-game series at Bethpage Ballpark.
GAME AUDIO: Lew Ford’s team-leading fourth homer of the season
POSTGAME VIDEO: Kevin Baez and Mark Blackmar talk about the series opener
Both starters dazzled on the mound, though neither factored into the decision. Ducks starter Mark Blackmar pitched seven scoreless innings, giving up just four hits and one walk while striking out two. Bluefish starter Mike Antonini did not allow a run in six innings of work, yielding just five hits and a walk with three strikeouts.
No runs came across until the top of the eighth when Bridgeport struck for four two-out runs. A bases loaded walk to Josh Vitters and a three-run double off the bat of Luis Domoromo did the damage. Lew Ford launched a solo home run to left field in the bottom of the inning to close the gap to three. However, a RBI single by Luis Hernandez in the ninth pushed the Bluefish lead to 5-1.
Joseph Kuzia (1-0) collected the win after pitching a scoreless seventh inning, allowing two hits while striking out one. Eury De La Rosa (0-2) suffered the loss, surrendering four unearned runs on two hits and two walks in one inning.
Cody Puckett led the way offensively for Long Island with two hits.
The Ducks and Bluefish continue their three-game set on Wednesday night. 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 1,000 fans in attendance will receive Mike Loree 2011 Atlantic League Pitcher of the Year Award Pins as part four of six in the 2016 Collector’s Series. It’s also a Winning Inning Wednesday, and fans will have the chance to win $10,000 throughout the ballgame. Right-hander John Brownell takes the mound for the Ducks against Bluefish righty R.J. Hively.
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. Those unable to make the game can follow all of the action live on the Ducks’ official YouTube channel. Streaming video and audio will be available online by 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{f7b134541f126dcd33819b5eec9a91dff238b58155023223dba97c27371a7fb5} of the US population.
For more information, please visit www.atlanticleague.com.
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Game Date: 05/24/2016 Bridgeport Bluefish 5 AT Long Island Ducks 1 YTD YTD Bridgeport AB R H BI AVG L Island AB R H BI AVG Hernandez, L SS 5 1 2 1 .282 Lentini, F RF 4 0 0 0 .268 Rodriguez, L 2B 4 0 0 0 .265 Lyons, D SS 4 0 1 0 .255 Cuevas, J 1B 4 1 2 0 .236 Ford, L CF 4 1 1 1 .322 Johnson, D DH 3 1 0 0 .200 Colvin, T DH 4 0 1 0 .226 Vitters, J 3B 3 1 0 1 .219 Burroughs, S 1B 4 0 1 0 .295 Domoromo, L RF 4 0 1 3 .143 Puckett, C 3B 3 0 2 0 .287 Giansanti, A CF 4 0 1 0 .208 Vega, A PR 0 0 0 0 .235 David, C C 3 1 1 0 .313 Wessinger, M 3B 0 0 0 0 .170 Nunez, L LF 4 0 1 0 .237 Gotay, R 2B 4 0 1 0 .323 Blanke, M C 4 0 1 0 .284 Tekotte, B LF 3 0 0 0 .214 34 5 8 5 34 1 8 1 Bridgeport 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 1 - 5 8 0 L Island 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 - 1 8 1 2B--Domoromo, L RF (3). HR--Ford, L CF (4). RBI--Hernandez, L SS (12), Vitters, J 3B (12), Domoromo, L RF 3 (6), TOTALS 5 (0), Ford, L CF (19), TOTALS (0). HP--David, C C (1). E--Blanke, M C (3). LOB--Bridgeport 7, L Island 8. DP--L. Rodriguez(2B) - J. Vitters(3B) - J. Cuevas(1B). YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA Bridgeport Antonini, M 6.0 5 0 0 1 3 0 2.95 Kuzia, J (W,1-0) 1.0 2 0 0 0 1 0 5.52 Thompson, T 1.0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1.47 Shuman, S 1.0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0.71 9 8 1 1 2 7 1 L Island Blackmar, M 7.0 4 0 0 1 2 0 1.26 De La Rosa, E (L,0-2) 1.0 2 4 0 2 0 0 3.18 Blewett, D 1.0 2 1 1 0 2 0 4.77 9 8 5 1 3 4 0 HB--Blewett, D (1). SO--Cuevas, J, Vitters, J, Giansanti, A, David, C, Ford, L, Burroughs, S, Gotay, R 2, Blanke, M 2, Tekotte, B. BB--Rodriguez, L, Cuevas, J, Vitters, J, Wessinger, M, Tekotte, B. BF--Antonini, M 23 (152), Kuzia, J 5 (67), Thompson, T 4 (67), Shuman, S 4 (57), Blackmar, M 26 (132), De La Rosa, E 7 (50), Blewett, D 6 (50). P-S--Antonini, M 100-57, Kuzia, J 23-15, Thompson, T 16-10, Shuman, S 23-14, Blackmar, M 85-55, De La Rosa, E 41-22, Blewett, D 19-14. T--3:05. A--5028 Plate Umpire - Derek Moccia, Field Umpire #1 - JB Torres, Field Umpire #2 - Warren Nicholson