Seventh-inning blast breaks 1-1 tie
(Waldorf, Md., July 23, 2016) – The Long Island Ducks were defeated by the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs 2-1 on Saturday night in the middle game of a three-game set at Regency Furniture Stadium.
GAME AUDIO: Mark Minicozzi’s RBI single
The Ducks took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on Mark Minicozzi’s RBI single, but Southern Maryland tied the game on a throwing error in the bottom of the frame. In the seventh, Gary Brown’s go-ahead solo homer off Ducks reliever Eury De La Rosa gave the Blue Crabs a 2-1 lead. Long Island had the tying run on in the ninth, but Mike Blanke grounded into a double play to end the game.
Neither starter factored in the decision. Long Island’s Bruce Kern tossed six innings of six-hit ball, allowing one unearned run while striking out five and walking two. Daryl Thompson struck out six over six innings for Southern Maryland, yielding one run on five hits and three walks. Scott Maine (1-2) collected the win, striking out one in one inning. Eury De La Rosa (2-3) surrendered the loss, allowing one run on one hit in one inning. Cody Eppley earned his 16th save with a scoreless ninth.
Minicozzi tallied three hits to lead Long Island, while Cody Puckett had two hits and scored the Ducks’ lone run.
The Ducks and Blue Crabs wrap up their three-game series Sunday afternoon. Game time is slated for 2:05 p.m. from Regency Furniture Stadium. Fans can follow all of the action live on the Ducks’ official YouTube channel. Streaming audio will be available online by CLICKING HERE. Left-hander Dustin Richardson (1-0, 2.53 ERA) gets the start for Long Island against Southern Maryland righty Brian Grening (4-4, 3.60 ERA).
Long Island returns home on Monday, July 25 to start a three-game series with the New Britain Bees. 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). It’s Irish Night at the ballpark, presented by Shandon Court. The first 1,500 fans in attendance will receive Ducks Stadium Cups. In addition, it’s a LaVida Massage Monday. Free massages will be available on the concourse during the game, and one lucky fan will go home with a special massage package, courtesy of LaVida Massage of Smithtown, the official massage therapy and skin care center of the Ducks. 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 35 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: 07/23/2016 Long Island Ducks 1 AT Southern Maryland Blue Crabs 2 YTD YTD L Island AB R H BI AVG S Maryland AB R H BI AVG Vega, A LF 3 0 1 0 .278 Richardson, A LF 4 0 0 0 .179 Lentini, F RF 4 0 0 0 .317 Myers, D RF 3 0 1 0 .287 Cleary Jr., D CF 3 0 0 0 .317 Nelson, B 3B 4 0 1 0 .293 Puckett, C 3B 4 1 2 0 .288 Marte, A DH 4 0 1 0 .251 Lyons, D SS 3 0 0 0 .303 Molina, G C 4 0 1 0 .328 Minicozzi, M 1B 4 0 3 1 .370 Wilson, Z 1B 2 1 1 0 .276 Colvin, T DH 4 0 0 0 .238 Garcia, E SS 3 0 1 0 .227 Blanke, M C 4 0 1 0 .258 Brown, G CF 3 1 1 1 .218 Wessinger, M 2B 3 0 0 0 .197 Sanchez, A 2B 3 0 0 0 .239 32 1 7 1 30 2 7 1 L Island 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 1 7 1 S Maryland 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 x - 2 7 0 HR--Brown, G CF (3). RBI--Minicozzi, M 1B (10), TOTALS (0), Brown, G CF (12), TOTALS (0). SB--Myers, D RF (20). CS--Vega, A LF (6). E--Puckett, C 3B (10). LOB--L Island 7, S Maryland 6. DP--E. Garcia(SS) - Z. Wilson(1B), M. Wessinger(2B) - C. Puckett(3B) - M. Minicozzi(1B), M. Wessinger(2B) - D. Lyons(SS) - M. Minicozzi(1B). YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA L Island Kern, B 6.0 6 1 0 2 5 0 2.17 De La Rosa, E (L,2-3) 1.0 1 1 1 0 1 1 3.00 Diaz, A 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2.41 8 7 2 1 2 8 1 S Maryland Thompson, D 6.0 5 1 1 3 6 0 5.07 Moore, N 0.2 0 0 0 0 2 0 2.39 Maine, S (W,1-2) 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2.95 Stem, C 0.1 1 0 0 0 1 0 5.85 Eppley, C (S,16) 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2.87 9 7 1 1 3 10 0 WP--Thompson, D (3). SO--Vega, A 2, Lentini, F, Lyons, D, Minicozzi, M, Colvin, T, Blanke, M 2, Wessinger, M 2, Richardson, A 3, Myers, D 2, Marte, A, Molina, G, Garcia, E. BB--Vega, A, Cleary Jr., D, Lyons, D, Myers, D, Wilson, Z. BF--Kern, B 25 (267), De La Rosa, E 4 (138), Diaz, A 3 (128), Thompson, D 25 (350), Moore, N 2 (168), Maine, S 3 (101), Stem, C 2 (49), Eppley, C 3 (154). P-S--Kern, B 82-54, De La Rosa, E 9-8, Diaz, A 11-8, Thompson, D 90-61, Moore, N 12-8, Maine, S 7-7, Stem, C 11-6, Eppley, C 10-5. T--2:27. A--4596 Weather: Clear, 94 degrees Plate Umpire - Justin Sims, Field Umpire #1 - John Epperson, Field Umpire #2 - Donald Mayer