Long Island rallies from 0-2 series deficit to earn fifth division title
(Central Islip, N.Y., Sept. 25, 2016) – The Long Island Ducks defeated the Somerset Patriots 5-1 on Sunday night in Game Five of the Liberty Division Championship Series at Bethpage Ballpark. Long Island wins the best-of-five series three games to two and are the 2016 Liberty Division champions.
GAME AUDIO: Highlights from the Division Championship-clinching victory
POSTGAME VIDEO: Kevin Baez, John Brownell, Lew Ford and Todd Coffey talk about the series win
CLUBHOUSE VIDEO: The champagne begins flowing in the Ducks clubhouse following the victory
The Ducks went to work right away with four runs in the first inning against Patriots starter Will Oliver. A wild pitch that scored Fehlandt Lentini, RBI doubles by Lew Ford and Ruben Gotay and an RBI single from Tyler Colvin gave Long Island the early lead. Another run-scoring wild pitch in the second plated Anthony Vega to increase the lead to 5-0.
After retiring the first 12 Patriots batters, Ducks starter John Brownell allowed Somerset’s lone run in the fifth inning. With the bases loaded and no one out, Eric Farris’ sacrifice fly to center field scored Bryan LaHair to close the gap to four. However, Rob Kral grounded into a fielder’s choice and Scott Kelly popped out to right to end the threat.
Four Ducks relievers helped preserved the victory. Patrick Crider escaped a two-on, two-out jam in the sixth, Zac Treece struck out both hitters he faced, and Amalio Diaz tossed a scoreless eighth, striking out two. Todd Coffey struck out the first two batters of the ninth before allowing a double to Carlos Guzman. However, Farris grounded to short to end the game and the series.
Brownell (1-0) earned the win, tossing five and two-thirds innings of one-run ball, allowing just three hits while striking out two. Oliver (0-1) suffered the loss, surrendering five runs (two earned) on five hits and two walks with four strikeouts over seven innings. Coffey collected his second save of the postseason with a scoreless ninth.
Ford led the Flock offensively with two hits, an RBI and a run scored.
The Ducks now advance to the Atlantic League Championship Series where they will face the Freedom Division champion Sugar Land Skeeters in a best-of-five series. Game One is scheduled for Tuesday night at 8:05 p.m. EDT from Constellation Field. Fans can follow all the action live on the Ducks’ official YouTube channel. Streaming video and audio will be available online by CLICKING HERE.
After playing the first two games in Texas, the series will shift to Long Island for Game Three on Friday, September 30. 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 Playoff Rally Towels, courtesy of News 12 Long Island. Tickets to the game and all Ducks home postseason 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 36 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: 09/25/2016 Somerset Patriots 1 AT Long Island Ducks 5 YTD YTD Somerset AB R H BI AVG L Island AB R H BI AVG Zarrillo, V CF 4 0 1 0 .235 Lentini, F RF 4 1 1 0 .333 Eggleston, A LF 3 0 0 0 .200 Lyons, D SS 3 1 0 0 .167 Vidal, D 3B 4 0 0 0 .231 Cleary Jr., D CF 2 0 0 0 .053 LaHair, B 1B 4 1 2 0 .238 Ford, L DH 4 1 2 1 .263 Roller, K DH 4 0 1 0 .167 Puckett, C 3B 4 0 0 0 .211 Guzman, C RF 4 0 1 0 .316 Gotay, R 2B 3 1 1 1 .313 Farris, E 2B 3 0 0 1 .143 Colvin, T 1B 3 0 1 1 .235 Kral, R C 3 0 0 0 .000 Dowd, M C 3 0 0 0 .125 Kelly, S SS 3 0 0 0 .444 Vega, A LF 2 1 1 0 .417 32 1 5 1 28 5 6 3 Somerset 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 - 1 5 1 L Island 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 x - 5 6 1 2B--Guzman, C RF (2), Ford, L DH (1), Gotay, R 2B (1). RBI--Farris, E 2B (3), TOTALS (0), Ford, L DH (3), Gotay, R 2B (2), Colvin, T 1B (2), TOTALS 3 (0). SF--Farris, E 2B (1). SH--Cleary Jr., D CF (0). E--Kral, R C (1), Brownell, J P (1). LOB--Somerset 6, L Island 3. DP--E. Farris(2B) - S. Kelly(SS) - B. LaHair(1B). YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA Somerset Oliver, W (L,0-1) 7.0 5 5 2 2 4 0 2.57 Miller, J 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0.00 8 6 5 2 2 5 0 L Island Brownell, J (W,1-0) 5.2 3 1 1 0 2 0 2.31 Crider, P 0.2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 Treece, Z 0.2 0 0 0 0 2 0 0.00 Diaz, A 1.0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0.00 Coffey, T 1.0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0.00 9 5 1 1 1 8 0 WP--Oliver, W 3 (3). SO--Zarrillo, V 2, Vidal, D 2, LaHair, B, Roller, K, Farris, E, Kral, R, Cleary Jr., D, Puckett, C, Colvin, T, Dowd, M, Vega, A. BB--Eggleston, A, Cleary Jr., D, Vega, A. BF--Oliver, W 28 (58), Miller, J 4 (7), Brownell, J 21 (47), Crider, P 3 (7), Treece, Z 2 (6), Diaz, A 4 (17), Coffey, T 4 (11). P-S--Oliver, W 112-73, Miller, J 13-9, Brownell, J 87-54, Crider, P 14-8, Treece, Z 11-7, Diaz, A 15-9, Coffey, T 17-12. T--2:34. A--2229 Plate Umpire - Fred DeJesus, Field Umpire #1 - John Grasso, Field Umpire #2 - Richard Katz, Field Umpire #3 - Don Gollar