Long Island and Somerset meet in first round rematch
(Central Islip, N.Y., Sept. 19, 2016) – The 2016 regular season has come to a close, meaning it is once again time for the Atlantic League playoffs to begin. The first half champion Long Island Ducks will face the second half champion Somerset Patriots in the best-of-five Liberty Division Championship Series. The winner of the series will advance to the best-of-five Atlantic League Championship Series, where they will battle the winner of the Freedom Division Championship Series between the first half champion York Revolution and second half champion Sugar Land Skeeters.
SERIES SCHEDULE
| Game One |
Ducks at Patriots | 7:05 p.m. | TD Bank Ballpark |
| Game Two | Ducks at Patriots | 7:05 p.m. | TD Bank Ballpark |
| Game Three | Patriots at Ducks | 6:35 p.m. | Bethpage Ballpark |
| Game Four* | Patriots at Ducks | 6:35 p.m. | Bethpage Ballpark |
| Game Five* | Patriots at Ducks | 5:05 p.m. | Bethpage Ballpark |
| *If Necessary |
HEAD-TO-HEAD HISTORY
This year marks the third time the Ducks and Patriots will face in the postseason. The two teams first met in the 2013 Atlantic League Championship Series, with the Ducks winning the series three games to two and claiming their third league title overall and second consecutive championship. Both teams met again in the 2015 Liberty Division Championship Series, with the Patriots coming from behind for a three games to two win. They would go on to claim their league-high sixth Atlantic League title when they defeated the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs in the Championship Series. Long Island has won three of the four postseason games between the teams at Bethpage Ballpark, while the Patriots have claimed four of the six matchups at TD Bank Ballpark.
During the regular season, the Ducks and Patriots have faced each other 325 times. Somerset holds a very slim 163-162 lead overall and has an 84-76 lead at TD Bank Ballpark, while the Ducks hold an 86-79 advantage at Bethpage Ballpark. This season, the two teams evenly split their 20 meetings for the second time in three years. Long Island went 6-4 in Central Islip, while Somerset had a 6-4 edge in Bridgewater. The Patriots took seven of 10 meetings between the teams in the first half, but the Ducks responded by doing the same in the second half. The two sides have not faced each other since splitting a four-game set at Bethpage Ballpark from August 8-11.
ROSTERS
Below is the active Divisional Playoff Roster for the Long Island Ducks and Somerset Patriots.
| Long Island Ducks | Somerset Patriots | |
| PITCHERS |
PITCHERS | |
| Bobby Blevins (RHP) | Randy Boone (RHP) |
|
| John Brownell (RHP) | Alexis Candelario (RHP) | |
| Danny Burawa (RHP) | Jose De La Torre (RHP) | |
| Todd Coffey (RHP) | Shaun Garceau (RHP) | |
| Patrick Crider (LHP) | Jon Hunton (RHP) | |
| Amalio Diaz (RHP) | Connor Little (RHP) | |
| Daniel Herrera (LHP) | Jim Miller (RHP) | |
| Matt Larkins (RHP) | Kyler Newby (RHP) | |
| Jarret Leverett (LHP) | Efrain Nieves (LHP) | |
| James Lomangino (RHP) | William Oliver (RHP) | |
| Luis Perdomo (RHP) | Mickey Storey (RHP) | |
| Nick Struck (RHP) | Mike Thomas (LHP) | |
| Zac Treece (RHP) | Nik Turley (LHP) | |
| CATCHERS | CATCHERS | |
| Mike Blanke | Yovan Gonzalez | |
| Mike Dowd | Rob Kral | |
| INFIELDERS | INFIELDERS | |
| Tyler Colvin | Eric Farris | |
| Ruben Gotay | Scott Kelly | |
| Carlos Hughes | Bryan LaHair | |
| Dan Lyons | Josh Mazzola | |
| Cody Puckett | Kyle Roller | |
| Matt Wessinger | David Vidal | |
| OUTFIELDERS | OUTFIELDERS | |
| Delta Cleary Jr. | Aharon Eggleston | |
| Lew Ford | Carlos Guzman | |
| Fehlandt Lentini | Brian Van Kirk | |
| Anthony Vega | Vinny Zarrillo | |
| COACHES | COACHES | |
| Kevin Baez – Manager | Brett Jodie – Manager | |
| Lew Ford – Bench Coach | Glen Barker – Hitting/Third Base Coach | |
| Bud Harrelson – First Base Coach | Cory Domel – Pitching Coach | |
| Bullpen Catcher – Greg DePalma | Fox Beyer – First Base Coach | |
| Mike Kerns – Bullpen Coach |
PITCHING MATCHUPS
The following are the probable pitching matchups for the series. Somerset’s starters are what has currently been provided, and we will update here upon learning the remaining starters:
Game One
Ducks: RHP John Brownell (10-8, 3.30 ERA) vs. Patriots: RHP Will Oliver (7-2, 3.30 ERA)
Game Two
Ducks: RHP Matt Larkins (1-0, 3.21 ERA) vs. Patriots: LHP Nik Turley (5-1, 2.02 ERA)
Game Three
Patriots: TBA vs. Ducks: RHP Nick Struck (4-5, 3.34 ERA)
Game Four
Patriots: TBA vs. Ducks: LHP Jarret Leverett (6-9, 3.74 ERA)
Game Five
Patriots: TBA vs. Ducks: TBA
FOLLOW ALONG
Those unable to make it out to the ballpark can follow all the action live for all five potential games on the Ducks’ official YouTube channel. Streaming audio for each game, including video for each home game, will be available online by CLICKING HERE.
PROMOTIONS AND TICKET LINKS
The first 1,000 fans in attendance at every Ducks home game will receive Playoff Rally Towels, courtesy of News 12 Long Island.
Tickets to all Ducks home postseason games are available by visiting the Bethpage Ballpark box office, calling (631) 940-TIXX or CLICKING HERE.
Those wishing to attend Games One and Two at TD Bank Ballpark can purchase tickets by calling (908) 252-0700 or visiting www.somersetpatriots.com.
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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