Six-run third propels Ducks to victory


(Bridgewater, N.J., May 20, 2016)
– The Long Island Ducks defeated the Somerset Patriots 9-3 in game one of the series Friday night in TD Bank Ballpark in Somerset, New Jersey.

The Ducks got on the board in the second inning, as catcher Mike Blanke drove in Sean Burroughs, giving Long Island an early 1-0 lead. Somerset came back in the bottom of the inning to tie things up as Mycal Jones drove in Matt Fields with a single.

The Ducks would take the lead back in the top of the third, as Lew Ford singled to right field to score Fehlandt Lentini. Two batters later, Sean Burroughs singled to right to score Ford. Cody Puckett then doubled, moving Burroughs to third, and Mike Blanke hit a three run home run to extend the Ducks lead to 7-1.

The Flock put up two more in the sixth, as Cody Puckett hit a line drive up the middle to score Lentini and Ford.

For the Patriots, Vinny Zarillo hit a sacrifice fly to left to bring in Mycal Jones in the seventh, and Yovan Gonzalez grounded out to score in Bryan LaHair, pushing the game to its final score.

Darin Downs (3-1) earned the win, tossing a season-high eight complete innings, allowing two runs on five hits, no walks, and a career-high 11 strikeouts. Mickey Storey (0-1) took the loss, throwing five complete innings, allowing seven runs on twelve hits, no walks, and six strikeouts.

The Ducks continue their road stretch with the second of three games against the Somerset Patriots on Friday night, with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m. from TD Bank Ballpark. Fans can follow all of the action live on the Ducks’ flagship radio station, 103.9-FM LI News Radio by CLICKING HERE.

Long Island returns home on Tuesday, May 24 to begin a three-game set against the Bridgeport Bluefish. 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 Two-Fer and Humana Senior Discounts Tuesday, and fans in attendance will be treated to a Grucci Fireworks Extravaganza. 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 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{508e0238204740d3d9c141f5965096b8721e890fc8446b80b243ba5070871f7e} of the US population. For more information, please visit www.atlanticleague.com.

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 Game Date: 05/20/2016 Long Island Ducks 9 AT Somerset Patriots 3 YTD YTD L Island AB R H BI AVG Somerset AB R H BI AVG Lentini, F RF 5 2 3 0 .286 Robinson, T CF 4 0 0 0 .265 Gotay, R 2B 5 0 0 0 .300 Eggleston, A LF 3 0 0 0 .291 Ford, L DH 5 2 2 1 .305 Zarrillo, V LF 0 0 0 1 .280 Colvin, T LF 4 1 1 0 .222 Farris, E 2B 4 0 1 0 .318 Vega, A LF 1 0 0 0 .244 LaHair, B DH 4 1 1 0 .276 Burroughs, S 1B 4 2 2 0 .290 Fields, M 1B 3 1 1 0 .255 Puckett, C 3B 5 1 3 4 .271 Guzman, C RF 4 0 0 0 .192 Blanke, M C 5 1 3 4 .236 Gonzalez, Y C 4 0 0 1 .250 Tekotte, B CF 4 0 1 0 .244 Jones, M 3B 4 1 2 1 .259 Wessinger, M SS 4 0 0 0 .150 Kelly, S SS 3 0 1 0 .289 42 9 15 9 33 3 6 3 L Island 0 1 6 0 0 2 0 0 0 - 9 15 1 Somerset 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 - 3 6 0 2B--Lentini, F RF (6), Burroughs, S 1B (5), Puckett, C 3B (6), Blanke, M C (1), Tekotte, B CF (8), Fields, M 1B (9), Jones, M 3B (6). HR--Blanke, M C (2). RBI--Ford, L DH (16), Puckett, C 3B 4 (16), Blanke, M C 4 (8), TOTALS 9 (0), Zarrillo, V LF (9), Gonzalez, Y C (9), Jones, M 3B (11), TOTALS 3 (0). HP--Burroughs, S 1B (2). SF--Zarrillo, V LF (1). SB--Lentini, F RF (10), Farris, E 2B (5), Jones, M 3B (7). E--Wessinger, M SS (4). LOB--L Island 7, Somerset 5. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA L Island Downs, D (W,3-1) 8.0 5 2 2 0 11 0 3.03 DeJiulio Jr., F 1.0 1 1 0 1 1 0 0.00 9 6 3 2 1 12 0 Somerset Storey, M (L,0-1) 5.0 12 7 7 0 6 1 5.18 Sisk, B 1.0 3 2 2 0 2 0 2.53 Meek, E 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 6.23 Bywater, M 2.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 6.14 9 15 9 9 0 10 1 PB--Blanke, M. HB--Sisk, B (1). SO--Lentini, F, Gotay, R 2, Colvin, T 2, Vega, A, Blanke, M, Tekotte, B 2, Wessinger, M, Robinson, T 4, LaHair, B 2, Fields, M 2, Guzman, C 3, Gonzalez, Y. BB--Fields, M. BF--Downs, D 30 (148), DeJiulio Jr., F 5 (23), Storey, M 27 (142), Sisk, B 7 (49), Meek, E 3 (25), Bywater, M 6 (72). P-S--Downs, D 113-82, DeJiulio Jr., F 24-15, Storey, M 100-72, Sisk, B 27-19, Meek, E 11-9, Bywater, M 15-12. T--2:49. A--6503 SOM, T3, PC mound visit; LI, B8, PC mound visit Weather: 70's; scattered clouds Plate Umpire - John Ramsey, Field Umpire #1 - J. B. Torres, Field Umpire #3 - Frank Bracato