(Photo courtesy of Jordan McGregor)
(Hagerstown, Md., July 22, 2026) – The Long Island Ducks and Hagerstown Flying Boxcars split a single admission doubleheader on Wednesday night at Meritus Park, with the Ducks taking game one 4-3 and the Flying Boxcars taking game two 2-1.
Robert Brooks gave Hagerstown a 2-0 lead in the second inning of game one with a two-run home run to left field off Ducks starter Nick Margevicius. Long Island closed to within 2-1 in the third on Kole Kaler’s sacrifice fly to right field. Jorge Bonifacio then put the Ducks in front 4-2 in the fourth with a two-out, three-run home run to left field off Flying Boxcars starter Robbie Baker.
Jordan Peyton’s RBI double to left-center in the fifth closed the gap to one. However, Sal Romano worked a scoreless sixth inning and Rafael Kelly pitched a scoreless seventh to preserve the lead for Long Island.
Margevicius (1-0) earned the win, tossing five innings of three-run ball, allowing six hits while striking out five. Baker (5-2) took the loss, giving up four runs on three hits and two walks in five innings with five strikeouts. Kelly picked up his sixth save with a 1-2-3 seventh inning, striking out two.
Hagerstown went in front 2-0 once again in game two on a two-run homer to right by Cade Fergus in the third inning off Ducks starter Ryan Langford. Long Island pulled to within a run in the fourth on Bonifacio’s opposite-field solo homer to right in the fourth off Flying Boxcars starter Nic Schutte.
The Ducks put the tying and go-ahead runs on in the seventh on back-to-back two-out walks by Wilmer Difo and Kole Kaler, but Kaler was caught stealing second base to end the game.
Jordan Peyton (3-0) picked up the win in relief with one and one-third scoreless innings, working around a hit. Langford (0-1) took the loss, giving up two runs on a hit and walk in two and one-third innings with two strikeouts. Clay Helvey earned his 11th save with a scoreless seventh inning, walking two and striking out one.
The Ducks and Flying Boxcars continue their six-game series on Thursday night. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at Meritus Park. Fans can follow all the action live on Dugout TV, powered by HomeTeam Network. Subscribe today by CLICKING HERE. Right-hander Michael Dominguez (5-2, 5.06) toes the rubber for the Ducks against Flying Boxcars righty Eddy Demurias (6-2, 4.60).
Long Island returns home on Tuesday, July 28, to begin a six-game series against the Staten Island FerryHawks. Game time is slated for 6:35 p.m., with the Fairfield Properties Ballpark gates opening at 5:35 (5:20 for full season ticket holders). The first 1,000 fans in attendance will receive QuackerJack Caps, courtesy of Built Different Sports. It will also be a Pat’s Marketplace Tuesday and Triple Play Tuesday at the ballpark. Tickets to the game and all Ducks games are now available and can be purchased by visiting the ballpark box office, calling (631) 940-TIXX or CLICKING HERE.
The Long Island Ducks are entering their 26th season of play in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball and play their home games at Fairfield Properties Ballpark in Central Islip, N.Y. They are the all-time leader in wins and attendance in Atlantic League history, have led all MLB Partner Leagues in total attendance for five consecutive seasons, and have sold out a record 726 games all-time. For further information, visit LIDucks.com or call 631-940-DUCK (3825).
About the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB)
Celebrating its third decade, the Atlantic League is Major League Baseball’s first Professional Partner League, a player gateway to the major leagues, and a leader in baseball innovation. Over its 27-year history, the ALPB has sent over 1,450 players to MLB organizations while drawing nearly 50 million fans to its 10 state-of-the-art ballparks that stretch from New York to North Carolina. Follow the action on DugoutTV.org.
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