(Photo courtesy of Joe Doll)
(Hagerstown, Md., June 15, 2024) – The Long Island Ducks defeated the Hagerstown Flying Boxcars 6-4 in a suspended game from Friday night at Meritus Park while Hagerstown was victorious in the regularly scheduled Saturday night contest 2-1 in seven innings of play.
In the suspended ballgame, Long Island took a 2-0 lead three batters into the contest as Ryan McBroom launched a two-run home run to left field against Hagerstown starter Dylan Sabia. The visitors took a 4-0 edge in the second by way of a two-run double off the bat of Tyler Dearden. The Flying Boxcars plated single runs in consecutive innings versus Ducks starter Stephen Woods Jr. on an RBI double from Justin Williams and a run-scoring single by Jalen Williams, but the Flock made it 5-2 in their favor when Ivan Castillo cracked a leadoff four-bagger in the fourth. Leading 5-4 in the eighth, Long Island added an insurance run on a sacrifice fly from Hector Gomez that plated Alex McGarry.
Woods Jr. did not factor in the decision after allowing two runs on four hits in four innings pitched, walking five and striking out two. Sabia (1-1) was tagged with the loss, surrendering five runs (three earned) on eight hits in four and two-thirds innings on the mound, walking four while striking out two. Ramon Santos (3-1) picked up the win in relief after firing a scoreless inning, walking and striking out a pair. Matt Seelinger shut the door with a scoreless ninth for his team-leading eighth save of the campaign.
McBroom led the way offensively with two extra-base hits including a double and a home run along with a pair of RBIs and a run scored.
In the regularly scheduled game, Long Island took a 1-0 advantage in the fourth as Chance Sisco was hit by a pitch thrown by Hagerstown reliever Rob Klinchock with the bases loaded that plated Scott Kelly. The Flying Boxcars got even in the fifth in the versus Ducks starter Wei-Yin Chen courtesy of an RBI single by Andres Noriega and took the lead in the sixth on Curtis Terry’s run-scoring base knock.
Hagerstown starter Alex Katz registered a no-decision despite retiring all nine batters he faced across three innings, striking out five in the process. Chen (2-4) suffered the loss, allowing two runs on six hits across five and one-third innings pitched, walking four and striking out three. Edubray Ramos (1-0) was the winner in relief tossing a scoreless frame with one strikeout, and Rodolfo Sanchez tallied his first save of the season.
Kelly and Castillo had a hit apiece, and Frank Schwindel drew a walk in his first game back off the injured list.
The Ducks and Flying Boxcars wrap up their three-game set on Sunday night. First pitch is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. from Meritus Park. Fans can follow all the action live on FloBaseball by CLICKING HERE. Left-hander Jimmy Robbins (0-2, 10.00) gets the nod for Long Island against Hagerstown righty Marvin Gorgas (1-3, 8.21)
Long Island returns home on Tuesday, June 18, to begin a three-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 1,500 fans in attendance will receive Ducks Foam Fingers, courtesy of Drake’s Cakes. It’s also a Francesco’s Trattoria Tuesday and a Triple Play Tuesday at the ballpark. Tickets for the game, and all Ducks games, are available by visiting the Fairfield Properties Ballpark box office, calling (631) 940-TIXX or CLICKING HERE.
The Ducks are in their 24th 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, led all MLB Partner Leagues in attendance in 2023, and have sold out a record 707 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 25-year history, the ALPB has sent over 1,400 players to MLB organizations while drawing over 47 million fans to its family-friendly ballparks. Please visit www.AtlanticLeague.com.
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