Long Island wins wild ballgame to earn spot in Atlantic League playoffs
(Sugar Land, Texas, Sept. 15, 2018) – The Long Island Ducks defeated the Sugar Land Skeeters 5-3 in 11 innings on Saturday night in the fifth game of a six-game series at Constellation Field. With the win and the Somerset Patriots loss to the York Revolution on Saturday, the Ducks have clinched the Second Half Liberty Division title and a berth in the 2018 Atlantic League playoffs.
Long Island secured the victory by scoring a pair of two-out runs in the top of the 11th inning after Sugar Land rallied to tie the game at three in the ninth. Following a one-out infield single by Miles Williams, Jordany Valdespin grounded a two-out single up the middle, his third hit of the game. The ball was then misplayed by Anthony Giansanti in center field, allowing Williams to score the go-ahead run. Daniel Fields followed with an RBI single to right that plated Valdespin to make it a 5-3 ballgame.
Carlos Pimentel (5-3) got the win in relief, retiring all four batters he faced, striking out three of them. Casey Harman (0-1) took the loss, surrendering two runs on three hits in one inning of relief. Ashur Tolliver earned his second save of the season with a 1-2-3 bottom of the 11th inning, striking out the side in order.
The victory earns Long Island its fourth consecutive Atlantic League playoff berth and second straight Second Half Liberty Division title. The Ducks will now host the Somerset Patriots in the Liberty Division Championship Series for a fourth consecutive season. Long Island will host Games One and Two of the best-of-five series at Bethpage Ballpark on Wednesday, September 19th and Thursday, September 20th, respectively. First pitch for both games will be at 6:35 p.m. The series will then shift to TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater, N.J. on Friday, September 21st for Game Three. If necessary, Games Four and Five will be on Saturday, September 22nd and Sunday, September 23rd, respectively.
Should the Ducks advance, they will face the winner of the Freedom Division Championship Series between the Sugar Land Skeeters and Lancaster Barnstormers in the Atlantic League Championship Series. Games One and Two will be at Sugar Land or Lancaster on Tuesday, September 25th and Wednesday, September 26th. The Ducks would then host Games Three, Four (if necessary) and Five (if necessary) on Friday, September 28th, Satruday, September 29th, and Sunday, September 30th. Games Three and Four will begin at 6:35 p.m., while Game Five will get underway at 5:05 p.m.
Tickets for all five potential playoff games at Bethpage Ballpark are on sale now. Fans can purchase their tickets today by visiting the Bethpage Ballpark box office, calling (631) 940-TIXX, CLICKING HERE or visiting the Ducks Mobile App.
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 38 million fans have attended Atlantic League games and more than 900 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.
For more information, please visit www.atlanticleague.com.
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Game Date: 09/15/2018 Long Island Ducks 5 AT Sugar Land Skeeters 3 (EXTRA INNINGS) YTD YTD L Island AB R H BI AVG Sugar Land AB R H BI AVG Valdespin, J 2B 6 1 3 0 .338 Giansanti, A CF 5 1 1 0 .293 Fields, D CF 5 0 3 1 .267 Norris, D DH 5 0 1 1 .257 Ford, L DH 6 0 0 0 .293 Barnes, B LF 4 0 0 0 .247 Ard, T 3B 5 1 1 0 .274 Silverio, J 3B 5 0 0 0 .311 Washington, D 1B 3 1 0 0 .223 Chavez, M 1B 5 0 1 0 .320 Cabrera, R C 5 1 3 1 .268 Cordero, A C 4 1 0 0 .288 Silva, R LF 4 0 0 1 .248 Phipps, D RF 4 0 1 0 .265 Williams, M RF 5 1 2 1 .259 Dykstra, L 2B 0 0 0 0 .234 Lyons, D SS 5 0 0 0 .227 Thomas, T 2B 4 0 1 0 .111 Rondon, A SS 4 1 2 1 .279 44 5 12 4 40 3 7 2 L Island 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 - 5 12 1 Sugar Land 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 - 3 7 3 2B--Fields, D CF 2 (21), Ard, T 3B (20), Cabrera, R C (21), Williams, M RF (6), Giansanti, A CF (22), Phipps, D RF (15), Thomas, T 2B (1). RBI--Fields, D CF (40), Cabrera, R C (31), Silva, R LF (15), Williams, M RF (14), TOTALS 4 (0), Norris, D DH (56), Rondon, A SS (39), TOTALS 2 (0). HP--Washington, D 1B (2). SF--Silva, R LF (2). SB--Norris, D DH (8), Rondon, A SS (37). E--Marshall, B P (1), Giansanti, A CF 2 (13), Thomas, T 2B (1). LOB--L Island 10, Sugar Land 9. DP--J. Valdespin(2B) - T. Ard(3B) - D. Washington(1B), D. Lyons(SS) - J. Valdespin(2B) - D. Washington(1B). YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA L Island Marshall, B 5.1 5 2 1 4 4 0 4.56 Cuas, J 0.2 0 0 0 1 0 0 2.38 Grover, T 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1.80 Abad, F 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.48 Rodriguez, F 0.2 2 1 1 0 0 0 2.76 Pimentel, C (W,5-3) 1.1 0 0 0 0 3 0 3.13 Tolliver, A (S,2) 1.0 0 0 0 0 3 0 4.05 11 7 3 2 5 13 0 Sugar Land Mariot, M 4.0 6 3 3 1 2 0 1.93 Sitton, K 1.0 1 0 0 0 2 0 3.71 Wimmers, A 1.0 0 0 0 0 3 0 3.77 Runzler, D 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2.81 De Leon, J 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0.00 Haynes, M 1.0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1.99 Loop, D 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 5.40 Harman, C (L,0-1) 1.0 3 2 0 0 2 0 2.25 11 12 5 3 2 12 0 WP--Marshall, B (3). HB--Mariot, M (1). SO--Fields, D, Ford, L, Ard, T 2, Washington, D, Cabrera, R 2, Silva, R, Williams, M 2, Lyons, D 2, Barnes, B 2, Silverio, J 3, Chavez, M 3, Phipps, D 2, Thomas, T, Rondon, A 2. BB--Fields, D, Washington, D, Barnes, B, Cordero, A, Phipps, D, Thomas, T, Rondon, A. BF--Marshall, B 26 (63), Cuas, J 2 (93), Grover, T 3 (20), Abad, F 3 (77), Rodriguez, F 4 (179), Pimentel, C 4 (230), Tolliver, A 3 (208), Mariot, M 19 (58), Sitton, K 5 (279), Wimmers, A 3 (116), Runzler, D 3 (211), De Leon, J 4 (7), Haynes, M 5 (90), Loop, D 3 (43), Harman, C 6 (18). P-S--Marshall, B 95-59, Cuas, J 13-8, Grover, T 15-11, Abad, F 15-12, Rodriguez, F 15-9, Pimentel, C 16-11, Tolliver, A 17-11, Mariot, M 60-39, Sitton, K 18-14, Wimmers, A 15-10, Runzler, D 11-6, De Leon, J 13-9, Haynes, M 21-12, Loop, D 17-11, Harman, C 26-18. T--4:05. A--6511 Weather: 84 Degrees; Mostly Cloudy Plate Umpire - Andrew Larkin, Field Umpire #1 - 1B: Sal Loya, Field Umpire #2 - 3B: Chris Cervantes