Ninth inning rally falls short for Long Island

(Central Islip, N.Y. June 3, 2016) – The Long Island Ducks were defeated by the Sugar Land Skeeters 3-1 on Friday night in the opener of a three-game series at Bethpage Ballpark.

GAME AUDIO: Anthony Vega’s bases loaded walk

POSTGAME VIDEO: Kevin Baez and Jack Snodgrass talk about the game

Jeremy Barfield’s RBI single with two outs in the first inning opened the scoring as the Skeeters took a 1-0 lead. The Ducks evened the score in the fourth inning when Anthony Vega drew a walk with the bases loaded, making it 1-1.

The Skeeters responded in the top of the fifth, as Jeff Dominguez scored from third when Delwyn Young grounded into a double play to take a 2-1 lead. In the ninth, Barfield hit a solo home run to left-center field to give the Skeeters a 3-1 advantage.

Sugar Land starter Sean Gallagher (4-3) earned the win, tossing eight innings of one-run ball on four hits with nine strikeouts and five walks. Ducks starter Jack Snodgrass (4-4) took the loss, surrendering two runs on seven hits with five strikeouts and three walks over six innings. Derrick Loop recorded his 10th save, pitching a scoreless ninth inning despite allowing the Ducks to load the bases.

Sean Burroughs and Mike Dowd each had two hits, while Vega reached base three times.

The Ducks and Skeeters continue their three-game series on Saturday night. Game time is slated for 6:35 p.m., with the Bethpage Ballpark gates opening at 5:35 (5:20 for full season ticket holders). Following the game, all fans in attendance will enjoy a Grucci Fireworks Extravaganza. As fans exit the ballpark, Ducks staff members will be handing out coupons for $10 off a purchase of $50 or more at Dick’s Sporting Goods. Long Island righty Mark Blackmar (3-1, 1.77 ERA) toes the rubber against Sugar Land lefty Aaron Thompson (1-0, 2.60 ERA).

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. Those unable to make the game can follow all the action live on the Ducks’ flagship radio station, 103.9-FM LI News Radio. Streaming video and audio will also be available online via the Ducks’ official YouTube channel by 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{f7b134541f126dcd33819b5eec9a91dff238b58155023223dba97c27371a7fb5} of the US population.

For more information, please visit www.atlanticleague.com.

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 Game Date: 06/03/2016 Sugar Land Skeeters 3 AT Long Island Ducks 1 YTD YTD Sugar Land AB R H BI AVG L Island AB R H BI AVG Dominguez, J DH 5 2 3 0 .273 Lentini, F RF 4 0 1 0 .312 Hague, R 2B 3 0 0 0 .275 Lyons, D SS 4 0 0 0 .288 Young, D 1B 5 0 0 0 .276 Gotay, R 2B 4 0 0 0 .290 Barfield, J LF 3 1 2 2 .318 Colvin, T 1B 3 0 0 0 .254 Tosoni, R CF 5 0 3 0 .347 Burroughs, S 3B 4 1 2 0 .277 Matthes, K RF 3 0 0 0 .234 Blanke, M DH 4 0 1 0 .266 Weems, B SS 4 0 0 0 .183 Tekotte, B CF 3 0 0 0 .244 Palmeiro, P 3B 3 0 1 0 .225 Wessinger, M PH 1 0 0 0 .200 Rodriguez, W C 4 0 1 0 .226 Dowd, M C 3 0 2 0 .351 Vega, A LF 0 0 0 1 .268 Puckett, C PH 1 0 0 0 .286 35 3 10 2 31 1 6 1 Sugar Land 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 - 3 10 0 L Island 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 - 1 6 1 2B--Dominguez, J DH (9). 3B--Dominguez, J DH (1). HR--Barfield, J LF (8). RBI--Barfield, J LF 2 (30), TOTALS 2 (0), Vega, A LF (19), TOTALS (0). HP--Matthes, K RF (3), Vega, A LF (2). SH--Hague, R 2B (0), Lentini, F RF (0). CS--Vega, A LF (2). E--Burroughs, S 3B (4). LOB--Sugar Land 11, L Island 11. DP--R. Gotay(2B) - D. Lyons(SS) - T. Colvin(1B), R. Gotay(2B) - D. Lyons(SS) - T. Colvin(1B), W. Rodriguez(C) - R. Hague(2B). YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA Sugar Land Gallagher, S (W,4-3) 8.0 4 1 1 5 9 0 2.50 Loop, D (S,10) 1.0 2 0 0 1 1 0 0.53 9 6 1 1 6 10 0 L Island Snodgrass, J (L,4-4) 6.0 7 2 2 3 5 0 3.35 De La Rosa, E 1.0 1 0 0 1 2 0 2.76 Diaz, A 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3.31 Coffey, T 1.0 1 1 1 0 1 1 3.27 9 10 3 3 4 8 1 HB--Gallagher, S (3), De La Rosa, E (2). SO--Hague, R 3, Tosoni, R, Matthes, K, Weems, B, Rodriguez, W 2, Lentini, F, Lyons, D, Gotay, R 2, Colvin, T, Burroughs, S, Blanke, M, Tekotte, B, Wessinger, M, Dowd, M. BB--Hague, R, Barfield, J 2, Palmeiro, P, Lyons, D, Gotay, R, Colvin, T, Dowd, M, Vega, A 2. BF--Gallagher, S 33 (221), Loop, D 6 (69), Snodgrass, J 28 (196), De La Rosa, E 6 (71), Diaz, A 3 (63), Coffey, T 4 (45). P-S--Gallagher, S 113-73, Loop, D 27-15, Snodgrass, J 99-61, De La Rosa, E 27-16, Diaz, A 11-7, Coffey, T 9-6. T--2:49. A--4623 Plate Umpire - Fred DeJesus, Field Umpire #1 - Silvio Martinez Jr., Field Umpire #2 - David Speranza