Downs turns in quality start despite loss

(Waldorf, Md., July 9, 2016) – The Long Island Ducks were defeated by the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs 2-0 on Saturday night in game three of a four-game series at Regency Furniture Stadium.

Zach Wilson’s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fourth inning gave Southern Maryland a 1-0 lead. D’Arby Myers’ solo home run in the eighth extended the advantage to 2-0.

Long Island threatened in the ninth inning, with runners on first and second base, but Ruben Gotay grounded into a game-ending double play.

Brian Burres (6-4) struck out seven over six innings, allowing two hits and two walks en route to the victory. Darin Downs (6-5) took the loss, giving up two runs on five hits. In eight innings, the lefty struck out five. Cody Eppley closed the door in the ninth, collecting his 13th save.

Mike Dowd led the Ducks at the plate, going 3-for-4.

The Ducks and Blue Crabs wrap up their four-game series on Sunday. Game time from Regency Furniture Stadium is set for 2:05 p.m. and fans can follow all the action live on the Ducks’ official YouTube channel. Streaming audio will be available online by CLICKING HERE. Right-hander Bruce Kern (2-1, 1.98 ERA) toes the rubber for Long Island against Southern Maryland righty Daryl Thompson (2-5, 5.42).

Long Island returns home on Friday, July 15 to start a three-game series with the Somerset Patriots. 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). The first 1,500 fans in attendance will receive Ducks Aluminum Water Bottles, courtesy of Fairfield Properties. It’s also a Fowl Pole Friday and an OK Petroleum Friday, and the Ducks will be running their Friday night Pizza Hut K-Man promotion. 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: 07/09/2016 Long Island Ducks 0 AT Southern Maryland Blue Crabs 2 YTD YTD L Island AB R H BI AVG S Maryland AB R H BI AVG Vega, A LF 4 0 0 0 .282 Richardson, A CF 4 0 0 0 .000 Lentini, F RF 4 0 1 0 .318 Nelson, B 3B 3 1 1 0 .270 Cleary Jr., D CF 4 0 0 0 .293 Marte, A LF 3 0 0 0 .245 Puckett, C 2B 2 0 0 0 .280 Snyder, M DH 3 0 1 0 .306 Minicozzi, M 1B 4 0 0 0 .176 Wilson, Z 1B 2 0 0 1 .253 Dowd, M C 4 0 3 0 .315 Sanchez, A 2B 3 0 0 0 .224 Blanke, M DH 3 0 1 0 .237 Garcia, E SS 3 0 0 0 .226 Wessinger, M 3B 3 0 1 0 .203 Susini, N C 3 0 2 0 .150 Lyons, D PH 1 0 1 0 .337 Myers, D RF 3 1 1 1 .277 Hughes, C SS 3 0 0 0 .107 Gotay, R PH 1 0 0 0 .279 33 0 7 0 27 2 5 2 L Island 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 7 0 S Maryland 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 x - 2 5 1 2B--Lentini, F RF (23), Susini, N C (2). HR--Myers, D RF (5). RBI--Wilson, Z 1B (36), Myers, D RF (30), TOTALS 2 (0). SF--Wilson, Z 1B (4). SB--Cleary Jr., D CF (13), Nelson, B 3B (7). E--Burres, B P (1). LOB--L Island 9, S Maryland 2. DP--C. Stem(P) - E. Garcia(SS) - Z. Wilson(1B), C. Puckett(2B) - C. Hughes(SS) - M. Minicozzi(1B), A. Sanchez(2B) - E. Garcia(SS) - Z. Wilson(1B). YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA L Island Downs, D (L,6-5) 8.0 5 2 2 0 5 1 3.91 8 5 2 2 0 5 1 S Maryland Burres, B (W,6-4) 6.0 2 0 0 2 7 0 2.75 Moore, N 0.2 2 0 0 0 1 0 2.76 Maine, S 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3.32 Stem, C 1.0 1 0 0 1 1 0 6.08 Eppley, C (S,13) 1.0 2 0 0 0 1 0 2.41 9 7 0 0 3 10 0 SO--Vega, A 2, Cleary Jr., D 2, Puckett, C, Minicozzi, M 2, Blanke, M, Wessinger, M, Hughes, C, Richardson, A, Marte, A, Wilson, Z, Sanchez, A, Susini, N. BB--Puckett, C 2, Blanke, M. BF--Downs, D 28 (382), Burres, B 23 (368), Moore, N 4 (149), Maine, S (92), Stem, C 4 (36), Eppley, C 4 (134). P-S--Downs, D 85-59, Burres, B 108-67, Moore, N 14-10, Maine, S 1-1, Stem, C 18-8, Eppley, C 11-9. T--2:23. A--4446 Plate Umpire - Silvio Martinez, Jr., Field Umpire #1 - John Grasso, Field Umpire #2 - Kris Engstrand