Jordany Valdespin launches first homer of season for Long Island
(Waldorf, Md., April 27, 2018) – The Long Island Ducks were defeated by the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs 6-1 on Friday night in the opening game of the 2018 regular season at Regency Furniture Stadium.
Southern Maryland opened the scoring in the first inning with three consecutive two-out singles, including an RBI base hit by Devon Rodriguez. It stayed that way until the fourth with five straight one-out hits increased the lead to 4-0. Run-scoring singles from Jose Gonzalez, Joey Wong and Edwin Garcia did the damage.
The Blue Crabs added two more runs in the fifth on an RBI double by Frank Martinez and an RBI single by Gonzalez. Long Island earned its first run of the season in the sixth when Jordany Valdespin cracked an opposite-field solo home run to left-center.
Blue Crabs starter Daryl Thompson (1-0) earned the win, tossing six innings of one-run ball, allowing two hits and two walks while striking out seven. Ducks starter Jair Jurrjens (0-1) took the loss, yielding four runs on eight hits and a walk with one strikeout over four innings. Jason Creasy, Dennis O’Grady and Wander Perez each pitched a scoreless inning for Long Island.
Lew Ford led the Ducks offensively with two hits on the night.
The Ducks and Blue Crabs continue their three-game series on Saturday night. Game time is slated for 6:35 p.m. at Regency Furniture Stadium. Fans can follow all the action on the Long Island Ducks Broadcast Network. Live streaming HD video and audio will be available via BoxCast on the Ducks official Facebook page, YouTube channel and at LIDucks.com. Left-hander Jake Fisher takes the mound for the Ducks against Blue Crabs righty Sean O’Sullivan.
Following a week-long, season-opening road trip, the Ducks will return to Long Island for Opening Night on Friday, May 4 against the Blue Crabs. 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 QuackerJack OYO Minifigures, courtesy of P.C. Richard & Son. Fans are encouraged to be in their seats by 6:15 to enjoy team introductions and traditional Opening Night pomp and circumstance. Tickets for the game, and all 2018 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 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: 04/27/2018 Long Island Ducks 1 AT Southern Maryland Blue Crabs 6 YTD YTD L Island AB R H BI AVG S Maryland AB R H BI AVG Valdespin, J 2B 4 1 1 1 .250 Wong, J 2B 4 0 1 1 .250 Holt, T CF 4 0 0 0 .000 Garcia, E SS 5 0 1 1 .200 Snider, T RF 3 0 0 0 .000 Strausborger, R LF 5 1 3 0 .600 Ford, L DH 4 0 2 0 .500 Paul, X DH 4 0 1 0 .250 Garcia, R PR 0 0 0 0 .000 Rodriguez, D 1B 5 1 3 1 .600 Washington, D 1B 4 0 0 0 .000 Vaughn, C CF 4 0 0 0 .000 Puckett, C 3B 3 0 0 0 .000 Martinez, F 3B 4 2 2 1 .500 Fields, D LF 3 0 1 0 .333 Gonzalez, J C 4 1 2 2 .500 Castillo, W C 3 0 0 0 .000 Bladel, J RF 4 1 2 0 .500 Lyons, D SS 3 0 0 0 .000 31 1 4 1 39 6 15 6 L Island 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 - 1 4 1 S Maryland 1 0 0 3 2 0 0 0 x - 6 15 1 2B--Ford, L DH (1), Martinez, F 3B 2 (2). HR--Valdespin, J 2B (1). RBI--Valdespin, J 2B (1), TOTALS (0), Wong, J 2B (1), Garcia, E SS (1), Rodriguez, D 1B (1), Martinez, F 3B (1), Gonzalez, J C 2 (2), TOTALS 6 (0). E--Puckett, C 3B (1), Garcia, E SS (1). LOB--L Island 5, S Maryland 11. DP--J. Wong(2B) - E. Garcia(SS) - D. Rodriguez(1B). YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA L Island Jurrjens, J (L,0-1) 4.0 8 4 4 1 1 0 9.00 Marsh, M 1.0 4 2 2 0 0 0 18.00 Creasy, J 1.0 2 0 0 0 2 0 0.00 OGrady, D 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.00 Perez, W 1.0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0.00 8 15 6 6 2 4 0 S Maryland Thompson, D (W,1-0) 6.0 2 1 1 2 7 1 1.50 Runion, S 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0.00 Chaffee, R 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.00 Stem, C 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 9 4 1 1 2 9 1 SO--Holt, T, Snider, T 2, Ford, L, Washington, D 2, Puckett, C, Fields, D, Lyons, D, Strausborger, R, Paul, X, Vaughn, C, Martinez, F. BB--Snider, T, Puckett, C, Wong, J, Paul, X. BF--Jurrjens, J 21 (21), Marsh, M 7 (7), Creasy, J 5 (5), OGrady, D 3 (3), Perez, W 5 (5), Thompson, D 22 (22), Runion, S 5 (5), Chaffee, R 3 (3), Stem, C 3 (3). P-S--Jurrjens, J 72-49, Marsh, M 25-13, Creasy, J 20-14, OGrady, D 8-7, Perez, W 19-9, Thompson, D 80-54, Runion, S 19-16, Chaffee, R 14-10, Stem, C 14-10. T--2:32. A--3692 Plate Umpire - Jorge Tehren, Field Umpire #1 - Silvio Martinez, Field Umpire #2 - Chris Engstran