Long Island racks up 13 hits in strong performance
(Waldorf, Md., April 20, 2017) – The Long Island Ducks defeated the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs 7-1 on Thursday night in the opening game of the 2017 season and the first game of a four-game series at Regency Furniture Stadium.
GAME VIDEO: Highlights from the season-opening victory
Long Island scored the game’s first run on a two-out RBI single to left field by Nate Freiman in the first inning. Delta Cleary Jr. delivered a two-out RBI single of his own to right-center in the fourth off Blue Crabs starter Justin De Fratus, doubling the lead to two.
Southern Maryland closed to within 2-1 in their half of the fourth on a sacrifice fly to left off the bat of Zach Cone. It stayed that way until the seventh when Cody Puckett was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, scoring Cleary Jr. to restore Long Island’s two-run advantage.
The Ducks broke the game open with a four-run eighth inning following a 46-minute rain delay. Fehlandt Lentini’s RBI single, a balk, a sacrifice fly from Marc Krauss and a throwing error accounted for the damage.
Ducks starter John Brownell (1-0) earned the win, pitching five innings of one-run ball, allowing five hits and a walk while striking out five. De Fratus (0-1) took the loss, giving up two unearned runs on nine hits in six innings with five strikeouts. Four Ducks relievers combined to allow just three hits and three walks while striking out three in four scoreless innings.
Every Ducks batter reached base in the game. Krauss and Elmer Reyes each had three hits to lead the Flock. Cleary Jr. chipped in with two hits, a run batted in, two runs scored and two stolen bases.
The Ducks and Blue Crabs continue their four-game set on Friday night. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. from Regency Furniture Stadium. Fans can follow all the action online, with live HD streaming video and audio on the Ducks’ official Facebook page and YouTube channel and at LIDucks.com. Left-hander Rafael Perez gets the start for the Ducks against Blue Crabs southpaw Pat Misch.
Long Island will return home on Friday, April 28 for the 2017 home opener against the New Britain Bees. 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). The first 1,500 fans in attendance will receive Rich Hill Bobbleheads, courtesy of P.C. Richard and Son. Fans are also encouraged to arrive early for player introductions along with traditional Opening Night pomp and circumstance. 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 36 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{2db62e8169997a8d599beca7d6013ac1e46056278d69ddd3df039f4c0be21f7d} of the US population.
For more information, please visit www.atlanticleague.com.
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Game Date: 04/20/2017 Long Island Ducks 7 AT Southern Maryland Blue Crabs 1 YTD YTD L Island AB R H BI AVG S Maryland AB R H BI AVG Lentini, F RF 5 1 1 1 .200 Brown, G CF 4 0 1 0 .250 Cleary Jr., D CF 5 2 2 1 .400 Muno, D 2B 4 1 2 0 .500 Reimold, N LF 4 1 1 0 .250 Wilson, Z 1B 5 0 2 0 .400 Songco, A LF,PH 0 1 0 0 .000 Snyder, M DH 4 0 1 0 .250 Krauss, M DH 4 0 3 1 .750 Vaughn, C LF 2 0 0 0 .000 Freiman, N 1B 3 0 1 1 .333 Cone, Z RF 3 0 1 1 .333 Puckett, C 3B 4 0 1 1 .250 Blanke, M C 4 0 0 0 .000 Lyons, D SS 4 0 0 0 .000 Palmeiro, P 3B 3 0 0 0 .000 Burg, A C 5 1 1 0 .200 Garcia, E SS 4 0 1 0 .250 Reyes, E 2B 5 1 3 0 .600 39 7 13 5 33 1 8 1 L Island 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 4 0 - 7 13 0 S Maryland 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 - 1 8 4 2B--Reyes, E 2B (1), Snyder, M DH (1). RBI--Lentini, F RF (1), Cleary Jr., D CF (1), Krauss, M DH (1), Freiman, N 1B (1), Puckett, C 3B (1), TOTALS 5 (0), Cone, Z RF (1), TOTALS (0). HP--Puckett, C 3B (1), Lyons, D SS (1), Vaughn, C LF (1). SF--Krauss, M DH (1), Cone, Z RF (1). SH--Lentini, F RF (0). SB--Lentini, F RF (1), Cleary Jr., D CF 2 (2), Krauss, M DH (1). E--Brown, G CF (1), Cone, Z RF (1), Blanke, M C (1), Palmeiro, P 3B (1). LOB--L Island 13, S Maryland 11. DP--D. Muno(2B) - P. Palmeiro(3B) - Z. Wilson(1B), E. Reyes(2B) - D. Lyons(SS) - N. Freiman(1B). YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA L Island Brownell, J (W,1-0) 5.0 5 1 1 1 5 0 1.80 Treece, Z 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0.00 Diaz, A 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0.00 Tsao, C 1.0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0.00 Wilson, T 1.0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0.00 9 8 1 1 4 8 0 S Maryland De Fratus, J (L,0-1) 6.0 9 2 0 0 5 0 0.00 Carson, R 0.1 2 1 1 1 0 0 27.03 Hebner, C 0.2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.00 Cummings, K 0.1 2 4 3 2 0 0 81.08 Russo, D 1.2 0 0 0 0 3 0 0.00 9 13 7 4 3 9 0 WP--Cummings, K (1). PB--Burg, A. HB--Brownell, J (1), Carson, R (1), Russo, D (1). SO--Lentini, F 2, Reimold, N 2, Puckett, C 2, Lyons, D, Burg, A 2, Wilson, Z, Snyder, M, Vaughn, C, Cone, Z, Blanke, M 2, Palmeiro, P 2. BB--Cleary Jr., D, Freiman, N 2, Brown, G, Muno, D, Vaughn, C, Palmeiro, P. BF--Brownell, J 21 (21), Treece, Z 4 (4), Diaz, A 4 (4), Tsao, C 5 (5), Wilson, T 5 (5), De Fratus, J 28 (28), Carson, R 5 (5), Hebner, C 2 (2), Cummings, K 6 (6), Russo, D 6 (6). P-S--Brownell, J 82-52, Treece, Z 11-8, Diaz, A 11-7, Tsao, C 12-8, Wilson, T 23-11, De Fratus, J 84-60, Carson, R 16-9, Hebner, C 11-7, Cummings, K 26-10, Russo, D 20-13. T--3:02. A--3998 Rain delay of 46 minutes after 7th inning Plate Umpire - Silvio Martinez, Field Umpire #1 - Ian Kelley, Field Umpire #2 - Calvin Baker