(Central Islip, N.Y., May 20, 2012) – The Long Island Ducks defeated the Somerset Patriots 4-3 on Sunday afternoon in the final game of a three-game series at Bethpage Ballpark.
GAME VIDEO: Kraig Binick and Bryant Nelson hit solo homers, and Shawn Williams drives in the winning run
POSTGAME VIDEO: Shawn Williams, Kevin Baez and Gustavo Chacin talk about the waddle-off victory
Somerset scratched out a run in the second on a RBI single to left by Dan DeGeorge off Ducks starter Gustavo Chacin. Long Island tied the game on Wilberto Ortiz’ RBI double in the second off Patriots starter Roy Merritt.
Kraig Binick’s solo homer to left-center in the third gave the Ducks a 2-1 lead, and Bryant Nelson added some insurance with a solo blast to left in the sixth. It stayed that way until the ninth when Somerset tied the game at three on a two-run single by Freddie Bynum off Jon Meloan.
However, the Ducks would load the bases in the bottom of the frame, and Shawn Williams drove home the winning run with a walk-off infield single to second.
Neither starter factored into the decision. Chacin allowed just one run on five hits while striking out four in five innings, while Merritt gave up three runs on six hits in seven innings. Meloan (1-0) got the win despite allowing two runs on three hits in one inning of work, and T.J. Hose (1-1) suffered the loss, yielding the winning run in one and one-third innings of relief.
Williams and Nelson each had two hits, one RBI and one run scored to lead the Flock.
The Ducks continue their homestand on Monday night when they host the Lancaster Barnstormers in the first game for a three-game set. Game time is slated for 6:35 p.m., with the Bethpage Ballpark gates opening at 5:35. Right-hander Bob Zimmermann gets the start for Long Island against Lancaster righty Mark Brackman.
Tickets for the game and all Ducks home games are available by visiting the Bethpage Ballpark Box Office, calling (631) 940-TIXX, or visiting www.liducks.com. Fans unable to attend the game can follow the action live online at LIDucks.com by clicking the Watch Live icon on the homepage. Streaming video and audio will be available courtesy of iBN, the Internet Broadcast Network.
Duck Tales: The victory was the ninth consecutive win for the Ducks at home to start the season, a new franchise record. Dating back to the 2011 regular season, the Ducks have now won 11 consecutive games at Bethpage Ballpark. The most consecutive home victories in franchise history was 12, accomplished July 5-20, 2006…Shawn Williams’ waddle-off single was the team’s second walk-off win this season. Kraig Binick hit a waddle-off RBI single on May 6 against the Camden Riversharks…While the Ducks did not score the first run of the game, they have now scored at least one run in either the first or second inning in 11 consecutive games. The Ducks are 8-3 in those games…Kraig Binick’s home run in the third was his first of the season. The Hicksville native hit four longballs during the 2011 season. Bryant Nelson’s blast was his third of the season and first from the right side for the switch hitter. Long Island has now gone deep 24 times this year, good for second in the Atlantic League…The Ducks added another run and two hits off the Patriots bullpen. The Ducks have now scored 33 runs on 38 hits in seven games against Somerset relievers…Brandon Sing returned to the lineup after not starting seven games with a neck injury and doubled in his first at-bat. The 31-year-old leads the Ducks with five home runs this season.
GAME DATE: 05/20/2012 Somerset Patriots 3 AT Long Island Ducks 4 YTD YTD Somerset AB R H BI AVG L Island AB R H BI AVG J.Tucker CF 5 1 2 0 .342 K.Binick CF 4 1 1 1 .266 F.Bynum DH 5 0 2 2 .280 B.Nelson 3B 4 1 2 1 .241 F.Sandoval 1B 5 0 0 0 .225 B.Sing DH 4 0 1 0 .214 A.Mathews LF 4 0 1 0 .291 M.Esquivel RF 4 1 1 0 .385 J.Nettles 3B 3 0 0 0 .250 R.Navarrete 1B 3 0 0 0 .247 Y.Carter C 4 1 2 0 .341 J.McOwen LF 3 0 0 0 .304 J.Drennen RF 3 0 0 0 .226 S.Williams C 4 1 2 1 .442 D.DeGeorge 2B 4 0 1 1 .143 W.Ortiz 2B 3 0 1 1 .267 R.Rundgren SS 4 1 2 0 .188 D.Lyons SS 3 0 0 0 .309 37 3 10 3 32 4 8 4 Somerset 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 - 3 10 0 L Island 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 - 4 8 0 2B--Y.Carter (4), B.Nelson (5), B.Sing (4), W.Ortiz (3). HR--K.Binick (1), B.Nelson (3). RBI--F.Bynum 2 (9), D.DeGeorge (2), K.Binick (11), B.Nelson (18), S.Williams (7), W.Ortiz (8). HP--J.Nettles (2), J.Drennen (3). SB--F.Bynum (7). CS--J.Tucker (5). LOB--Somerset 9, L Island 5. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA Somerset R.Merritt 7.0 6 3 3 0 5 2 2.17 T.Hose (L,1-1) 1.1 1 1 1 2 0 0 5.91 T.Bowyer 0.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2.46 8.1 8 4 4 2 5 2 L Island G.Chacin 5.0 5 1 1 0 4 0 7.50 J.Monti 2.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 4.05 J.Hill 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 5.27 J.Meloan (W,1-0) 1.0 3 2 1 0 2 0 1.29 9 10 3 2 0 7 0 WP--J.Monti (3). PB--S.Williams 2. HB--G.Chacin (1), J.Monti (1). SO--F.Bynum, F.Sandoval 2, J.Nettles, J.Drennen 3, K.Binick, M.Esquivel 2, R.Navarrete, S.Williams. BB--R.Navarrete, J.McOwen. BF--R.Merritt 26 (115), T.Hose 7 (51), T.Bowyer (33), G.Chacin 21 (28), J.Monti 8 (84), J.Hill 4 (61), J.Meloan 6 (58). P-S--R.Merritt 92-68, T.Hose 20-10, T.Bowyer 5-3, G.Chacin 77-55, J.Monti 31-20, J.Hill 15-10, J.Meloan 22-14. T--2:45. A--5059 Umpires: Plate Ump - David Mills, Field Ump #1 - Jeff Dugmore, Field Ump #2 - Marty Bauer