Valdespin tallies three hits, scores three times in victory
(Photo courtesy of Joe Doll)
(Waldorf, Md., July 28, 2018) – The Long Island Ducks defeated the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs 7-4 on Sunday afternoon in the finale of a three-game series at Regency Furniture Stadium.
GAME VIDEO: Check out highlights from the Ducks’ victory.
The Ducks got on the board right away in the first inning with an RBI single off the bat of Taylor Ard. The Blue Crabs knotted things up in the bottom of the second inning when Cory Vaughn launched a solo home run.
Long Island jumped ahead in the third inning, scoring three runs. An RBI double by Travis Snider, a run scoring ground-out by Taylor Ard, and an RBI base hit from David Washington did the damage, giving the Ducks a 4-1 lead. Southern Maryland cut into the lead in the fifth inning with a bases-loaded single by Frank Martinez.
Lew Ford padded Long Island’s lead in the seventh inning with a base hit to bring home Emilio Bonifacio. The Blue Crabs pulled within one in the bottom of the eighth inning after Craig Maddox hit a two-run double. However, he was stranded at third base to keep the Ducks ahead.
A pair of insurance runs came in during the top of the ninth for the Ducks after Bonifacio hit a sacrifice fly to bring home Daniel Fields, and Ford drove in his second run of the night with a base hit. With a three-run cushion, Francisco Rodriguez nailed down the save, striking out a pair in a one-two-three ninth inning.
Dennis O’Grady (4-2) earned the win, getting out of an inherited bases-loaded jam in the fifth inning, and throwing a scoreless sixth inning. Casey Delgado (4-7) suffered the loss for the Blue Crabs, pitching five innings and allowing four runs on six hits and one walk, striking out five. Rodriguez tallied his 17th save after retiring the side in order in the ninth inning.
Jordany Valdespin hit safely three times to pace the Flock.
Long Island returns home tomorrow to open a three-game series against the Somerset Patriots. 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). It’s Suffolk County Boy Scouts Night, presented by BNB Bank, and the first 1,500 fans in attendance will receive Ducks T-Shirts. Right-hander John Brownell (6-8, 4.07) gets the start for the Ducks in the series opener against Patriots righty David Kubiak (7-1, 2.17).
Tickets to the game, and all Ducks home games, are available by visiting the Bethpage Ballpark box office, calling (631) 940-TIXX, CLICKING HERE or downloading the Ducks mobile app. 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.
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: 07/29/2018 Long Island Ducks 7 AT Southern Maryland Blue Crabs 4 YTD YTD L Island AB R H BI AVG S Maryland AB R H BI AVG Valdespin, J 2B 4 3 2 0 .357 Martinez, T LF 5 1 2 0 .293 Bonifacio, E SS 4 2 2 1 .345 Garcia, E SS 5 0 1 0 .279 Snider, T RF 4 1 1 1 .282 Rodriguez, D 1B 5 0 2 0 .269 Ford, L LF 4 0 2 2 .294 Griffin, J DH 5 0 1 0 .267 Ard, T DH 4 0 2 2 .297 Martinez, F 3B 5 0 1 1 .303 Washington, D 1B 5 0 2 1 .237 Songco, A RF 4 1 1 0 .244 Puckett, C 3B 4 0 0 0 .217 Vaughn, C CF 3 2 1 1 .202 Vega, A CF 4 0 0 0 .179 Maddox, C C 4 0 3 2 .211 Afenir, A C 4 0 1 0 .218 Nina, A 2B 3 0 1 0 .275 Fields, D PR 0 1 0 0 .236 Cabrera, R C 0 0 0 0 .258 37 7 12 7 39 4 13 4 L Island 1 0 3 0 0 0 1 0 2 - 7 12 1 S Maryland 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 - 4 13 1 2B--Bonifacio, E SS (17), Snider, T RF (18), Songco, A RF (7), Maddox, C C (5), Nina, A 2B (12). HR--Vaughn, C CF (12). RBI--Bonifacio, E SS (35), Snider, T RF (58), Ford, L LF 2 (60), Ard, T DH 2 (37), Washington, D 1B (39), TOTALS 7 (0), Martinez, F 3B (30), Vaughn, C CF (27), Maddox, C C 2 (11), TOTALS 4 (0). SF--Bonifacio, E SS (6). SH--Valdespin, J 2B (0), Nina, A 2B (0). SB--Valdespin, J 2B (16), Washington, D 1B (7), Fields, D PR (6). E--Washington, D 1B (7), Vaughn, C CF (6). LOB--L Island 8, S Maryland 10. DP--C. Maddox(C) - D. Rodriguez(1B). YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA L Island Silvestre, H 4.0 6 1 1 0 3 1 5.06 Tolliver, A 0.2 4 1 1 0 1 0 4.66 OGrady, D (W,4-2) 1.1 1 0 0 0 1 0 3.09 Ondrusek, L 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 4.50 Murray, C 1.0 2 2 2 1 0 0 7.07 Rodriguez, F (S,17) 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2.88 9 13 4 4 1 8 1 S Maryland Delgado, C (L,4-7) 5.0 6 4 4 1 5 0 4.66 Russo, D 1.0 2 0 0 0 0 0 4.24 Watson, S 1.0 2 1 1 0 1 0 5.93 Mazza, C 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0.00 Runion, S 0.1 2 2 2 1 0 0 4.61 Creasy, J 0.2 0 0 0 1 0 0 3.44 9 12 7 7 3 8 0 WP--Murray, C (2), Watson, S (2). SO--Snider, T, Ford, L 2, Washington, D, Puckett, C 2, Vega, A, Afenir, A, Rodriguez, D, Griffin, J, Martinez, F 2, Songco, A 2, Vaughn, C, Nina, A. BB--Snider, T, Ford, L, Ard, T, Vaughn, C. BF--Silvestre, H 18 (26), Tolliver, A 6 (131), OGrady, D 5 (146), Ondrusek, L 3 (8), Murray, C 6 (67), Rodriguez, F 3 (101), Delgado, C 22 (331), Russo, D 5 (179), Watson, S 5 (125), Mazza, C 3 (20), Runion, S 5 (175), Creasy, J 2 (122). P-S--Silvestre, H 54-33, Tolliver, A 30-18, OGrady, D 14-11, Ondrusek, L 9-6, Murray, C 21-13, Rodriguez, F 10-7, Delgado, C 83-56, Russo, D 16-12, Watson, S 19-15, Mazza, C 14-10, Runion, S 18-13, Creasy, J 8-3. T--3:06. A--3234 Plate Umpire - Mike Williams, Field Umpire #1 - Silvio Martinez, Field Umpire #2 - Steve Zawisky