(Sugar Land, Texas, Sept. 10, 2012) – The Long Island Ducks were defeated by the Sugar Land Skeeters 4-3 on Monday night in the final game of a four-game series at Constellation Field.

GAME AUDIO: Lee Cruz crushes a game-tying two-run homer to left

Sugar Land struck first for two runs in the second inning off Ducks starter Bobby Blevins on a RBI single by Ofilio Castro and a sac fly to center by Iggy Suarez. It stayed that way until the eighth inning when Lee Cruz launched a two-run homer to left, his third of the year, tying the game at two.

However, the Skeeters answered right back to re-take the lead on a pair of RBI doubles by Suarez and Dominic Ramos in the bottom of the frame. Joash Brodin drove home Brandon Sing with a RBI single in the ninth, but the Ducks could not pull even.

Neither starter factored into the decision. Blevins lasted five and two-thirds innings yielding two runs on nine hits with two strikeouts, and Scott Kazmir tossed five innings of shutout baseball for the Skeeters, allowing just six hits and one walk while striking out five. Saul Rivera (2-0) got the win despite allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits in one inning of relief, and Jeremy Hill (5-7) suffered the loss, surrendering two runs on three hits in the eighth. Gary Majewski earned his 22nd save despite giving up a run in the ninth.

Kraig Binick led the Ducks with three hits, while four others each added two.

The Ducks return home on Tuesday for a seven-game homestand, beginning with the opener of a three-game series against the Lancaster Barnstormers. Game time is slated for 6:35 p.m., with the Bethpage Ballpark gates opening at 5:35. It’s 9/11 Responders Night at the ballpark, and the first 1,500 fans in attendance will receive Patriotic Baseball Caps, courtesy of the WTC Health Program. At 5:00, a steel beam from the World Trade Center will be donated to Ducks founder and CEO Frank Boulton and permanently affixed to the grounds outside Bethpage Ballpark.

It’s also an Unused Ticket Day at the ballpark! Fans who could not make it out to a ballgame earlier this season and are still in possession of their unused tickets may exchange them at the Bethpage Ballpark box office, subject to availability, to Tuesday’s game.

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 make the game can follow all the action live online at LIDucks.com by clicking the Watch Live icon on the homepage. Streaming video and audio will be provided by iBN, the Internet Broadcast Network.

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 GAME DATE: 09/10/2012 Long Island Ducks 3 AT Sugar Land Skeeters 4 YTD YTD L Island AB R H BI AVG Sugar Land AB R H BI AVG D.Lyons SS 5 0 1 0 .254 D.Ramos SS 5 0 2 1 .274 B.Nelson 3B 4 0 1 0 .262 D.Cesar RF 4 0 1 0 .271 R.Navarrete 2B 5 0 2 0 .306 C.Sosa DH 4 0 0 0 .263 B.Sing 1B 5 1 1 0 .284 J.Pressley 1B 2 1 1 0 .283 J.Brodin LF 5 1 2 1 .290 B.Bell CF 4 1 1 0 .283 M.Esquivel DH 4 0 2 0 .306 O.Castro 3B 4 1 3 1 .299 L.Cruz RF 4 1 2 2 .161 S.Moss LF 3 0 0 0 .246 J.Johnson C 3 0 0 0 .204 I.Suarez 2B 3 1 2 2 .214 S.Williams PH 1 0 1 0 .276 O.Martinez C 4 0 2 0 .258 M.Canham C 0 0 0 0 .245 K.Binick CF 4 0 3 0 .257 40 3 15 3 33 4 12 4 L Island 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 - 3 15 0 Sugar Land 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 x - 4 12 1 2B--D.Ramos (22), I.Suarez (19). 3B--B.Sing (1). HR--L.Cruz (3). RBI--J.Brodin (23), L.Cruz 2 (8), D.Ramos (30), O.Castro (49), I.Suarez 2 (33). SF--I.Suarez (1). SH--S.Moss (0). SB--S.Williams (17), K.Binick (25). E--D.Ramos (9). LOB--L Island 12, Sugar Land 10. DP--I. Suarez(2B) - D. Ramos(SS) - J. Pressley(1B), I. Suarez(2B) - D. Ramos(SS) - J. Pressley(1B), R. Navarrete(2B) - D. Lyons(SS) - B. Sing(1B), I. Suarez(2B) - D. Ramos(SS) - J. Pressley(1B). YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA L Island B.Blevins 5.2 9 2 2 3 2 0 3.18 E.Niesen 1.1 0 0 0 0 3 0 4.11 J.Hill (L,5-7) 1.0 3 2 2 0 0 0 3.58 8 12 4 4 3 5 0 Sugar Land S.Kazmir 5.0 6 0 0 1 5 0 5.47 J.Farnsworth 2.0 4 0 0 1 2 0 5.25 S.Rivera (W,2-0) 1.0 3 2 1 0 1 1 1.50 G.Majewski (S,22) 1.0 2 1 1 0 0 0 2.87 9 15 3 2 2 8 1 SO--D.Lyons 2, B.Sing 3, M.Esquivel, L.Cruz, J.Johnson, D.Cesar, C.Sosa 2, B.Bell, I.Suarez. BB--B.Nelson, M.Esquivel, D.Cesar, J.Pressley 2. BF--B.Blevins 28 (77), E.Niesen 4 (271), J.Hill 6 (272), S.Kazmir 21 (248), J.Farnsworth 10 (159), S.Rivera 6 (99), G.Majewski 5 (262). P-S--B.Blevins 101-61, E.Niesen 20-13, J.Hill 12-10, S.Kazmir 74-54, J.Farnsworth 33-23, S.Rivera 27-17, G.Majewski 19-12. T--3:12. A--5495 Weather: Sunny - Wind-E-8mph-88 Umpires: Plate Ump - Marty Bauer, Field Ump #1 - David Mills (1B), Field Ump #2 - Ronnie Whiting (3B)