7,602 fans cheer on Flock in first half finale

(Central Islip, N.Y., July 3, 2016) – The Long Island Ducks defeated the Sugar Land Skeeters 5-2 on Sunday night before a past-capacity crowd of 7,602 at Bethpage Ballpark, the largest single game attendance in franchise history.

GAME AUDIO: Highlights from the victory

POSTGAME VIDEO: Kevin Baez, Darin Downs and Cody Puckett talk about the first half

Long Island opened the scoring with single runs in the second and third innings against Skeeters starter Brett Marshall. An RBI double by Carlos Hughes and a bases loaded walk to Anthony Gatto highlighted the scoring. Two more runs in the fourth on Dan Lyons’ RBI double and Cody Puckett’s RBI single ballooned the lead to four.

Sugar Land got on the scoreboard in the sixth when Ricky Hague scored on a wild pitch from Ducks starter Darin Downs. However, an RBI double by Puckett in the bottom of the frame stretched the lead back to 5-1. A sac fly off the bat of Patrick Palmeiro in the seventh rounded out the scoring.

Downs (6-4) earned the win, pitching seven innings of two-run ball and allowing seven hits while striking out seven. Marshall (0-2) took the loss, giving up four runs on five hits and six walks in three innings with two strikeouts. James Lomangino earned his first save of the season with a scoreless ninth.

Puckett and Fehlandt Lentini each had three hits to lead the Flock offensively.

The Ducks hit the road to begin the second half on Monday with the opener of a three-game series against the Lancaster Barnstormers. Game time is slated for 7:00 p.m. from Clipper Magazine Stadium. It’s the “Ducks Game of the Week,” and fans can follow all the action live on the Ducks’ flagship radio station, 103.9-FM LI News Radio. Streaming audio will also be available online by CLICKING HERE.

Long Island returns home on Friday, July 15 to start a three-game series with the Somerset Patriots. 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 Ducks Aluminum Water Bottles, courtesy of Fairfield Properties. It’s also a Fowl Pole Friday and an OK Petroleum Friday, and the Ducks will be running their Friday night Pizza Hut K-Man promotion. 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 34 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{f7b134541f126dcd33819b5eec9a91dff238b58155023223dba97c27371a7fb5} of the US population.

For more information, please visit www.atlanticleague.com.

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 Game Date: 07/03/2016 Sugar Land Skeeters 2 AT Long Island Ducks 5 YTD YTD Sugar Land AB R H BI AVG L Island AB R H BI AVG Prince, J 2B 5 0 1 0 .266 Lentini, F RF 5 1 3 0 .320 Hague, R LF 4 1 1 0 .277 Lyons, D SS 5 1 1 1 .319 Barfield, J RF 4 0 2 0 .325 Cleary Jr., D CF 3 1 0 0 .282 Young, D 1B 4 0 1 0 .226 Puckett, C DH 4 0 3 2 .290 Matthes, K DH 4 0 0 0 .227 Gotay, R 1B 3 1 0 0 .281 Weems, B SS 4 1 2 0 .201 Blanke, M C 4 0 1 0 .232 Rodriguez, W C 4 0 2 0 .255 Wessinger, M 3B 4 0 1 0 .205 Palmeiro, P 3B 2 0 0 1 .235 Gatto, A LF 3 1 1 1 .333 Scott, T PH 1 0 1 0 .255 Hughes, C 2B 3 0 1 1 .136 Guez, B CF 3 0 0 0 .091 Tosoni, R PH 1 0 0 0 .317 36 2 10 1 34 5 11 5 Sugar Land 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 - 2 10 0 L Island 0 1 1 2 0 1 0 0 x - 5 11 0 2B--Barfield, J RF (17), Lentini, F RF 2 (20), Lyons, D SS (17), Puckett, C DH (12), Blanke, M C (8), Hughes, C 2B (1). RBI--Palmeiro, P 3B (24), TOTALS (0), Lyons, D SS (26), Puckett, C DH 2 (39), Gatto, A LF (1), Hughes, C 2B (1), TOTALS 5 (0). SF--Palmeiro, P 3B (4). SB--Prince, J 2B (8). LOB--Sugar Land 8, L Island 14. DP--J. Prince(2B) - B. Weems(SS) - D. Young(1B). YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA Sugar Land Marshall, B (L,0-2) 3.0 5 4 4 6 2 0 10.39 Alderson, T 1.0 1 0 0 0 2 0 5.79 Mattheus, R 1.0 1 0 0 1 0 0 3.65 Velasquez, J 1.0 1 1 1 2 1 0 6.82 Zinicola, Z 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 2.67 Johnston, A 1.0 2 0 0 0 2 0 1.00 8 11 5 5 9 8 0 L Island Downs, D (W,6-4) 7.0 7 2 2 0 7 0 4.07 Vance, K 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 6.05 Lomangino, J (S,1) 1.0 2 0 0 0 1 0 2.70 9 10 2 2 0 9 0 WP--Marshall, B 2 (3), Downs, D 2 (7). PB--Rodriguez, W. SO--Prince, J 3, Barfield, J, Young, D, Rodriguez, W, Palmeiro, P, Guez, B 2, Cleary Jr., D 3, Gotay, R 3, Wessinger, M, Hughes, C. BB--Cleary Jr., D 2, Puckett, C, Gotay, R 2, Blanke, M, Wessinger, M, Gatto, A, Hughes, C. BF--Marshall, B 20 (27), Alderson, T 4 (43), Mattheus, R 4 (53), Velasquez, J 6 (140), Zinicola, Z 4 (144), Johnston, A 5 (137), Downs, D 28 (354), Vance, K 4 (89), Lomangino, J 5 (59). P-S--Marshall, B 87-40, Alderson, T 23-17, Mattheus, R 16-9, Velasquez, J 33-17, Zinicola, Z 16-7, Johnston, A 15-10, Downs, D 101-65, Vance, K 16-7, Lomangino, J 25-16. T--3:01. A--7602 Plate Umpire - Tom Gandolfo Jr., Field Umpire #1 - Richard Katz, Field Umpire #2 - Warren Nicholson