Ford, Alfonzo and Reyes go deep to close half with third consecutive win
(Central Islip, N.Y., July 2, 2017) – The Long Island Ducks defeated the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs 10-5 on Sunday night in the finale of a three-game series and final game of the season’s first half at Bethpage Ballpark.
GAME VIDEO: Highlights from Sunday’s three-homer outburst
POSTGAME VIDEO: Giovanny Alfonzo, Dennis O’Grady and Elmer Reyes talk about the win
The Ducks jumped out to an early 6-0 lead thanks to a trio of home runs over the first three innings off of Blue Crabs starter Drew Hayes. Lew Ford’s two-run homer to left in the first inning, Giovanny Alfonzo’s solo blast to left in the second and Elmer Reyes’ three-run dinger to left in the third did the damage.
Southern Maryland got on the scoreboard in the fourth when Michael Snyder hit a solo homer to left off Ducks starter Dennis O’Grady. Long Island grabbed the six-run advantage back in the bottom of the frame when Ruben Gotay scored on a wild pitch.
Another homer by Snyder to right in the sixth closed the gap to 7-2, but two runs scored for the Flock in the bottom of the inning on a balk and an error. The Blue Crabs got to within 9-5 in the seventh thanks to an RBI single by L.J. Hoes and a two-run triple by Zach Wilson. However, a run-scoring double play ball in the bottom of the seventh rounded out the scoring for the night.
O’Grady (4-5) collected the win, pitching six and two-thirds innings and allowing five runs on eight hits and two walks with a strikeout. Hayes (3-3) took the loss, giving up six runs on five hits and two walks over just three innings with three strikeouts. Patrick Crider, Rob Rogers and Amalio Diaz combined to pitch two and one-third scoreless innings of relief.
Alfonzo led the Flock with four hits on the night, adding an RBI and two runs. Reyes added three hits, three RBI and a run, while Ford finished with two hits, two RBI and two runs.
The Ducks continue their homestand and open up the second half of the season on Monday night with the opener of a four-game series against the Lancaster Barnstormers. 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). Following the game, all fans in attendance will be treated to a Fireworks Spectacular, presented by Motorola. It’s also a Military Monday at the ballpark! As a thank you to the men and women of the armed forces who risk their lives to keep us safe, active military members (with valid military ID) will receive a special $7 ticket offer when purchasing tickets to the game at the box office (subject to availability). Left-hander Rafael Perez (5-3, 3.57) gets the start for the Ducks against Barnstormers southpaw Rommie Lewis (4-5, 5.87).
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. Those unable to make the game 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 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{fe96d6e17d87505a1465284f96a4c69c9ad7d7051973bed0757ffc13536530ff} of the US population.
For more information, please visit www.atlanticleague.com.
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Game Date: 07/02/2017 Southern Maryland Blue Crabs 5 AT Long Island Ducks 10 YTD YTD S Maryland AB R H BI AVG L Island AB R H BI AVG Lozada, J 3B 5 1 1 0 .271 Berry, Q CF 5 1 1 0 .200 Hoes, L 2B,LF 5 1 1 1 .259 Lentini, F RF 5 0 0 0 .218 Wilson, Z 1B 4 0 2 2 .288 Songco, A 1B 4 0 0 0 .279 Snyder, M DH 4 2 2 2 .283 Ford, L DH 5 2 2 2 .272 Vaughn, C CF 3 0 0 0 .262 Krauss, M LF 3 2 1 0 .257 Rodriguez, D LF 1 0 0 0 .401 Reyes, E SS 4 1 3 3 .305 Kahoohalahala, 2B 3 0 0 0 .160 Burg, A C 4 0 0 0 .231 Cone, Z RF 4 0 0 0 .275 Gotay, R 3B 3 2 2 0 .229 Alen, L C 3 1 1 0 .243 Alfonzo, G 2B 4 2 4 1 .340 Garcia, E SS 4 0 2 0 .254 36 5 9 5 37 10 13 6 S Maryland 0 0 0 1 0 1 3 0 0 - 5 9 1 L Island 2 1 3 1 0 2 1 0 x - 10 13 0 2B--Ford, L DH (4), Krauss, M LF (13). 3B--Wilson, Z 1B (2). HR--Snyder, M DH 2 (16), Ford, L DH (5), Reyes, E SS (2), Alfonzo, G 2B (1). RBI--Hoes, L 2B,LF (4), Wilson, Z 1B 2 (46), Snyder, M DH 2 (48), TOTALS 5 (0), Ford, L DH 2 (21), Reyes, E SS 3 (31), Alfonzo, G 2B (22), TOTALS 6 (0). SB--Berry, Q CF (1). E--Kahoohalahala, 2B (3). LOB--S Maryland 6, L Island 7. DP--K. Kahoohalahala(2B) - Z. Wilson(1B). YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA S Maryland Hayes, D (L,3-3) 3.0 5 6 6 2 3 3 4.70 Stem, C 1.0 2 1 1 0 0 0 9.00 Runion, S 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 6.04 Hebner, C 1.0 1 2 1 1 2 0 4.26 Beal, J 1.0 4 1 1 0 0 0 3.03 Thornton, Z 1.0 0 0 0 1 2 0 3.46 8 13 10 9 4 8 3 L Island OGrady, D (W,4-5) 6.2 8 5 5 2 1 2 5.05 Crider, P 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2.63 Rogers, R 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2.70 Diaz, A 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1.24 9 9 5 5 2 2 2 WP--Stem, C (3). SO--Wilson, Z, Cone, Z, Berry, Q 2, Lentini, F, Songco, A, Ford, L 2, Burg, A 2. BB--Vaughn, C, Alen, L, Songco, A, Krauss, M 2, Gotay, R. BF--Hayes, D 16 (221), Stem, C 5 (73), Runion, S 4 (118), Hebner, C 6 (111), Beal, J 6 (117), Thornton, Z 4 (66), OGrady, D 30 (298), Crider, P (99), Rogers, R 3 (137), Diaz, A 4 (117). P-S--Hayes, D 76-41, Stem, C 18-14, Runion, S 17-11, Hebner, C 29-20, Beal, J 25-17, Thornton, Z 17-11, OGrady, D 108-69, Crider, P 6-3, Rogers, R 9-5, Diaz, A 12-9. T--3:19. A--6744 Plate Umpire - Matt Kane, Field Umpire #1 - J.B. Torres, Field Umpire #2 - Fred DeJesus