Skeeters score nine unanswered runs to erase 5-0 deficit
(Sugar Land, Texas, Aug. 19, 2016) – The Long Island Ducks were defeated by the Sugar Land Skeeters 9-5 on Friday night in the opener of a three-game series at Constellation Field.
GAME AUDIO: Highlights from the series opener
The Ducks took an early 3-0 lead in the first inning against Skeeters starter Roy Merritt. An RBI single to right field by Delta Cleary Jr. and a two-run single to left-center by Ruben Gotay highlighted the inning. Fehlandt Lentini would both drive in and score a run in the second to extend Long Island’s lead to five.
Sugar Land closed to within two in the third on Wilfredo Rodriguez’s solo homer to left-center and Ricky Hague’s RBI single off Ducks starter Daniel Herrera. A four-run fourth inning put the Skeeters ahead 6-5. Josh Prince’s RBI single and Rene Tosoni’s three-run double did the damage. An opposite-field three-run homer by Lance Zawadzki in the fifth rounded out the scoring at 9-5.
Merritt (8-2) collected the win after pitching six innings, yielding five runs (four earned) on six hits and two walks while striking out seven. Herrera (0-1) suffered the loss, surrendering six runs on eight hits and three walks while striking out two in three and two-thirds innings.
The Ducks and Skeeters continue their three-game series on Saturday night. Game time is slated for 7:05 p.m. EDT at Constellation Field. 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. Right-hander Nick Struck takes the mound for the Ducks against Skeeters righty Brett Marshall.
Long Island returns home on Tuesday, August 23 to open a three-game set against the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs. 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 2,000 fans in attendance will receive Good Times, Every Time Beach Balls, courtesy of Dunrite Pools. It’s also a Two-Fer Tuesday, and fans purchasing tickets to the game online at LIDucks.com or via the Ducks mobile app can receive a special buy one, get one free offer by entering the promo code “BOGO” at checkout (max four total tickets per transaction). It’s a Humana Senior Discount Tuesday as well, and senior citizens (65 or older with valid ID) will receive a 25{f7b134541f126dcd33819b5eec9a91dff238b58155023223dba97c27371a7fb5} discount and a special gift package, courtesy of Humana, when purchasing a ticket to the game at the Bethpage Ballpark box office (limited to the first 50 tickets purchased). 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 35 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: 08/19/2016 Long Island Ducks 5 AT Sugar Land Skeeters 9 YTD YTD L Island AB R H BI AVG Sugar Land AB R H BI AVG Vega, A LF 3 1 1 0 .263 Prince, J 2B 4 2 2 1 .250 Lentini, F RF 4 2 1 0 .323 Dominguez, J LF 4 0 0 0 .256 Cleary Jr., D CF 4 1 1 1 .324 Tosoni, R CF 5 0 2 3 .287 Puckett, C 3B 4 0 0 0 .279 Hague, R SS 5 0 2 1 .309 Gotay, R 2B 3 0 1 2 .295 Young, D 1B 5 1 2 0 .281 Blanke, M C 4 0 1 0 .260 Barfield, J RF 3 1 0 0 .301 Colvin, T 1B 4 0 0 0 .186 Scott, T DH 4 1 2 0 .265 Wessinger, M SS 3 0 0 0 .193 Zawadzki, L 3B 4 2 2 3 .246 Scura, C DH 3 1 1 0 .125 Rodriguez, W C 2 2 2 1 .287 32 5 6 3 36 9 14 9 L Island 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 5 6 0 Sugar Land 0 0 2 4 3 0 0 0 x - 9 14 1 2B--Tosoni, R CF (16). HR--Zawadzki, L 3B (9), Rodriguez, W C (5). RBI--Cleary Jr., D CF (39), Gotay, R 2B 2 (49), TOTALS 3 (0), Prince, J 2B (14), Tosoni, R CF 3 (29), Hague, R SS (63), Zawadzki, L 3B 3 (22), Rodriguez, W C (22), TOTALS 9 (0). HP--Vega, A LF (9). SB--Lentini, F RF (37), Cleary Jr., D CF (23), Prince, J 2B (17). CS--Cleary Jr., D CF (8). E--Hague, R SS (24). LOB--L Island 3, Sugar Land 8. DP--R. Gotay(2B) - M. Wessinger(SS) - T. Colvin(1B), R. Gotay(2B) - M. Wessinger(SS) - T. Colvin(1B), J. Prince(2B) - R. Hague(SS) - D. Young(1B). YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA L Island Herrera, D (L,0-1) 3.2 8 6 6 3 2 1 11.88 Garcia, E 1.0 4 3 3 1 1 1 4.50 Lomangino, J 1.1 2 0 0 0 1 0 3.29 Crider, P 1.0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0.78 Hansen, K 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7.59 8 14 9 9 5 4 2 Sugar Land Merritt, R (W,8-2) 6.0 6 5 4 2 7 0 2.99 Johnston, A 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1.85 Zinicola, Z 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2.64 Velasquez, J 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 5.32 9 6 5 4 2 11 0 PB--Rodriguez, W. HB--Merritt, R (4). SO--Vega, A, Lentini, F, Puckett, C 3, Gotay, R 2, Blanke, M 2, Colvin, T 2, Dominguez, J, Tosoni, R, Barfield, J, Scott, T. BB--Gotay, R, Wessinger, M, Prince, J, Dominguez, J, Barfield, J, Rodriguez, W 2. BF--Herrera, D 21 (44), Garcia, E 8 (27), Lomangino, J 6 (122), Crider, P 3 (140), Hansen, K 3 (45), Merritt, R 26 (486), Johnston, A 3 (192), Zinicola, Z 3 (203), Velasquez, J 3 (210). P-S--Herrera, D 79-49, Garcia, E 23-14, Lomangino, J 19-11, Crider, P 11-6, Hansen, K 8-6, Merritt, R 98-66, Johnston, A 10-8, Zinicola, Z 13-8, Velasquez, J 16-9. T--2:42. A--5888 Weather: Cloudy, 84 Degrees Plate Umpire - Ryan Morehead, Field Umpire #1 - 1B Greg Oros, Field Umpire #2 - 3B Eric Thompson