Eighth inning homer gives Long Island fourth consecutive victory

(Central Islip, N.Y., June 16, 2016) – The Long Island Ducks defeated the New Britain Bees 3-1 on Thursday night in the finale of a three-game series at Bethpage Ballpark.

GAME AUDIO: Highlights from the series finale

POSTGAME VIDEO: Kevin Baez, Mark Blackmar and Dan Johnson talk about clinching the sweep

The Bees took a 1-0 lead in the third inning on an RBI single to right field by Jonathan Roof off of Ducks starter Mark Blackmar. It stayed that way until the seventh when Matt Wessinger doubled with two outs and came home on Fehlandt Lentini’s RBI single off of Bees starter Shawn Haviland.

Long Island took the lead for good in the eighth inning when Dan Johnson uncorked a two-run home run to right-center. Todd Coffey then came on to strike out the side in the ninth and earn his ninth save of the year.

Neither starter factored into the decision. Blackmar pitched seven innings of one-run ball, allowing eight hits and three walks with one strikeout. Haviland lasted six and two-thirds innings, yielding a run on seven hits and three walks while striking out five. Nick Struck (1-2) collected the win after getting the final out of the eighth inning, and Jarret Leverett (0-3) suffered the loss, giving up two runs on one hit and one walk in one-third of an inning.

Lentini and Delta Cleary Jr. led the Flock with two hits apiece.

The Ducks continue their homestand on Friday night when they begin 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). The first 1,500 fans in attendance will receive Duck Head Logo T-Shirts, courtesy of Petro Home Services. It’s also a Fowl Pole Friday at the Duck Pond, and if a select Ducks player hits a home run off of one of the foul poles during the game, one lucky fan will win $50,000. In addition, a Barnstormers player will be selected as the Pizza Hut K-Man of the game, and if he strikes out, fans will receive a special coupon for free breadsticks at a participating Pizza Hut location. Finally, Ducks staff members will be handing out coupons for a free 4 oz. bottle of Armor All when purchasing a fill up of gasoline (must be eight gallons or more) at OK Petroleum as fans exit the ballpark following the game.

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 live on the Ducks’ flagship radio station, 103.9-FM LI News Radio. Streaming video and audio will also be available online via the Ducks’ official YouTube channel by 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: 06/16/2016 New Britain Bees 1 AT Long Island Ducks 3 YTD YTD N Britain AB R H BI AVG L Island AB R H BI AVG Carrillo, S SS 4 0 0 0 .234 Lentini, F RF 4 0 2 1 .342 Griffin, J PH 1 0 0 0 .218 Cleary Jr., D CF 4 0 2 0 .275 Golson, G LF 3 1 1 0 .306 Gotay, R 2B 3 1 0 0 .288 Rosa, J 3B 3 0 2 0 .314 Johnson, D 1B 2 1 1 2 .231 Maddox, C DH 4 0 1 0 .296 Puckett, C 3B 4 0 1 0 .290 Roof, J 2B 4 0 1 1 .272 Blanke, M DH 4 0 1 0 .260 Rivers, K 1B 4 0 1 0 .238 Dowd, M C 4 0 0 0 .283 Jones, J CF 3 0 1 0 .274 Vega, A LF 2 0 0 0 .282 Hewitt, A RF 4 0 0 0 .213 Wessinger, M SS 3 1 1 0 .213 Murphy, N C 2 0 1 0 .158 Crouse, M PH 1 0 0 0 .283 33 1 8 1 30 3 8 3 N Britain 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 1 8 0 L Island 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 x - 3 8 1 2B--Golson, G LF (6), Blanke, M DH (7), Wessinger, M SS (6). HR--Johnson, D 1B (7). RBI--Roof, J 2B (17), TOTALS (0), Lentini, F RF (30), Johnson, D 1B 2 (31), TOTALS 3 (0). SH--Jones, J CF (0). SB--Jones, J CF (15), Cleary Jr., D CF 2 (6). CS--Golson, G LF (3). E--Johnson, D 1B 2 (2). LOB--N Britain 9, L Island 7. DP--J. Roof(2B) - S. Carrillo(SS) - K. Rivers(1B). YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA N Britain Haviland, S 6.2 7 1 1 3 5 0 3.44 Leverett, J (L,0-3) 0.1 1 2 2 1 0 1 4.03 Gilblair, S 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.71 8 8 3 3 4 6 1 L Island Blackmar, M 7.0 8 1 1 3 1 0 1.94 Crider, P 0.2 0 0 0 0 2 0 1.23 Struck, N (W,1-2) 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4.91 Coffey, T (S,9) 1.0 0 0 0 0 3 0 2.12 9 8 1 1 3 6 0 SO--Griffin, J, Golson, G, Roof, J, Rivers, K, Hewitt, A, Crouse, M, Lentini, F, Gotay, R, Puckett, C, Blanke, M, Dowd, M, Vega, A. BB--Golson, G, Rosa, J, Murphy, N, Gotay, R, Johnson, D 2, Vega, A. BF--Haviland, S 28 (218), Leverett, J 3 (102), Gilblair, S 3 (50), Blackmar, M 31 (245), Crider, P 2 (58), Struck, N (62), Coffey, T 3 (67). P-S--Haviland, S 103-69, Leverett, J 9-4, Gilblair, S 10-6, Blackmar, M 106-68, Crider, P 15-10, Struck, N 3-1, Coffey, T 15-9. T--2:45. A--5086 Plate Umpire - Tom Gandolfo Jr., Field Umpire #1 - Fred DeJesus, Field Umpire #2 - John Libone