Ducks collect ten hits; pitching staff tallies 14 strikeouts

(Central Islip, N.Y. June 4, 2016) – The Long Island Ducks defeated the Sugar Land Skeeters 7-3 on Saturday night in the middle game of a three-game series at Bethpage Ballpark.

GAME AUDIO: Highlights from the win

POSTGAME VIDEO: Kevin Baez, Cody Puckett and Todd Coffey talk about the victory

In the first inning, Dan Lyons doubled home Fehlandt Lentini to give the Ducks a 1-0 advantage. The Skeeters evened the score in the third on an RBI single from Jeremy Barfield, making it 1-1.

The Ducks jumped ahead 3-1 on a two-run home run from Cody Puckett in the fourth inning. The Skeeters worked quickly to respond, scoring in the fifth on an RBI triple by Rene Tosoni to cut the lead to 3-2. However, Lyons drove in two more runs with a double in the bottom of the fifth, giving Long Island a 5-2 lead.

In the sixth, Ricky Hague’s sacrifice fly brought in a run for Sugar Land to trim the deficit to 5-3. Puckett added an RBI single in the seventh to to widen the Ducks’ advantage to 6-3. In the eighth, Anthony Vega scored from second base on a fielding error to round out the scoring.

Long Island starting pitcher Mark Blackmar (4-1) netted the win, tossing five and two-thirds innings with six strikeouts and two walks while yielding three runs (two earned) on nine hits. Skeeters’ starter Aaron Thompson (1-1) was the losing pitcher, giving up five runs on seven hits over five innings with one strikeout.

Offensively, Lyons was 3-for-5 with two doubles and three RBI. Puckett was 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI, while Lentini and Vega each had two hits and scored two runs.

The Ducks and Skeeters wrap up their three-game series on Sunday afternoon. Game time is slated for 1:35 p.m., with the Bethpage Ballpark gates opening at 12:35 (12:20 for full season ticket holders). The first 1,500 fans in attendance will receive Ducks Logo Baseballs, courtesy of AARP. Prior to the game, fans will be invited onto the field for an autograph session with the Ducks from 12:50 to 1:05 p.m. After the game, kids can be like their favorite Ducks player during Kids Run the Bases, presented by Bethpage Federal Credit Union. Right-hander John Brownell (3-1, 3.82 ERA) takes the baseball for the Ducks against Skeeters righty Parker Frazier (5-1, 4.12 ERA).

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 with live streaming video and audio on 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: 06/04/2016 Sugar Land Skeeters 3 AT Long Island Ducks 7 YTD YTD Sugar Land AB R H BI AVG L Island AB R H BI AVG Dominguez, J DH 5 0 0 0 .264 Lentini, F RF 5 2 2 0 .315 Hague, R 2B 4 2 1 1 .274 Lyons, D SS 5 1 3 3 .298 Tosoni, R CF 5 0 2 1 .351 Gotay, R 2B 4 1 1 0 .288 Barfield, J LF 4 0 1 1 .316 Colvin, T 1B 4 0 0 0 .239 Young, D 1B 3 0 1 0 .278 Puckett, C 3B 4 1 2 3 .293 Scott, T C 4 0 0 0 .224 Blanke, M C 3 0 0 0 .258 Matthes, K RF 4 0 1 0 .235 Tekotte, B CF 3 0 0 0 .239 Palmeiro, P 3B 3 1 2 0 .239 Dowd, M DH 4 0 0 0 .333 Weems, B SS 4 0 1 0 .186 Vega, A LF 4 2 2 0 .280 36 3 9 3 36 7 10 6 Sugar Land 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 - 3 9 4 L Island 1 0 0 2 2 0 1 1 x - 7 10 1 2B--Matthes, K RF (11), Weems, B SS (6), Lyons, D SS 2 (12), Vega, A LF (4). 3B--Tosoni, R CF (2). HR--Puckett, C 3B (4). RBI--Hague, R 2B (11), Tosoni, R CF (11), Barfield, J LF (31), TOTALS 3 (0), Lyons, D SS 2 3 (20), Puckett, C 3B 3 (23), TOTALS 6 (0). HP--Blanke, M C (1). SF--Hague, R 2B (1). SB--Lentini, F RF (14). E--Barfield, J LF (2), Young, D 1B (3), Palmeiro, P 3B (3), Thompson, A P (1), Puckett, C 3B 3 (4). LOB--Sugar Land 10, L Island 7. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA Sugar Land Thompson, A (L,1-1) 5.0 7 5 5 0 1 1 4.03 Velasquez, J 1.0 0 0 0 1 1 0 5.79 Weinhardt, R 1.0 2 1 0 0 2 0 2.37 Zinicola, Z 1.0 1 1 0 0 2 0 2.53 8 10 7 5 1 6 1 L Island Blackmar, M (W,4-1) 5.2 9 3 2 2 6 0 1.94 Crider, P 0.1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1.46 DeJiulio Jr., F 1.0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0.00 Kern, B 1.0 0 0 0 0 3 0 3.32 Coffey, T 1.0 0 0 0 0 3 0 3.00 9 9 3 2 3 14 0 HB--Thompson, A (1). SO--Dominguez, J 2, Hague, R 2, Tosoni, R 2, Barfield, J 2, Young, D, Scott, T 2, Palmeiro, P, Weems, B 2, Lyons, D, Gotay, R 2, Blanke, M 2, Dowd, M. BB--Barfield, J, Young, D, Palmeiro, P, Tekotte, B. BF--Thompson, A 23 (97), Velasquez, J 4 (82), Weinhardt, R 6 (78), Zinicola, Z 5 (89), Blackmar, M 29 (188), Crider, P (49), DeJiulio Jr., F 4 (38), Kern, B 3 (85), Coffey, T 3 (48). P-S--Thompson, A 87-60, Velasquez, J 13-7, Weinhardt, R 22-18, Zinicola, Z 14-11, Blackmar, M 96-64, Crider, P 3-3, DeJiulio Jr., F 23-11, Kern, B 16-11, Coffey, T 16-11. T--3:02. A--6401 Umpire Silvio Martinez Jr. left with injury in middle of second inning. David Speranza replaced him at home plate. Plate Umpire - Silvio Martinez Jr., Field Umpire #1 - David Speranza, Field Umpire #2 - Fred DeJesus