Long Island collects 12 hits but comes up short in series opener
(Photo courtesy of Bert Hindman)
(New Britain, Conn., May 8, 2018) – The Long Island Ducks were defeated by the New Britain Bees 5-2 on Tuesday night in the opener of a three-game series at New Britain Stadium.
The Ducks opened the scoring in the second inning when Wilkin Castillo’s grounder to first scored David Washington. The Bees answered back in the bottom of the frame, as Conor Bierfeldt lifted a two-run home run to left field.
Two more runs came across for New Britain in the fifth on a sacrifice fly from James Skelton and an RBI single by Deibinson Romero, increasing the lead to 4-1. Long Island closed to within two in the eighth on back-to-back doubles by Emilio Bonifacio and Travis Snider, but Reid Brignac’s RBI double in the bottom of the inning pushed the lead back to three.
Bees starter Kyle Simon (1-1) earned the win, tossing six innings of one-run ball, allowing eight hits and a walk while striking out six. Jake Dunning (0-1) took the loss, yielding two runs on two hits and two walks while striking out two over two and two-thirds innings. Kevin Chapman collected his first save of the year with one and two-thirds scoreless innings of relief, striking out three. Ducks starter Andrew Barbosa did not factor into the decision, retiring the first four batters he faced before exiting the game due to injury.
Bonifacio led the Flock with four hits on the night, while Jordany Valdespin added three.
The Ducks and Bees continue their three-game set on Wednesday morning. First pitch is scheduled for 10:35 a.m. from New Britain Stadium. Fans 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. Right-hander Matt Larkins (0-0, 5.40) takes the mound for the Ducks against Bees righty Jonathan Pettibone (0-1, 9.00).
Long Island returns home on Friday, May 11 to open up a three-game series against the Sugar Land Skeeters. 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). It’s a Bowlero Friday at the ballpark, and as fans exit the ballpark following the game, Ducks staff members will be handing out coupons for a special “buy one game of bowling, get one free” offer, courtesy of Bowlero. In addition, the Ducks will be running their Red Robin K-Man promotion! A player on the Skeeters will be designated as the K-Man of the game, and if he strikes out, all fans in a lucky section of the ballpark will win a special “buy one entree, get one half off” discount, courtesy of Red Robin. Tickets for the game, and all 2018 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 38 million fans have attended Atlantic League games and more than 900 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.
For more information, please visit www.atlanticleague.com.
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Game Date: 05/08/2018 Long Island Ducks 2 AT New Britain Bees 5 YTD YTD L Island AB R H BI AVG N Britain AB R H BI AVG Valdespin, J 2B 5 0 3 0 .432 Ford, D CF 3 1 1 0 .250 Bonifacio, E CF 5 1 4 0 .800 Skelton, J C 2 1 0 1 .273 Snider, T RF 5 0 1 1 .233 Romero, D 3B 4 0 1 1 .324 Ford, L DH 4 0 0 0 .314 Brignac, R SS 4 0 1 1 .270 Washington, D 1B 4 1 1 0 .286 Galvez, J 1B 3 1 0 0 .184 Puckett, C 3B 3 0 0 0 .207 Bierfeldt, C LF 3 1 1 2 .226 Fields, D LF 3 0 1 0 .206 Walton, J DH 3 0 1 0 .429 Castillo, W C 4 0 1 1 .242 Nina, A 2B 3 0 1 0 .074 Lyons, D SS 3 0 1 0 .172 Guillen, O RF 3 1 0 0 .235 36 2 12 2 28 5 6 5 L Island 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 - 2 12 1 N Britain 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 1 x - 5 6 0 2B--Bonifacio, E CF 2 (2), Snider, T RF (3), Ford, D CF (2), Brignac, R SS (2). HR--Bierfeldt, C LF (2). RBI--Snider, T RF (8), Castillo, W C (5), TOTALS 2 (0), Skelton, J C (4), Romero, D 3B (3), Brignac, R SS (4), Bierfeldt, C LF 2 (7), TOTALS 5 (0). HP--Ford, D CF (1), Skelton, J C (1). SF--Skelton, J C (1). SB--Washington, D 1B (2), Fields, D LF (2), Ford, D CF (4). E--Dunning, J P (1). LOB--L Island 10, N Britain 4. DP--K. Simon(P) - R. Brignac(SS) - J. Galvez(1B), A. Nina(2B) - R. Brignac(SS) - J. Galvez(1B), J. Valdespin(2B) - C. Puckett(3B) - D. Washington(1B). YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA L Island Barbosa, A 1.1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1.42 Dunning, J (L,0-1) 2.2 2 2 2 2 2 1 3.60 OGrady, D 2.0 3 2 2 0 1 0 5.40 Schlereth, D 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.00 Pimentel, C 1.0 1 1 1 0 2 0 4.76 8 6 5 5 2 7 1 N Britain Simon, K (W,1-1) 6.0 8 1 1 1 6 0 4.91 Fry, B 1.0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0.00 Higgins, T 0.1 2 1 1 0 1 0 3.60 Chapman, K (S,1) 1.2 2 0 0 1 3 0 0.00 9 12 2 2 3 10 0 WP--Higgins, T (1). HB--Dunning, J (1), Pimentel, C (2). SO--Snider, T 2, Ford, L 3, Washington, D 2, Fields, D 2, Lyons, D, Ford, D, Skelton, J, Galvez, J 2, Bierfeldt, C 2, Guillen, O. BB--Puckett, C, Fields, D, Lyons, D, Galvez, J, Bierfeldt, C. BF--Barbosa, A 4 (26), Dunning, J 12 (20), OGrady, D 9 (23), Schlereth, D 3 (3), Pimentel, C 5 (29), Simon, K 25 (48), Fry, B 3 (11), Higgins, T 3 (22), Chapman, K 8 (18). P-S--Barbosa, A 15-12, Dunning, J 45-25, OGrady, D 25-18, Schlereth, D 10-7, Pimentel, C 16-10, Simon, K 89-65, Fry, B 12-6, Higgins, T 12-8, Chapman, K 33-23. T--2:29. A--1762 Weather: Partly Cloudy _ Low 60's Plate Umpire - Matthew Kane, Field Umpire #1 - David Sperenza, Field Umpire #3 - Joe Gravina