Ducks plate five runs in final inning but come up a run short
(Central Islip, N.Y., July 1, 2018) – The Long Island Ducks were defeated by the Road Warriors 10-9 on Sunday evening in the finale of a three-game series at Bethpage Ballpark.
The Ducks and Road Warriors traded runs in the first inning, with an RBI single by Jose Julio-Ruiz and a bases loaded walk to Cody Puckett accounting for the scoring. Two runs in the second and two more in the third for the Road Warriors off Ducks starter Lee Sosa put the visitors in front 5-1. A pair of RBI singles by Matt Hibbert and a sac fly off the bat of Alfredo Silverio highlighted the scoring.
Long Island fought back with a three-run fourth inning against Road Warriors starter Brandon Bargas to trim the deficit to 5-4. Emilio Bonifacio’s RBI single to right and Lew Ford’s two-run single through the right side did the damage. However, single runs over the next four innings pushed the Road Warriors lead up to five. Solo homers by Gustavo Pierre, Jorge Fernandez-Diaz and Chris Rivera featured in the offense.
The Ducks mounted an incredible rally in the ninth to nearly complete a comeback. Ford’s RBI single, a two-run double by Taylor Ard, David Washington’s run-scoring groundout and an RBI single by Anthony Vega closed the gap to 10-9. However, the tying and winning runs were stranded on base.
Bargas did not factor into the decision but allowed four runs on four hits and six walks over three and two-thirds innings with four strikeouts. Andres Caceres (1-0) picked up the win with one and one-third scoreless innings of relief. Sosa (0-1) suffered the loss, surrendering five runs (four earned) on five hits and four walks in two and one-third innings. Christian Flecha-Astacio picked up his first save of the season by retiring the final batter of the game.
Ford led the Flock with three hits, three RBIs and a walk.
The Ducks hit the road on Tuesday for the final series of the first half, as they open a three-game series against the New Britain. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. at 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. Left-hander Bennett Parry (5-0, 2.22) gets the start for the Ducks against Bees righty Rainy Lara (3-3, 3.25).
Long Island returns home on Friday, July 6 to begin a three-game series against the Sugar Land Skeeters. Game time is slated for 5:05 p.m., with the Bethpage Ballpark gates opening at 4:05 (3:50 for full season ticket holders). It’s a Bowlero Friday, 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. The Red Robin K-Man promotion will be taking place as well. A player on the Road Warriors will be designated as the K-Man, and if he strikes out, all fans in a lucky section of the ballpark will win a “buy one entree, get one half off” discount, courtesy of Red Robin. Tickets to 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: 07/01/2018 Road Warriors 10 AT Long Island Ducks 9 YTD YTD R Warriors AB R H BI AVG L Island AB R H BI AVG Silverio, A LF 4 1 2 1 .220 Valdespin, J 2B 5 2 1 0 .354 Martinez, O SS 5 0 1 0 .230 Bonifacio, E SS 5 2 2 1 .300 Fernandez-Diaz, RF 4 2 2 2 .237 Snider, T RF 3 2 1 0 .279 Julio-Ruiz, J DH 5 0 1 1 .286 Ford, L DH 4 1 3 3 .268 Valentin, G 1B 4 1 0 0 .240 Ard, T 1B 3 1 1 2 .252 Pierre, G 3B 5 4 3 1 .247 Puckett, C 3B 3 0 0 1 .226 Wenrich, I C 3 1 1 0 .192 Washington, D PH 1 0 0 1 .229 Escobar, E C 0 0 0 0 .400 Fields, D CF 4 0 0 0 .234 Rivera, C 2B 4 1 1 1 .208 Afenir, A C 5 1 1 0 .179 Hibbert, M CF 5 0 3 3 .222 Vega, A LF 4 0 1 1 .210 39 10 14 9 37 9 10 9 R Warriors 1 2 2 0 1 1 1 1 1 - 10 14 0 L Island 1 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 5 - 9 10 2 2B--Silverio, A LF (7), Ard, T 1B (5). HR--Fernandez-Diaz, RF (6), Pierre, G 3B (7), Rivera, C 2B (5). RBI--Silverio, A LF (20), Fernandez-Diaz, RF 2 (15), Julio-Ruiz, J DH (4), Pierre, G 3B (16), Rivera, C 2B (13), Hibbert, M CF 3 (6), TOTALS 9 (0), Bonifacio, E SS (27), Ford, L DH 3 (37), Ard, T 1B 2 (18), Puckett, C 3B (13), Washington, D PH (28), Vega, A LF (3), TOTALS 9 (0). HP--Vega, A LF (1). SF--Silverio, A LF (1), Fernandez-Diaz, RF (2). SB--Martinez, O SS (4), Pierre, G 3B (6), Hibbert, M CF (5), Bonifacio, E SS (16), Vega, A LF (9). E--Bonifacio, E SS (4), Puckett, C 3B (8). LOB--R Warriors 8, L Island 10. DP--J. Valdespin(2B) - E. Bonifacio(SS) - T. Ard(1B). YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA R Warriors Bargas, B 3.2 4 4 4 6 4 0 6.93 Caceres, A (W,1-0) 1.1 0 0 0 1 2 0 0.00 Cruz, L 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1.75 Gabay, W 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 5.40 Zinicola, Z 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1.86 Treibt, C 0.0 3 3 3 0 0 0 7.92 Johnston, A 0.2 3 2 2 1 1 0 2.82 Flecha-Astacio, C (S,1) 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3.38 9 10 9 9 8 11 0 L Island Sosa, L (L,0-1) 2.1 5 5 4 4 1 0 5.93 Dunning, J 2.2 2 1 1 0 4 1 8.16 Pinder, B 0.1 2 1 1 0 0 0 5.40 Perez, W 0.2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2.84 OGrady, D 1.0 3 1 1 0 0 0 3.55 Murray, C 1.0 1 1 1 0 0 1 2.70 Rodriguez, F 1.0 1 1 1 0 1 1 2.37 9 14 10 9 4 6 3 WP--Sosa, L 3 (3). HB--Bargas, B (3). SO--Silverio, A, Fernandez-Diaz, J, Julio-Ruiz, J, Rivera, C 2, Hibbert, M, Valdespin, J, Bonifacio, E 2, Snider, T, Ford, L, Fields, D 3, Afenir, A 2, Vega, A. BB--Valentin, G, Wenrich, I 2, Rivera, C, Valdespin, J, Snider, T 2, Ford, L, Ard, T 2, Puckett, C, Fields, D. BF--Bargas, B 22 (191), Caceres, A 5 (5), Cruz, L 3 (140), Gabay, W 3 (131), Zinicola, Z 3 (35), Treibt, C 3 (128), Johnston, A 6 (95), Flecha-Astacio, C (121), Sosa, L 16 (63), Dunning, J 10 (132), Pinder, B 3 (15), Perez, W 2 (107), OGrady, D 6 (113), Murray, C 4 (29), Rodriguez, F 4 (77). P-S--Bargas, B 87-45, Caceres, A 27-17, Cruz, L 8-7, Gabay, W 14-11, Zinicola, Z 16-9, Treibt, C 13-8, Johnston, A 30-15, Flecha-Astacio, C 2-2, Sosa, L 63-37, Dunning, J 38-27, Pinder, B 12-7, Perez, W 5-4, OGrady, D 20-12, Murray, C 14-9, Rodriguez, F 8-7. T--3:54. A--4402 Plate Umpire - Fred DeJesus, Field Umpire #1 - Tim Rosso, Field Umpire #2 - Warren Nicholson