Two-hit night from Cleary Jr. not enough as missed opportunities haunt Ducks

(Central Islip, N.Y., July 14, 2017) – The Long Island Ducks were defeated by the Somerset Patriots 3-2 on Friday night in the opener of a three-game series at Bethpage Ballpark.

GAME VIDEO: Highlights from Friday night’s series opener

POSTGAME VIDEO: Kevin Baez and Delta Cleary Jr. talk about the game

Dan Lyons put the Ducks in front with a leadoff solo home run to left field in the third inning off of Patriots starter Efrain Nieves. It remained 1-0 until the top of the sixth when Somerset took a 2-1 lead. A sacrifice fly off the bat of Yovan Gonzalez tied the game, and a two-out solo homer to right by Kyle Roller of Ducks starter Matt Larkins gave the Patriots the lead.

The Ducks pulled back even in the seventh on Angelo Songco’s RBI single to right that scored Delta Cleary Jr. However, two walks followed by an RBI single to center from Mark Minicozzi put the Patriots back in front, 3-2. Long Island put the tying run on second in the ninth, but a running catch in left-center by Aharon Eggleston ended the ballgame.

Neither starter factored into the decision. Larkins pitched five and two-thirds innings, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out four. Nieves lasted four innings, yielding a run on three hits and four walks with two strikeouts. Justin Wright (3-1) picked up the win despite allowing a run on two hits and a walk in the seventh inning. Amalio Diaz (2-2) took the loss, giving up a run on one hit and two walks in one-third of an inning. Ronnie Shaban collected his fifth save with a scoreless ninth.

Cleary Jr. led the Flock with two hits on the night. Lyons and Marc Krauss each picked up a hit and two walks.

The Ducks and Patriots continue their three-game set on Saturday night. 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). Following the game, all fans in attendance will be treated to a Fireworks Spectacular, presented by NYCB. In addition, Ducks staff members will be handing out coupons for $10 off a purchase of $50 or more to fans as they exit the ballpark following the fireworks show. Left-hander Rafael Perez (5-5, 4.06) takes the mound for the Ducks against Patriots righty Will Oliver (3-1, 5.12).

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 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.

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 37 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{fe96d6e17d87505a1465284f96a4c69c9ad7d7051973bed0757ffc13536530ff} of the US population. For more information, please visit www.atlanticleague.com.
 

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 Game Date: 07/14/2017 Somerset Patriots 3 AT Long Island Ducks 2 YTD YTD Somerset AB R H BI AVG L Island AB R H BI AVG Rodriguez, A SS 5 1 1 0 .232 Lentini, F RF 5 0 0 0 .228 Pacchioli, J CF 4 0 0 0 .304 Cleary Jr., D CF 4 1 2 0 .229 Gonzalez, Y C 2 1 1 1 .328 Ford, L DH 4 0 1 0 .297 Roller, K DH 3 1 1 1 .356 Songco, A 1B 4 0 1 1 .260 Minicozzi, M 3B 3 0 1 1 .247 Vega, A LF,PR 1 0 0 0 .212 Kelly, S 3B,PR 0 0 0 0 .242 Gotay, R 3B 5 0 1 0 .257 Guzman, C 1B 3 0 0 0 .254 Krauss, M 1B,LF 2 0 1 0 .254 Bortnick, T 2B 3 0 1 0 .273 Burg, A C 3 0 0 0 .218 Eggleston, A LF 3 0 1 0 .269 Alfonzo, G 2B 4 0 1 0 .337 Racusin, Z RF 4 0 0 0 .143 Lyons, D SS 2 1 1 1 .245 30 3 6 3 34 2 8 2 Somerset 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 - 3 6 1 L Island 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 - 2 8 1 HR--Roller, K DH (10), Lyons, D SS (3). RBI--Gonzalez, Y C (19), Roller, K DH (31), Minicozzi, M 3B (8), TOTALS 3 (0), Songco, A 1B (39), Lyons, D SS (17), TOTALS 2 (0). SF--Gonzalez, Y C (1). SH--Eggleston, A LF (0), Cleary Jr., D CF (0). SB--Rodriguez, A SS (5). E--Rodriguez, A SS (6), Burg, A C (7). LOB--Somerset 7, L Island 12. DP--G. Alfonzo(2B) - D. Lyons(SS) - M. Krauss(1B), T. Bortnick(2B) - C. Guzman(1B). YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA Somerset Nieves, E 4.0 3 1 1 4 2 1 5.25 Root, C 2.0 2 0 0 1 0 0 2.70 Wright, J (W,3-1) 1.0 2 1 1 1 0 0 3.25 Molleken, D 1.0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0.00 Shaban, R (S,5) 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 3.04 9 8 2 2 6 6 1 L Island Larkins, M 5.2 5 2 2 2 4 1 3.95 Rogers, R 1.1 0 0 0 0 1 0 2.58 Diaz, A (L,2-2) 0.1 1 1 1 2 0 0 1.97 Crider, P 0.2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2.28 Lannan, J 1.0 0 0 0 1 0 0 3.86 9 6 3 3 5 5 1 WP--Root, C (1). SO--Rodriguez, A, Pacchioli, J, Roller, K 2, Minicozzi, M, Lentini, F, Ford, L, Vega, A, Burg, A, Alfonzo, G, Lyons, D. BB--Gonzalez, Y, Roller, K, Minicozzi, M, Guzman, C, Bortnick, T, Ford, L, Krauss, M 2, Burg, A, Lyons, D 2. BF--Nieves, E 19 (60), Root, C 9 (53), Wright, J 6 (115), Molleken, D 3 (10), Shaban, R 4 (92), Larkins, M 24 (360), Rogers, R 4 (153), Diaz, A 4 (132), Crider, P (112), Lannan, J 4 (38). P-S--Nieves, E 93-55, Root, C 37-27, Wright, J 25-15, Molleken, D 15-11, Shaban, R 12-9, Larkins, M 102-65, Rogers, R 16-11, Diaz, A 16-8, Crider, P 5-4, Lannan, J 17-10. T--3:20. A--4580 Plate Umpire - Richard Katz, Field Umpire #1 - John Grasso, Field Umpire #2 - Derek Moccia