Vega legs out team-leading third triple of season

(Waldorf, Md. July 8, 2017) – The Long Island Ducks fell to the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs 7-2 on Saturday night at Regency Furniture Stadium in the middle game of a three-game series.

GAME VIDEO: Anthony Vega legs out an opposite-field triple

The Blue Crabs (4-1; 42-32) got on the board first, plating two runs against Ducks starter Rafael Perez in the bottom of the first. Jose Lozada doubled, stole third and scored on a wild pitch, and Michael Snyder was plated by a Cory Vaughn single to hand Southern Maryland a 2-0 lead.

Long Island (2-4, 38-38) retaliated in the top of the third when Delta Cleary Jr. beat out an infield single and stole second base against Drew Hayes (4-3). He advanced to third on a Lew Ford groundout and scored on a wild pitch to cut the deficit to 2-1.

In the bottom of the third, Snyder connected on a two-run home run off Perez (5-5) to put the Blue Crabs up 4-1. Perez threw five innings, allowing four runs on eight hits and striking out a season-high eight while walking three.

Southern Maryland rallied for three runs in the bottom of the seventh against Long Island reliever Stephen De La Cruz to expand the gap to 7-1.

Anthony Vega tripled against Zack Thornton in the top of the eighth and scored on a Cleary Jr. sacrifice fly, but the Ducks went quietly in the ninth to fall 7-2.

Ruben Gotay and Lew Ford led the Ducks with two hits each.

The Ducks and Blue Crabs complete their three-game series on Sunday afternoon. Game time is slated for 2:05 p.m. at Regency Furniture 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. The Long Island Ducks Pregame Show begins at 1:50 p.m. Right-hander John Brownell (6-1, 2.88) takes the slab for the Ducks, while the Blue Crabs counter with righty Brian Grening (7-2, 2.71).

Long Island returns home following the Atlantic League All-Star break on Friday, July 14 to begin a three-game series against the Somerset Patriots. 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 Anti-Bullying Night at the ballpark, and the first 1,500 fans in attendance will receive Commemorative Pennants, courtesy of the Long Island Coalition Against Bullying. It’s also a Fowl Pole Friday, and fans have a chance to win $50,000 if a select Ducks player hits a home run off one of the foul poles. In addition, if the Patriots player designated as the K-Man strikes out during the game, all fans will receive a coupon good for a free 1-topping personal pizza at a participating Pizza Hut location. 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.

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 36 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{2db62e8169997a8d599beca7d6013ac1e46056278d69ddd3df039f4c0be21f7d} of the US population.

For more information, please visit www.atlanticleague.com.

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 Game Date: 07/08/2017 Long Island Ducks 2 AT Southern Maryland Blue Crabs 7 YTD YTD L Island AB R H BI AVG S Maryland AB R H BI AVG Vega, A RF 4 1 1 0 .214 Lozada, J 2B 5 1 2 0 .284 Cleary Jr., D CF 3 1 2 1 .231 Garcia, E SS 4 2 1 0 .253 Ford, L LF 3 0 1 0 .295 Wilson, Z DH 4 1 2 0 .292 Songco, A DH 3 0 0 0 .263 Snyder, M 1B 3 3 2 4 .287 Krauss, M 1B 4 0 0 0 .248 Vaughn, C CF 3 0 2 1 .274 Pacheco, J C 4 0 0 0 .188 Hoes, L LF 3 0 1 0 .273 Gotay, R 3B 4 0 2 0 .258 Cone, Z RF 4 0 0 0 .267 Alfonzo, G 2B 3 0 0 0 .339 Alen, L C 4 0 1 0 .241 Lyons, D SS 3 0 1 0 .243 Palmeiro, P 3B 4 0 1 0 .222 31 2 7 1 34 7 12 5 L Island 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 - 2 7 1 S Maryland 2 0 2 0 0 0 3 0 x - 7 12 0 2B--Lozada, J 2B (5), Snyder, M 1B (22). 3B--Vega, A RF (3). HR--Snyder, M 1B (18). RBI--Cleary Jr., D CF (19), TOTALS (0), Snyder, M 1B 4 (55), Vaughn, C CF (32), TOTALS 5 (0). SF--Cleary Jr., D CF (5). SB--Cleary Jr., D CF (15), Lozada, J 2B (20), Vaughn, C CF (9). E--Lyons, D SS (10). LOB--L Island 5, S Maryland 7. DP--G. Alfonzo(2B) - D. Lyons(SS) - M. Krauss(1B), G. Alfonzo(2B) - R. Gotay(3B) - M. Krauss(1B), J. Lozada(2B) - E. Garcia(SS) - M. Snyder(1B). YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA L Island Perez, R (L,5-5) 5.0 8 4 4 3 8 1 4.07 Treece, Z 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 5.04 De La Cruz, S 1.0 4 3 3 1 0 0 27.00 Levine, T 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3.20 8 12 7 7 4 9 1 S Maryland Hayes, D (W,4-3) 6.0 4 1 1 2 6 0 4.37 Beal, J 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3.13 Thornton, Z 1.0 2 1 1 0 0 0 3.60 Stem, C 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 8.04 9 7 2 2 2 7 0 WP--Perez, R (5), De La Cruz, S (1), Hayes, D (2). SO--Vega, A 2, Songco, A 2, Krauss, M 2, Lyons, D, Lozada, J, Garcia, E, Wilson, Z 2, Vaughn, C, Cone, Z 3, Alen, L. BB--Ford, L, Songco, A, Garcia, E, Snyder, M, Vaughn, C, Hoes, L. BF--Perez, R 25 (314), Treece, Z 3 (138), De La Cruz, S 7 (7), Levine, T 3 (113), Hayes, D 23 (244), Beal, J 3 (124), Thornton, Z 5 (75), Stem, C 3 (78). P-S--Perez, R 90-59, Treece, Z 12-8, De La Cruz, S 20-14, Levine, T 11-8, Hayes, D 103-69, Beal, J 6-5, Thornton, Z 21-14, Stem, C 13-9. T--2:47. Plate Umpire - Jorge Teran, Field Umpire #1 - Silvio Martinez, Field Umpire #2 - Jim Clayton