(Central Islip, N.Y., June 30, 2012) – The Long Island Ducks defeated the Sugar Land Skeeters 2-1 on Saturday night in the third game of a four-game series at Bethpage Ballpark.
GAME VIDEO: Bryant Nelson’s RBI double, James McOwen’s great catch and Brandon Sing’s game-winning solo homer
POSTGAME VIDEO: Sing, Jason Monti and Kevin Baez talk about the thrilling victory
The Ducks took the lead in the bottom of the third on a two-out RBI double by Bryant Nelson off Sugar Land starter Michael Nix. Long Island starter Jason Monti would keep the Skeeters hitless until the top of the fifth when Steve Moss hit a solo home run, the only hit of the game for the Skeeters, tying the game at one.
It stayed that way until the bottom of the eighth when the Ducks regained the lead for good on a monster solo home run by Brandon Sing off Skeeters reliever Pedro Liriano.
Both starters pitched well, but neither factored into the decision. Monti tossed six innings, allowing only one hit and one run while striking out four, and Nix lasted five innings, yielding one run on two hits and five walks with three strikeouts. Armando Benitez (2-0) earned the win, tossing a perfect eighth inning, while Pedro Liriano (3-3) suffered the loss, allowing one run on two hits in three innings of relief. Jon Hunton picked up his third save of the year after retiring the side in order in the ninth.
Sing and Nelson paced the Flock with two hits and one RBI apiece.
The Ducks close out their four-game set with the Skeeters on Sunday evening. Game time is slated for 5:05 p.m., with the Bethpage Ballpark gates opening at 4:05. It’s the Eighth Annual Italian Heritage Night at the ballpark, and the first 1,500 fans in attendance will receive Megaphones, presented by the Order Sons of Italy. It’s also a Sunday Family Fun Day at the ballpark! Prior to the game, fans will be invited onto the field for an autograph session with the Ducks. Then after the game, kids (and kids at heart) can take part in Kids Run the Bases, presented by Bethpage Federal Credit Union.
In addition, the Ducks will be hosting a food drive in conjunction with Long Island Cares and the Harry Chapin Food Bank. Fans are asked to donate non-perishable food items by dropping them off in the collection bins located outside the ballpark. Southpaw Dan Meyer toes the rubber for the Ducks against Skeeters left-hander Dustin Richardson.
Tickets for the game and all Ducks home games are available by visiting the Bethpage Ballpark Box Office, calling (631) 940-TIXX, or visiting www.liducks.com. Fans unable to make the game can follow the action live on the radio at MyCountry 96.1 FM and online at LIDucks.com by clicking the Watch Live icon on the homepage. Streaming video and audio will be provided by iBN, the Internet Broadcast Network.
Duck Tales: Brandon Sing has homered in three consecutive games, increasing his team-leading home run count to 13, which is also good for second in the Atlantic League. His last two longballs have been game-winning hits for the Flock. Sing has now hit safely in his last 10 games and reached base safely in his last 14 games…Bryant Nelson’s RBI double in the third gave him his 40th run batted in of the season. He becomes the second Duck this season to collect 40 or more RBI. Ray Navarrete leads the team with 43 runs batted in…Dan Lyons extended his on-base streak to 12 games with a walk. He entered the game with a .306 batting average in his last 10 games. Reid Gorecki drew a walk to extend his on-base streak to nine games…Armando Benitez pitched a 1-2-3 top of the eighth, giving him his first perfect inning in a Ducks uniform. He also picked up his second win of the series and is now 2-0 on the season…The win was the fifth consecutive victory for the Ducks overall. Their longest winning streak of the year is six, done from May 4-10. Long Island is also now a season-best 13 games over .500 at 37-24…With the win and Southern Maryland’s loss, the Ducks’ magic number to clinch the first half Liberty Division title is now just one. A Ducks win or a Riversharks loss tomorrow would give Long Island the first half title and a guaranteed spot in the playoffs.
GAME DATE: 06/30/2012 Sugar Land Skeeters 1 AT Long Island Ducks 2 YTD YTD Sugar Land AB R H BI AVG L Island AB R H BI AVG D.Ramos 2B 4 0 0 0 .242 K.Binick LF 4 0 0 0 .275 O.Castro 3B 4 0 0 0 .308 J.McOwen RF 4 0 0 0 .238 J.Lane DH 3 0 0 0 .333 R.Navarrete 2B 3 0 0 0 .329 J.Pressley 1B 4 0 0 0 .249 B.Sing DH 3 2 2 1 .261 S.Moss RF 1 1 1 1 .205 B.Nelson 3B 4 0 2 1 .249 M.Mejia C 2 0 0 0 .295 R.Gorecki CF 2 0 0 0 .266 B.Bell CF 2 0 0 0 .285 S.Williams 1B 3 0 0 0 .280 M.Hagen LF 3 0 0 0 .238 M.Canham C 2 0 0 0 .160 I.Suarez SS 3 0 0 0 .214 D.Lyons SS 2 0 0 0 .276 26 1 1 1 27 2 4 2 Sugar Land 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 - 1 1 0 L Island 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 x - 2 4 0 2B--B.Sing (16), B.Nelson (15). HR--S.Moss (2), B.Sing (13). RBI--S.Moss (9), B.Sing (37), B.Nelson (40). HP--S.Moss (1). SB--S.Moss (1), R.Gorecki (11), D.Lyons (6). CS--B.Bell (1). LOB--Sugar Land 3, L Island 6. DP--R. Navarrete(2B) - B. Nelson(3B) - S. Williams(1B), O. Castro(3B) - D. Ramos(2B) - J. Pressley(1B). YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA Sugar Land M.Nix 5.0 2 1 1 5 3 0 7.75 P.Liriano (L,3-3) 3.0 2 1 1 0 2 1 2.59 8 4 2 2 5 5 1 L Island J.Monti 6.0 1 1 1 2 4 1 3.99 J.Lansford 0.2 0 0 0 2 1 0 6.48 E.Niesen 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4.85 A.Benitez (W,2-0) 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 14.29 J.Hunton (S,3) 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2.92 9 1 1 1 4 7 1 HB--J.Monti (4). SO--J.Lane 3, M.Mejia, M.Hagen 2, I.Suarez, J.McOwen, R.Navarrete 2, S.Williams, D.Lyons. BB--J.Lane, S.Moss, M.Mejia, B.Bell, R.Navarrete, B.Sing, R.Gorecki, M.Canham, D.Lyons. BF--M.Nix 22 (174), P.Liriano 10 (169), J.Monti 20 (239), J.Lansford 4 (41), E.Niesen (120), A.Benitez 3 (33), J.Hunton 3 (49). P-S--M.Nix 94-52, P.Liriano 38-23, J.Monti 73-43, J.Lansford 15-5, E.Niesen 6-4, A.Benitez 9-7, J.Hunton 11-8. T--2:32. A--5528 Umpires: Plate Ump - Pat McLaughlin, Field Ump #1 - Eric Diaz, Field Ump #2 - Mike Terry