(Sugar Land, Texas, May 15, 2012) – The Long Island Ducks were defeated by the Sugar Land Skeeters 6-5 on Tuesday afternoon in the fifth game of a six-game series at Constellation Field.
GAME AUDIO: Solo homers from Shawn Williams and Josh Johnson, and Johnson’s game-tying RBI double
The Ducks struck first with an opposite field two-run homer by Shawn Williams in the top of the second against Skeeters starter Derrick Gordon. Josh Johnson added a solo home run in the fifth, and Williams came through with a RBI base hit to right in the sixth, giving Long Island a 4-0 lead.
Sugar Land got a run in the bottom half of the sixth when Bubba Bell hit a RBI double to left off Ducks starter Bob Zimmerman. Four more runs in the seventh on a Ben Harrison RBI single to center, a run-scoring fielder’s choice, and a two-run single from Jason Botts gave the Skeeters a 5-4 lead.
The Ducks rallied in the top of the ninth, as Johnson hit a double to right which scored Wilberto Ortiz and tied the game at five apiece. However, a walk-off homer to center in the 12th from Botts ended the contest.
Neither starter factored into the decision. Zimmermann gave up three runs on five hits in six innings, while Gordon tossed six innings, allowing four runs on eight hits with four strikeouts. Eric Krebs (1-0) got the win, tossing two scoreless innings of relief, and Dan Meyer (1-1) suffered the loss, allowing the winning run in two-thirds of an inning.
Williams and Johnson paced the Ducks’ offense with two hits each, combining for five RBI.
Long Island and Sugar Land play the final game of their six-game set on Wednesday morning. Game time is slated for 12:05 p.m. EDT at Constellation Field. Fans can follow all the action live online at www.liducks.com by clicking the Listen Live icon on the homepage. Streaming audio will be provided by iBN, the Internet Broadcast Network. Randy Keisler gets the start for Long Island against Sugar Land’s Matt Wright.
The Ducks return home on Friday, May 18 to begin a 10-game homestand, as they host the Somerset Patriots for a three-game series. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m., with the Bethpage Ballpark gates opening at 6:05. It’s “Don’t Zone Out Night” at the ballpark, and the first 2,500 fans will receive a Ducks Static Cling Decal, courtesy of CSEA. 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.
GAME DATE: 05/15/2012 Long Island Ducks 5 AT Sugar Land Skeeters 6 (EXTRA INNINGS) YTD YTD L Island AB R H BI AVG Sugar Land AB R H BI AVG K.Binick CF 3 0 0 0 .256 B.Bell CF 6 0 2 1 .241 B.Nelson 3B 6 0 1 0 .211 D.Ramos 2B 5 0 0 0 .000 L.Ford DH 5 0 0 0 .347 J.Botts RF 5 1 2 3 .365 J.McOwen RF 5 1 1 0 .315 J.Pressley 1B 5 0 0 0 .232 R.Navarrete 1B 5 1 1 0 .232 O.Castro SS 3 1 0 0 .500 S.Williams LF 5 1 2 3 .500 J.Van Ostrand 3B 3 0 0 0 .308 W.Ortiz 2B 5 1 0 0 .290 B.Harrison DH 5 1 2 1 .294 J.Johnson C 4 1 2 2 .279 D.Locke LF 4 1 0 0 .233 D.Lyons SS 4 0 1 0 .309 O.Martinez C 5 2 3 0 .271 42 5 8 5 41 6 9 5 L Island 0 2 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 - 5 8 2 Sugar Land 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 0 0 0 0 1 - 6 9 1 2B--J.Johnson (5), D.Lyons (1), B.Bell (7), O.Martinez (1). HR--S.Williams (1), J.Johnson (1), J.Botts (5). RBI--S.Williams 3 (6), J.Johnson 2 (4), B.Bell (8), J.Botts 3 (17), B.Harrison (8). HP--K.Binick (6), J.Botts (1), J.Van Ostrand (1). SH--D.Ramos (0). SB--K.Binick (4), J.McOwen (2), S.Williams (3). E--D.Lyons (2), E.Niesen (1), O.Castro (3). LOB--L Island 6, Sugar Land 7. DP--D. Lyons(SS) - W. Ortiz(2B) - R. Navarrete(1B), B. Nelson(3B) - W. Ortiz(2B) - R. Navarrete(1B), D. Lyons(SS) - W. Ortiz(2B) - R. Navarrete(1B), O. Castro(SS) - J. Pressley(1B), D. Lyons(SS) - R. Navarrete(1B), O. Castro(SS) - J. Pressley(1B), O. Castro(SS) - D. Ramos(2B) - J. Pressley(1B). YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA L Island B.Zimmermann 6.0 5 3 1 2 1 0 1.80 J.Monti 0.1 1 2 0 0 0 0 3.94 E.Niesen 0.2 1 0 0 0 1 0 2.79 J.Hill 2.0 1 0 0 1 1 0 5.91 J.Meloan 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0.75 C.Graham 1.0 0 0 0 1 0 0 7.36 D.Meyer (L,1-1) 0.2 1 1 1 0 1 1 2.53 11.2 9 6 2 4 6 1 Sugar Land D.Gordon 6.0 6 4 4 2 5 2 6.00 W.Startup 2.0 0 0 0 1 0 0 3.38 G.Majewski 2.0 2 1 0 1 1 0 0.82 E.Krebs (W,1-0) 2.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1.13 12 8 5 4 4 7 2 PB--J.Johnson. HB--B.Zimmermann (3), C.Graham (3), E.Krebs (1). SO--L.Ford 3, S.Williams, W.Ortiz 2, J.Johnson, D.Ramos 3, J.Botts, J.Pressley, B.Harrison. BB--K.Binick 2, J.Johnson, D.Lyons, O.Castro 2, J.Van Ostrand, D.Locke. BF--B.Zimmermann 25 (103), J.Monti 2 (66), E.Niesen 4 (40), J.Hill 6 (48), J.Meloan 3 (47), C.Graham 5 (54), D.Meyer 3 (50), D.Gordon 25 (81), W.Startup 7 (35), G.Majewski 9 (44), E.Krebs 6 (28). P-S--B.Zimmermann 92-58, J.Monti 2-2, E.Niesen 18-11, J.Hill 28-18, J.Meloan 12-7, C.Graham 12-6, D.Meyer 12-8, D.Gordon 99-60, W.Startup 24-16, G.Majewski 31-19, E.Krebs 26-15. T--3:51. A--6007 Weather: Cloudy-Wind NNW 10mph-68 Umpires: Plate Ump - Eric Diaz, Field Ump #1 - Mike Terry (1B), Field Ump #2 - Pat McLaughlin (3B)