L.I. Ducks: Darin Downs' gem repels York Revolution

From the desk of:  THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

Series tied 1-1

I - YRK 8; LID 4

II- LID 3; YRK 1

LONG ISLAND DUCKS: Darin Downs halts Revolution, while Mother Nature bogs down Patriots.

Long Island starter Darin Downs hurled his team back in the win column after Monday's series opening loss against the Revs, but more importantly helped the Ducks close to within a half-game of (rain-delayed) Somerset Patriots.

Tuesday's 3-1 victory was only the Ducks second over the Revs this season, against six losses versus the Freedom Division leaders.  Winning the day was nevertheless a temporary reprieve from York's season long dominance.

Back-to-back 2-out doubles in the first inning gave the Revs an early 1-0 lead.  Downs then shut York down through the next six innings.  All told, Darin allowed one lone run on just three hits and no walks, with 10 strikeouts.  He faced just 23 batters, and threw 100 pitches with 67 going for strikes.

Downs improved to 5-4 this season with a 4.21 ERA (down from 4.50), and likewise reduced his WHiP from 1.330 to a 1.250 mark.  He's allowed 74 hits and fanned 83 batters in 77 innings pitched.

Todd Coffey pitched a scoreless ninth, registering his 11th save of the season.

First baseman Mike Blanke and catcher Mike Dowd each stroked clutch 2-out hits with runners in scoring position in the bottom of the second.  York gifted the Ducks an insurance run in the eighth when Dan Lyons scored from third base on a wild pitch.

LIBERTY DIVISION

Patriots   36-28
Ducks      36-29

The game in Somerset between the Patriots and New Britain was halted in the sixth inning due to rain.  The Bees held a 3-0 lead at the time, while southpaw starter Josh Outman had the Patriots limited to just one hit through 5.1 innings of work.