L.I. Ducks: Flock Takes Game Two; Series Shifts to Lexington Knotted at One Apiece

From the desk: THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

ATLANTIC LEAGUE

CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

LEXINGTON LEGENDS

vs.

LONG ISLAND DUCKS

GAME ONE

Ducks Bullpen Silences Legends Over Final Six Innings While Bats Mount Comeback; Series Tied at One

Game Two features right-hander Francisco Jimenez for Lexington facing off against Darin Downs for host Long Island.

Downs gets himself into immediate trouble but pitches out of harm's way.  Lexington opens the game with consecutive singles, and after a pop-up, Downs walks the bases loaded.  Afterwhich, Downs induces an infield pop-up and strikes out catcher Christian Correa to end the threat.

Center fielder Boog Powell homers over the left/center field fence leading off the home first.  Shortstop

Vladimir Frias follows with a double, and Steve Lombardozzi singles putting runners at the corners.  The ageless Lew Ford drives home Frias, and with L.J. Mazzilli at the plate, Lombardozzi scores on a wild pitch.  Mazzilli then walks, and Deibinson Romero singles to reload the bases.  However, Chris Shaw bounces to first for a 3-2-3 double-play.  But Sal Giardina picks up his mate with a base hit, scoring Mazzilli for a 4-0 Duck lead.

Lexington answers back in the second.  With the bases loaded, Brandon Phillips singles home a run. Deibinson Romero's error at third then leads to a pair of runs, and a sacrifice fly plates the game-tying run. 

Lexington starter Francisco Jimenez was removed after the first inning, and Wally Backman pulled Darin Downs after the second.

Boog Powell draws a leadoff walk in the home second, and Vladimir Frias follows with his second double of the game.  Lombardozzi's sac-fly scores Powell from third as the Ducks retake a 5-4 lead.

Facing reliever Brady Dragmire in the third, the Legends score three times, highlighted by Brandon Phillips' two-run home run, for a 7-5 Legend lead.

Dragmire tosses a scoreless top half of the fourth, and the defending champions then begin chipping away.  A Brandon Phillips error leads to a pair of unearned runs in the home fourth, Chris Shaw drives home a run in the fifth, and L.J. Mazzilli knocks home a run in the sixth for a 9-7 Duck lead.

Long Island's bullpen keeps Lexington scoreless over the final six innings.  Relievers Frankie Moscatiello and Rob Griswold join together in limiting the Legends to just one hit and no walks with four strikeouts over the last 4.1 innings of the game.  Moscatiello tosses 2.1 innings for the win, and Griswold completes a six-out save.

• Vladimir Frias; 5 for 5, 2 runs scored.
• Lew Ford; 2 for 5, 2 RBI.
• Ducks Pitching: 10 strikeouts, 4 walks.

Long Island salvages a split at The Pond and now will head to Lexington, Kentucky, where on Monday, the series resumes.  The Ducks need to win two of three games to retain their Atlantic League title.  Former members of the South Atlantic League, the Lexington Legends, are vying for their first Atlantic League championship.  Like the Ducks, Lexington in 2019 captured the Sally League flag.

• BOXSCORE