L.I. Ducks: Flock Whitewash Skeeters For 5th In A Row

From the desk of:  THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

LONG ISLAND DUCKS: John Brownell Shows Old Form.

FLOCK TAKES OPENING GAME IN SUGAR LAND

That's the reigning championship series MVP we remember.  John Brownell turned in a vintage performance Friday night in Sugar Land, Texas - shutting out the Skeeters in 7 full innings of work, while allowing 8 scattered hits, walking two, and fanning 7 batters.

Brownell earned his second victory, and lowered his ERA from 6.00, down to a 4.86 mark.  He also took over the league lead in strikeouts with 32 in 37 innings pitched.

The Long Island Ducks scored a pair in the 4th, and two more insurance runs in the 7th en route to a 4-0 whitewash of the Sugar Land Skeeters.

Kieth Castillo's double in the top of the 4th, plated Randy Ruiz and Adam Bailey with the game's first two runs.  Later, Dan Lyons reached on a one out single in the 7th, and came all the way around to score on Fehlandt Lentini's single, and an error by the pitcher.  Another passed ball spelled the end of Sugar Land's starting pitcher, Matt Wright.  Ramon Delgado entered in relief, and promptly unleashed a wild pitch allowing Lentini to score.

The bullpen handled the rest.  Eric Niesen took care of the 8th in relief of Brownell, tossing a scoreless frame and fanning two.  Leo Rosales closed out the Skeeters in a non save situation.

The Ducks are now winners of 5 in a row, and improved their season record to a 15-11 mark.  The Somerset Patriots were defeated by the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, allowing the Ducks to pull within 1.5 games of 1st place.




Mike.BTB

L.I. Ducks: Flock Flying High After Completing Four Game Sweep Of Blue Crabs

From the desk of:  THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

LONG ISLAND DUCKS: Flock Off To Go Mess With Texas.

Led by the bats of Cody Puckett and Adam Bailey, the Long Island Ducks completed a four game sweep of the visiting Southern Maryland Blue Crabs.  The Ducks rapped 13 hits against their opponents, and only fanned once in gaining an 8-3 victory in Thursday night's series finale.

Puckett was 2 for 4 with a double, a home run, and 3 RBI.  Bailey went 3 for 3, and likewise produced a double and his team leading 5th home run of the season to go along with a pair of RBI.  Lead-off batter Fehlandt Lentini also had a productive night at the plate, going 3 for 4, with a walk, an RBI and 2 runs scored.

Making his third start of the season, Jared Lansford climbed the hill for Long Island, and was opposed by Southern Maryland's Ian Marshall.  Jared pitched 5 innings, allowed 2 runs (but none earned) walked 3 and struck out 3 to earn his first victory of the season.  Ian Marshall was knocked out of the box after just 2.2 innings pitched, and allowing 5 earned runs on 8 hits.

The Blue Crabs picked up their third run of the game in the 6th off reliever Steve Garrison.  Otherwise, Josh Lansford continued his scoreless innings streak in the 7th, while Jon Meloan and Jeremy Accardo finished out the bullpen's contribution with 2 scoreless innings of work.

Defensively however, this was not one of Long Island's sharpest games, as they committed 4 errors.

With a 7-3 record over their last 10 games, the surging Ducks have transformed themselves into hottest team in the division, and now boast an overall 14-11 mark.  They remain 2.5 games behind the division leading Somerset Patriots (17-9), whom were Thursday night winners over Camden.

The Flock were forced into a hasty departure from Bethpage Park, as Friday evening they begin a four game Memorial Day Weekend series against Tracy McGrady and the Sugar Land Skeeters in Texas.




Mike.BTB

L.I. Ducks: Flock Takes Third Straight Over Blue Crabs

From the desk of:  THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

LONG ISLAND DUCKS: Stong Bullpen Work And Cody Puckett's Bat Lead Flock To 12-Inning Victory, And Third Straight Over Southern Maryland Blue Crabs.

The Ducks are roughly 1/6 of the way through defense of their back to back titles.  They've spent the last three nights getting healthy against the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, with a trio of victories to get them above the .500 mark again with a 13-11 record.

Had Southern Maryland and the Somerset Patriots not switched divisions this season, Long Island would be in 1st place of the Liberty Division.   Just thought I'd throw that out there.

Pre-Game Stuff:

Entering Wednesday night's action, Blake Gailen of the Lancaster Barnstormers was the only A.L. player still hitting above .400, otherwise Ducks veteran Lew Ford entered the night 2nd in the circuit with a .375 batting mark, while his 22 RBI ranked 3rd, just 3 behind the league leader.

Lew Ford and Adam Bailey led Long Island with 4 home runs each.

On the hill, 3 of the league's top 7 strikeout leaders were Ducks.  Prior to Wednesday's game, Bobby Blevins led the league with 27, and John Brownell was tied for 2nd with 25 strikeouts.  Reliever Eric Niesen was 7th with 22 strikeouts.

Jeremy Accardo leads the Ducks with 3 victories.  However, Brownell, once again expected to fill the role of staff ace, is struggling with a 1-3 record, and an unsightly 6.00 ERA.

In the bullpen, Leo Rosales leads the circuit with 9 saves, and prior to Wednesday's game had a 1.59 ERA, while Josh Lansford has yet to allow a run in 11.1 innings pitched.

*          *           *           *

In the third of four games against the Blue Crabs from Bethpage Park, Fernando Hernandez climbed the hill for Long Island, and pitched effectively over 7 full innings.  He allowed a pair of earned runs on 7 hits, only walked one, and fanned three before departing to a no-decision.  His ERA rose slightly from a 2.16 before the game, to a 2.28 mark.

Southern Maryland scored single runs in the 5th and 6th innings to take a 2-0 lead.  Long Island then got one back in the bottom half of the 6th on Adam Bailey's two out single.

That's the way it stayed till the 9th.  Playing in his first game as a Long Island Duck, catcher Jan Vasquez homered over the right field wall to tie the score at two, and into extra innings they went.

Relievers Leo Rosales, Jeremy Accardo, and Eric Niesen then combined on 3 innings, surrendered no runs, no hits, and fanned four.  Circling back, in relief of Fernando Hernandez, Bret Lorin pitched the 8th and 9th innings, and surrendered no runs on one hit.  Leo Rosales lowered his ERA to a 1.46 mark.

In the bottom of the 12th inning, Joash Brodin reached on a one out single.  After advancing to second on Randy Ruiz' base hit, Brodin came around to score on Cody Puckett's game winning double.

Eric Niesen earned the win in relief - his first.  He now has 24 strikeouts to place him 4th among the league leaders, and like Josh Lansford, has yet to yield a run in 13.1 innings pitched this season.  He additionally has only issued 6 walks and allowed 5 hits.

Lew Ford raised his average to a .376 mark.  Joash Brodin was 3 for 5, and scored the Ducks first, and winning run.

Southern Maryland used 7 pitchers and the Ducks 5, who all combined to issue just 3 total walks for the game.

The Long Island Ducks will attempt to sweep the four game series on Thursday.  The Somerset Patriots fell to the Camden River Sharks, allowing the Ducks to pull within 2.5 games of 1st place.

After Thursday's game, the Flock will migrate to Sugar Land, Texas, for a Memorial Day Weekend four game series against the Skeeters.



Mike.BTB

L.I. Ducks: Flock Opts For Difficult Road To Victory

From the desk of:  THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

LONG ISLAND DUCKS: Flock Avoids Friday Night Collapse

Looking to turn their recent fortunes around with an old fashioned, rut altering, road trip, the migrating Long Island Ducks arrived in Lancaster for the back end of their home-and-home against the Barnstormers.

But, considering how the Ducks got swept on their field by the Barnstormers, Friday's series opener in Lancaster would have been an even harder pill to swallow.  That's because the Ducks jumped ahead 7-0 after 2 innings, then watched their lead erode to 7-3 after the 3rd, 7-6 after the 5th, and then ultimately an 8-7 deficit after the 8th.

Shaun Garceau made his 3rd start of the season, and in 5 innings, allowed 6 earned Lancaster runs on 7 hits, and 2 walks, with 2 strikeouts, yet managed to leave on the winning side of what was still a 7-6 game, while the bullpen work of Josh Lansford and Brett Lorin kept the Barnstormers quiet for another 2 innings.

In the top of the 8th, Jeremy Accardo broke a cardinal rule, and issued a lead-off walk to Blake Gailen that came back to haunt him.  A stolen base, a double, and a single later, and the Barnstormers were owners of an 8-7 lead.

In the top of the 9th, Adam Bailey pushed back with a one out solo home run to tie the game.  Then with 2 outs, Fehlandt Lentini's single plated two more runs, to give Long Island a 10-8 lead.

Coach Baez then turned to his closer Leo Rosales,who pitched a scoreless 9th inning to earn his fifth save of the season.

The Ducks will try an ensurer at least a series victory when the play the Barnstormers again this evening.



Mike.BTB

L.I. Ducks: Look What The Barnstormers Did To The Flock...Again

From the desk of:  THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

Lancaster Leads Series 2-0

GM1 - LAN 5; LID 4

GM 2 - LAN 6; LID 5

GM 3 - THURSDAY

LONG ISLAND DUCKS: Lew Ford Is Hot; John Brownell Is Not.  Starter Still In Search Of First Victory.

On Sunday, the Ducks salvaged a split in their four game series against the York Revolution.  But, after a day off on Monday, they've spent the last two nights dropping a pair of one run games to the Lancaster Barnstormers.

In the series opener, Lancaster jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, only to have the Ducks scramble back, and tie the game at four.  However, the Ducks unfortunately fell in ten innings by a 5-4 final.  Lew Ford was 4 for 5 in the game, homered, and recorded 3 RBI.

Still in search of his first victory, John Brownell climbed the hill for Long Island Wednesday night, and was opposed by Lancaster's Chad Beck.

While Beck kept the Ducks silent over his 5 innings of work, Lancaster was busy chipping away at Brownell over his 6 innings.  The Barnstormers took an immediate 1-0 lead in the 1st, and by the 6th inning, owned a 5-0 lead.  All five runs were earned, and charged to Brownell, who exited after allowing 9 hits, one walk, and fanning 4 batters.

Long Island jumped back into the game in the bottom of the 6th with a 2-run home run by Adam Bailey, with Lew Ford on base.

With Brad Holt pitching in relief of Brownell in the 7th, Lancaster drew a one out walk, and singled, instigating Coach Baez to make another change.  Steve Garrison entered, and promptly surrendered a single to Fred Lewis to make it a 6-2 game.

That's important, because the Ducks rallied, but fell short by a run.  In the home 8th, Fehlandt Lentini led off with a double, and scored on Lew Ford's base hit.  Adam Bailey then doubled.  After a pitching change by Lancaster, Cody Puckett greeted reliever Brodie Downs with a single to center, delivering Ford, and making it a 6-5 game.  But, the rally ended there.  With 2 outs, catcher Brian Peacock struck out to end the game.

John Brownell took the loss.  His ERA inflated to a 5.50 mark, while his record fell to 0-2 in 3 starts.

Long Island fell one game below .500 with a 5-6 mark.

Lew Ford raised his batting average to a .341 mark, on the strength of 10 hits in his last 17 at-bats.

After Thursday's series finale, both teams will travel to Lancaster and play three more.




Mike.BTB