Long Island Ducks Win First Contest Against Staten Island Ferry Hawks

From the desks: THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE & THAT RICHMOND COUNTY TEAM

BATTLE of NEW YORK

Staten Island Ferry Hawks

vs.

Long Island Ducks

First Meeting is a Classic; Ducks Outlast Ferry Hawks in Old-Fashioned Pitcher's Duel

A rivalry is born.  Tuesday, May 17, marked the first-ever game between New York's two independents, the Long Island Ducks and the expansion Staten Island Ferry Hawks.  

Mets fans are very familiar with the respective team managers.  Both are all-time favorites.  Second baseman for the 1986 champs, Wally Backman, is entering his fourth season as skipper of the Ducks.  Representing the 2000 N.L. champions, Edgardo Alfonzo was named the first manager in Ferry Hawks history.

The two Atlantic League teams inaugurated their rivalry with an old-fashioned pitcher's duel.  

Entering his third season with the Ducks, Brooklyn native Anderson DeLeon held the Ferry Hawks scoreless on four hits and one walk with four strikeouts through five innings pitched.  Southpaw Brady Feigl threw a scoreless sixth inning in relief of DeLeon.  Left-hander Cody Beckman entered the game in relief of Brady Feigl and tossed a scoreless top half of the seventh.

Staten Island right-hander Matt Solten yielded no runs on five hits and no walks with two strikeouts over his first six innings.  The Ducks loaded the bases with no outs in the sixth but left all runners stranded.  Long Island threatened again in the seventh, but Matt Solden induced shortstop Devin Marrero into an inning-ending 1-4-3 double play.

Wally Backman summoned Joe Iorio to pitch the top of the eighth and was rewarded with another scoreless frame.

Edgardo Alfonzo likewise turned to his bullpen, calling upon southpaw Chris Nunn in the bottom half of the eighth.

Second baseman Vladimir Frias led off with a bloop single to shallow right field.  Center fielder 

Alejandro De Aza advanced the runner.  First baseman Sam Travis reached safely on a strikeout/wild pitch, and Frias advanced to third.  Chris Nunn then walked Deibinson Romero to load the bases.  Designated hitter Rusney Castillo struck out looking.  With two outs, L.J. Mazzilli drew a base on balls to break the scoreless tie.

Long Island left-hander Tyler Webb was tasked with pitching the ninth and did not disappoint.  Staten Island put the tying run on second base but advanced no farther.

Joe Iorio earns the win, and Chris Nunn takes the loss.  BOXSCORE

L.I. Ducks: Home Run Happy Lexington Legends Clinch Atlantic League Championship

From the desk: THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

ATLANTIC LEAGUE

CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

LEXINGTON LEGENDS

vs.

LONG ISLAND DUCKS

GAME ONE    GAME TWO    GAME THREE

Lexington Left Fielder Courtney Hawkins Hits Three Home Runs in Rout of Ducks; Legends Clinch 2021 Atlantic League Championship

Faced with elimination and surrendering their claim to the Atlantic League title, the Ducks entrust Joe Iorio with starting Game Four against right-hander Zac Westcott for the Legends.  

But the Long Island native is walloped early and often by Lexington - too early for Wally Backman to make a move, and too late for all intent and purpose as the Legends explode for thirteen runs and deposit seven baseballs beyond the outfield wall.

The Legends promptly jump out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning on back-to-back home runs by left fielder Courtney Hawkins and first baseman Denis Phipps.  

Long Island gets one back.  Left fielder L.J. Mazzilli leads off the second inning with a single and later scored on Chris Shaw's base hit to center field.  

But the Legends answer right back in the bottom of the frame.  Joe Iorio yeilds consecutive singles, and with one out, right fielder Ben Aklinski hits the Legends' third home run of the game.  Second baseman

Brandon Phillips then drives in the inning's fourth run for a 6-1 lead.

Joe Iorio exits the game after pitching a scoreless third.  He allows six earned runs on eight hits, including three home runs, and one walk.  

Duck right-hander Anderson DeLeon fares no better.  Lexington's lineup greets him with consecutive singles leading off the home fourth and a three-run home run off the bat of Courtney Hawkins, his second of the game.  Not yet done, designated hitter Ben Revere hits a one-out home run to deep right/center field, Lexington's fifth home run of the game for a 10-1 lead.

With one out in the top of the fifth, Boog Powell takes first base on a hit-by-pitch and later scores on Steve Lombardozzi's sacrifice fly.  

Right-hander Brendan Feldmann holds Lexington scoreless in the bottom half of the frame.

Leading off the home fifth inning, Courtney Hawkins hits his third home run of the game!  Then with one out and a runner on first, shortstop Roberto Baldoquín hits the Legends' seventh home run of the game giving Lexington an insurmountable 13-2 lead and their ultimate margin of victory.

The Ducks split the first two games at Long Island.  Afterwhich, the Legends take two straight at home.

After winning back-to-back titles in the South Atlantic League, the Lexington Legends in ther first season in the Atlantic League are 2021 champions.

L.I. Ducks: Lexington Legends Take Game One of Championship Series at The Pond

From the desk: THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

ATLANTIC LEAGUE

CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

LEXINGTON LEGENDS

vs.

LONG ISLAND DUCKS

Lexington Legends Bullpen Lockdown Ducks

Game One features New Jersey native Eli Garcia toeing the rubber for Lexington against right-hander

Brendan Feldmann for the Ducks.  Both pitchers are knocked out of the box early.  Garcia fails to make it out of the third, and Feldmann is relieved in the fourth.

Lexington opens with single runs in the first and second innings.  Legend left fielder Courtney Hawkins

homered in the first.  Two hits and a hit by pitch loaded the bases in the second, and a sac-fly gave Lexington a 2-0 lead.  

Long Island catcher Hector Sanchez singles opening the home third, and a pair of walks issued to Ty Kelly and Boog Powell loaded the bases.  With one out, Steve Lombardozzi's sac-fly to right field scores Sanchez.  Left fielder Lew Ford singles on a comebacker and advances two bases on an errant throw to first; both Kelly and Powell score.  Right-fielder L.J. Mazzilli then singles home Ford for a 4-2 Ducks lead.

But Long Island's lead is fleeting.

Brendan Feldmann surrenders a leadoff double, followed by two consecutive walks to load the bases in the top of the fourth.  Wally Backman then summons Anderson DeLeon from the bullpen, who promptly unleashes a wild pitch allowing home a run.  A second run crosses home on a sac-fly, tying the game at four.  Both runs are charged to Feldmann.

The Lexington bullpen shuts out the Ducks, beginning in the fourth through eighth innings.  Meanwhile, the Legends bunch together three hits and benefit from a throwing error resulting in two runs in the sixth, then tack on their seventh run in the eighth.

Trailing 7-4 entering the home ninth, Boog Powell draws a leadoff walk, and shortstop Vladimir Frias singles putting runners at the corners.  Steve Lombardozzi looks at strike three, and Lew Ford goes down swinging.  L.J. Mazzilli walks to load the bases, after which Deibinson Romero draws yet another walk to force home Powell from third.  With two outs and the bases still jammed with Ducks, designated hitter Chris Shaw lifts a ball deep into the right/center gap chased down and caught by center fielder Cole Sturgeon for the game's final out.

Four members of Lexington's bullpen join together in limiting the Ducks to one run on five hits and five walks with three strikeouts over the final 6.1 innings.  Shawn Blackwell earns the win in relief of Garcia, and Austin Adams earns a troublesome save, but a save nonetheless.

Duck right-hander Dylan Peiffer takes the loss.

BOXSCORE

L.I. Ducks: Flock Drops North Division Series Opener to Southern Maryland Blue Crabs

From the desk: THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

ATLANTIC LEAGUE

NORTH DIVISION SERIES

SOUTHERN MARYLAND BLUE CRABS

vs.

LONG ISLAND DUCKS

The still defending Atlantic League champion Long Island Ducks set out defending their title on Monday against the Southern Mayland Blue Crabs in the first game of the North Division playoff series at the Pond.

Long Island won their fourth-ever Atlantic League championship in 2019, but then, of course, last season was canceled due to COVID.  The Ducks captured the North Division first-half flag this season with a 37-23 record, six games ahead of second-place Southern Maryland.  The second-half flag was more tightly contested and decided in the season's final weekend, with the Blue Crabs edging out the Ducks by one game.

The Ducks finished the regular season with a league-best 68-52 overall record, while Southern Maryland finished with a 63-57 record.

Southern Maryland Bullpen Locks Down the Flock in Series Opener

GAME ONE pits Southern Maryland right-hander Kyle Murphy against veteran Darin Downs for the Ducks.

After two scoreless frames, the Blue Crabs opened the scoring in the visitor's second.  Shortstop Michael Baca doubled home a run and scored on a bunt base hit.  Long Island answers with one in the bottom of the frame on Chris Shaw's home run to right field.

The team then traded single runs in the fifth.  Left fielder Matt Hibbert singles in a run for the Crabs, and Duck shortstop Vladimir Frias knocks in Chris Shaw.

Downs is relieved after the fifth.  After allowing three runs on six hits and one walk with seven strikeouts, he exits on the losing side.  Right-hander Anderson DeLeon takes over in the sixth.

Kyle Murphy exits after yielding two runs on just four hits and three walks after 5.2 innings pitched.

Afterwhich, four Blue Crab relievers join together in limiting the Ducks to no runs on just three hits and one walk over the final 3.1 innings of the game.

Kyle Murphy earns the win, Darin Downs the loss.  

• BOXSCORE

Long Island Ducks Bow To Honey Hunters In First Ever Visit to Gastonia

From the desk: THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

GAME ONE

Gastonia Honey Hunters   13

Long Island Ducks             11

FINAL/BOX

Home Team Holds Their Ground Against Long Island Invaders

After losing two of three on their home turf, the Flock makes their first-ever venture to Gastonia, North Carolina, where this weekend they open a three-game series against the expansion Honey Hunters.

Not a game for the faint of heart, Long Island starter Jhoendri Herrera allows seven earned runs on seven hits and four walks in just 2.2 innings pitched.  Gastonia starter Jeff Gause fares no better, surrendering seven runs (four earned) on eight hits and one walk in only 4.1 innings pitched.  He yields home runs to Ryan Jackson, first baseman Clint Freeman, and Johnni Turbo.  

With two runs in the top of the fourth, Long Island ties the game at seven.  However, facing Corey Howard in relief of Herrera, the Honey Hunters pull away with three runs in the bottom half of the frame.  

Before being dispatched to the showers, Jeff Gause surrenders his eighth run in the fifth.  Facing Carl Brice in relief of Gause, Ryan Jackson's sac-fly in the sixth brings the Ducks within one.  That is until Gastonia takes an 11-9 lead in the bottom of the sixth.

But you knew it wouldn't stop there.  After all, through the first six innings, Long Island scored in every inning but the second, and Gastonia scored in every inning but the fifth.  Be that as it may, Juan De La Cruz singles home Clint Freeman, and Steve Lombardozzi drives home another with a sacrifice fly to left field, tying the game at eleven.

However, Long Island's bullpen does not hold its ground.  Hector Cervenka surrenders the go-ahead run in the seventh, and Anderson DeLeon gives up an insurance run in the ninth en route to Gastonia's 13-11 win.  Cervenka takes the loss.

Clint Freeman leads Long Island with four hits, and Ryan Jackson leads Long Island with four runs batted in.

The first place Ducks still own a one-game lead over the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs.

Long Island Ducks Lose Series To York Revolution

From the desk: THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

York defeats Long Island; 2-1

I - LID 6; YRK 0

II - YRK 3; LID 1

III - YRK 4; LID 2

Long Island Loses Rubber Game At York

GAME ONE BOX 6/11/2021 - That's NEW York to you ... Making his third start, Long Islander Joe Iorio allows no runs on just four hits and two walks with three strikeouts over six innings pitched for the win.  Relievers Chris Reed hailing from across the pond, native Brooklynite Anderson DeLeon, fellow Long Islander, and St. John's alum Anthony Rosati each toss an inning apiece to preserve the shutout.  Center fielder Charlie Tilson and third baseman Sal Giardina join together for four hits and four runs batted in.  Steve Lombardozzi and Johnni Turbo drive in a run apiece.

GAME TWO BOX 6/12/2021 - Long Island opens the scoring in the first.  Steve Lombardozzi scores on L.J. Mazzilli's sacrice fly to right field.  But the Ducks would score no more.  York starter  Austin Nicely yields just three hits and four walks with three strikeouts through 6.2 innings for the win.  The Revolution tie in the fifth then goes ahead in Melky Mesa's two-run home run in the sixth.  Making his third start, Brendan Feldmann faces 28 batters and throws 103 pitches, with 60 going for strikes.  He allows seven hits and a walk with four strikeouts in a losing effort.  Sal Giardina accounts for two of Long Island's five hits.

GAME THREE BOX 6/13/2021 - York wastes no time against Long Island starter Chris Reed.  An opening error by third baseman Jesse Berardi and a base on balls set the stage for a couple of extra-base hits and a 3-0 lead.  Revolution's starter Austin Steinfort keeps Long Island off the board through the fifth.  Ducks' center fielder Charlie Tilson singled home two runs with two outs and the bases loaded in the sixth.  But York shortstop Yan Sanchez drives home a run in the seventh, giving the Revs a 4-2 lead and the final margin of victory.  Chris Reed takes the loss.  The bullpen surrenders only one run in six innings to no avail.  York takes the series, two games to one.

• The contract of Akeel Morris was purchased by the San Francisco Giants.
• ATLANTIC LEAGUE