Closing Time?
Ducks final seven games of the regular season are on the road.
Only way they'll play at the Pond again is to win the division flag.
Long Island Ducks: Reeling Flock Losing Grip on Liberty Division Flag.
The Ducks final regular season game at Bethpage Ballpark resulted in yet another loss against the Bridgeport Bluefish, whom completed a weekend sweep over the Ducks in their last ever visit to Long Island.
As recently as five days ago, the Ducks owned a 6.5 game lead over Bridgeport. The Bluefish have now closed to within 2.5 games of the first place Long Island as both head into the final week of the season.
Bridgeport has two series left on their schedule. After a day off on Monday, they'll be in Sugar Land for three, then close out the season at home against the Somerset Patriots. The Fish have gone 10-4 since getting swept by Somerset back on Aug. 25-27. The league's top three hitters for average are presently Bluefish.
The Ducks will play a make-up game in York on Monday, then visit Lancaster. They will close out the regular season with a trip to Sugar Land. They've now lost four straight, and seven of their last ten games. They have not won a series since taking three of four games against Sugar Land back on Aug. 21-24.
With Sunday's loss, the Ducks also lose the tie-breaker advantage to Bridgeport.
Long Island lead this game 1-0 through six innings. But with the bases loaded in the top of the 7th, Ducks reliever Patrick Crider hit center fielder Wellington Dotel with a pitch to force in the tying run.
In the top of the 9th, veteran Ducks third baseman Ruben Gutay committed back-to-back throwing errors, paving the way for three unearned runs and a huge Long Island loss.
The second-half Liberty Division winner will face the Somerset Patriots.
In the Freedom Division, the York Revolution hold a tenuous 1.5 game lead over the Lancaster Barnstormers, and a 2.5 game lead over the Sugar Land Skeeters. The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs were winners of the first-half.
Sunday marked the last visit of the Bridgeport Bluefish baseball club to Bethpage Ballpark. After twenty years in Connecticut, the organization is moving to North Carolina for the 2018 season. The Bridgeport Bluefish were a charter member of the Atlantic League. The final regular season game at the Ballpark at Harbor Yard is scheduled for Sept. 17.
The Ballpark at Harbor Yard
home of the
Bridgeport Bluefish
1998 ~ 2017
Aug. 2016
Roger Clemens coaching first base for Bluefish.
