L.I. Ducks: Atlantic League Championship Series Preview

From the desk of:   THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

 

ATLANTIC LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

 

GAME ONE

 

Somerset Patriots

vs.

LONG ISLAND DUCKS

From

Bethpage Park

Long Island, New York

 

 

 

ATLANTIC LEAGUE

SOMERSET PATRIOTS

LONG ISLAND DUCKS

 

LONG ISLAND DUCKS: Here They Go Again;

The Quack Quest For Title Number Three.

Defense of Long Island's 2012 Atlantic League title begins tonight.  The Flock will either come away with back-to-back trophies, or resign themselves to their second finals loss in the last three years.  Two years ago, the 2011 Long Island Ducks were the top scoring team in the regular season, but suffered a crippling offensive short circuit in the finals against the York Revolution.  Last season, the Ducks rebounded to capture their second flag in franchise history.  This year, they will face-off against the Somerset Patriots, who are looking to add to their league record five championships, but will be attempting to win their first in the post-Sparky Lyle era.

For the third consecutive Finals, the Ducks will open the series at Bethpage Park.  Games Three, Four and Five if necessary, will be played at Somerset's TD Bank Park.  Ducks ace John Brownell will climb the hill in Game One for Long Island, and will be opposed by the Patriots' Josh Lowey.  Brownell is fresh off a twelve strikeout performance against Southern Maryland in the Liberty Division series, and placed second in the league this season with 133 strikeouts.  He finished the regular season with a 9-10 record and 3.89 ERA.  Josh Lowey led the Atlantic League with a 2.89 ERA, placed third behind Brownell in strikeouts, and placed third overall with fourteen victories.

Game Two will tentatively feature key acquisition Shaun Garceau for the Ducks, opposing Somerset's Roy Merritt, and in Game Three, Bob Zimmermann is slated to face the Patriots Erik Arnesen.

There is a reason Somerset won ninety games this past season under first year manager Brett Jodie.  In fact, Somerset's was the second best season ever recorded in A.L. history.  Indeed, Sugar Land took the regular season crown with an A.L. record ninety-five victories.  Ultimately however, it was the Freedom Division Wild Card Patriots who swept the Skeeters during the opening round of playoffs in three straight.  The Patriots are most certainly an organization that knows their way around championships, and are favored in this year's series.

The Patriots held a distinct regular season advantage in pitching.  They finished second in the league with a team 1.28 WHiP, and second with a 3.61 team ERA as well.  Long Island was sixth with a 1.44 WHiP, and seventh in the circuit with a 4.51 team ERA.

Reliever Jon Hunton, who helped Long Island win a title last year, closed games for the Patriots this season.  In fact, he led the Atlantic League with thirty-seven saves.  Leo Rosales saved eighteen games for the Ducks and sported a 2.35 ERA in 38.1 innings pitched, and fanned forty-five batters.

Offensively, the Patriots excelled as well, leading the circuit with a team .277 batting average.  The Ducks ranked fifth with a .261 mark.  Somerset also out-slugged the rest of the league with a .415 team mark, while the Ducks slugged at a rate of .392, or sixth place.  Somerset boasted the top team OBP with a .356 mark, and the Ducks finished last.  Over the course of the season, Somerset scored 139 more runs than Long Island, but only hit seven more home runs than the Ducks.

Jake Fox led the Patriots this past season with a .310 batting average, while Josh Brodin's .307 average paced the Ducks.  Fox also finished second in the circuit with twenty-five home runs, and third with eighty-two runs batted in.  His team mate Corey Smith finished sixth in the circuit with twenty home runs, and second with eighty-four RBI.  For Long Island, Bill Hall topped the Ducks with sixteen home runs and Adam Bailey followed with fifteen.  Bryant Nelson led the team with seventy-one RBI, while Bill Hall contributed sixty-three.

Until affecting a three game sweep of the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs in the Liberty Division finals, the Long Island Ducks struggled every step of the way this season.  But GM Michael Pfaff made strong moves to bolster the team's pitching late in the season.  Outfielder Lew Ford missed last year's finals while spending time with the Orioles organization, but is sure to add much needed punch and experience this time around.  Dan Lyons, who was so instrumental in last year's title run, returns for an opportunity to win a second straight trophy.  Joining him from last season are, Bryant Nelson, Kraig Binick, Game One pitcher John Brownell, Bob Zimmermann, Jared Lansford, Josh Lansford and Leo Rosales.  And of course, this will be long time Ducks great, Ray Navarrete's last hurrah.  Earlier this season, Long Island's all-time leader in most offensive categories announced he would be retiring at season's end.  For him to raise another trophy on the way out.....

Let the games begin!




Mike.BTB

Atlantic League Championship - Final Game Tonight

From the desk of:   THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

TONIGHT

 

 

 

ATLANTIC LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

 

GAME FIVE

 

Lancaster Barnstormers

vs.

LONG ISLAND DUCKS

 

FROM

THE POND

Long Island, New York

 

 

Series Tied 2-2

I - Lancaster 5; Long Island 1

II - Long Island 9; Lancaster 4

III - Lancaster 12; Long Island 5

IV - Long Island 9; Lancaster 3

 

Finals Preview

Game One

Game Two

Game Three

 

 

 

LONG ISLAND DUCKS: Avoid Elimination With Big Inning In Game Four.  Force Deciding Game Five.

 

 

Rain is in the forecast.  Should Mother Nature allow, the final game of the 2012 Atlantic League Championship series between the Ducks and the Lancaster Barnstormers is scheduled for 5pm at The Pond.

 

 

Each team is 1-1 when playing in each other's parks.  In Lancaster, the Ducks opened the series with a loss, then came back to win Game Two.  Upon return to Long Island, the Ducks dropped Game Three, then rallied for seven runs in the sixth inning Saturday evening to force a Game Five today.  If the pattern of alternating victories holds true, the Lancaster Barnstormers will be crowned Atlantic League Champions tonight.  But this is when Long Island's decision to start the playoffs on the road is supposed to pay off.  Home field advantage is theirs.

 

 

Of the four teams to make the playoffs this season, the Long Island Ducks posted the worst record, while Lancaster's 2012 regular season record was the league's best.  The Ducks season is a tale of two halves; one bearing a division title, and the other about a precipitous fall.  The Lancaster Barnstormers were consistent, if not dominant all season long.  They won both division flags this season.  None of that matters now.  There is only one game left in the Atlantic League season.  After tonight, the league will have a new champion.

 

Atlantic League Championship Trophy

 

 

In the championship series last season, the Ducks bowed to the York Revolution who repeated as Atlantic League champions.  While Long Island's pitching held up for the most part, bolstered by the return of Mike Loree, the Duck's mighty offense disappeared in an instant.

 

 

Late in the 2012 season and through the playoffs, this season's reconstructed starting pitching has proven resilient.  And offensively speaking, the Ducks have shown their playoff bats are here to stay.  Last year's batting champion, Kraig Binick, battled through a significant drop off this season.  He has seemingly regained his stroke of last season in time for the playoffs.  Brandon Sing has been nothing short of clutch in the post season.  And guys like Joash Brodin and Bryant Nelson keep driving in runs.  So the outlook for this afternoon's game is indeed promising.

 

 

Bobby Blevins, acquired from the Rockland Boulders late in the season, managed six appearances for the Ducks this season, and made four starts.  He started twenty games for Rockland and posted an 8-9 record with a 3.64 earned run average.  In six games, he posted a 2.42 ERA for the Ducks.  Bobby Blevins surrendered three earned runs in six innings against the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs in the first round in a game the Ducks won by a 5-4 score.  Today he is tasked with pitching Game Five of the Atlantic League Championship series.

 

 

Opposing him will be Dwayne Pollock.  In Wednesday's opening game of the 2012 Atlantic League championship series, the league's regular season ERA King did what he does best - win games and make opposing runs a scarce commodity.  In Game One, Dwayne Pollock, who also tied for the league lead in wins, pitched six innings of shutout ball against the Long Island Ducks.  He  surrendered four hits, walked two, and struck out five for the win.

 

 

 

 

GAME FOUR RECAP:  A Seven Run, Sixth Inning Quack Attack, Forces Game Five

 

 

 

Facing elimination, the Ducks turned to John Brownell to pitch Game Four.  After just an inning of play, the home team's outlook dimmed as Lancaster went to work right away.  With three hits in the first inning, the Barnstormers claimed an early 2-0 lead.


Opposing Brownell was Lancaster's Mark Brackman.  While John Brownell settled down and kept the Barnstormers scoreless over the next five innings, the Ducks finally chipped a run off Lancaster's lead in the fifth inning.  With two outs, Dan Lyons and Kraig Binick both singled.  Mark Brackman then hit Joash Brodin with a pitch to load the bases.  That caused manager Butch Hobson to emerge from the Barnstormers dugout and remove his starting pitcher.  Joe Bateman entered in relief and immediately unleashed a wild pitch to score Dan Lyons from third base.


John Brownell wound up pitching a strong six innings.  The three hits and two runs he surrendered in the first inning were all he allowed.  Two walks and two strikeouts complete his line.  Then in the bottom of the sixth, his mates put him on the winning side of the game with a seven run explosion.


An RBI single by Mitch Canham started the Ducks off.  Kriag Binick's RBI single delivered run number two.  Joash Brodin's single delivered run number three.  A walk to Ray Navarrete forced run number four across the plate.  Bryant Nelson then cleared the bases with a three RBI triple, giving the Ducks an 8-2 lead.


Mitch Canham had another RBI single in the seventh for the Ducks.  Lancaster's Ryan Harvey homered off Jared Lansford in the ninth.  The Ducks win a 9-3 final.





Mike.BTB

Long Island Ducks: Webbed Nine Facing Elimination

From the desk of:   THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

Bethpage Ballpark, Long Island

 

 

 

2012

ATLANTIC LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

 

Lancaster leads Series 2-1

I - Lancaster 5; Long Island 1

II - Long Island 9; Lancaster 4

III - Lancaster 12; Long Island 5

IV - TONIGHT

V - if necessary*

 

 

Finals Preview

Game One

Game Two

 

 

 

LONG ISLAND DUCKS: Barnstormers Lay Siege To The Pond; Take 2-1 Series Lead.  Ducks Must Win To Extend Series.


In the first Finals game played at The Pond, the Barnstormers took a 2-1 series lead with a 12-5 thumping of the Ducks.  Game Three started out well enough.   But from the fourth inning on, Lancaster kept the home team under duress.


After the first two innings, all seemed well for Long Island.  To Lancaster's dismay, the Ducks led 2-0 after Barnstormer starter, J.D. Durbin, issued three walks in the first, forcing Long Island's first run home.  Lee Cruz bounced into a fielder's choice which delivered the Ducks second run.  In the second inning, the Ducks upped their lead to three when Dan Lyons scored on Joash Brodin's fielder's choice.


Ducks starter, Bob Zimmermann, cruised through the first three innings.  He struck out the side to open the game.  A walk, a 6-4-3 double play, and his fourth strikeout retired the Barnstormers in the second.  In the third, he hit a batter.  Otherwise, his first time through the line-up went very well.  After Zimm struck out his sixth batter to open the fourth, the bottom fell out from underneath the Ducks starter.  Six consecutive hits, starting with a double and ending with a triple, transformed Long Island's 3-0 lead into a 5-3 deficit.  Chris Hayes was summoned to stop the bleeding.  Before he could, Hayes allowed Lancaster's sixth run of the inning.


In the fifth inning, Lancaster continued to increase their lead against Chris Hayes.  Four hits and three runs later, the Barnstormers were up by a 9-3 margin.  The Ducks chipped back with one run on Ray Navarrete's sac-fly in the bottom of the frame.


The teams traded runs again in the seventh inning.  Lancaster scored their tenth run, this time against Connor Graham.  In the bottom of the frame, Kraig Binick tripled, and Joash Brodin drove him home with a single.


Nick DeBarr was the seventh Ducks pitcher of the game.  Picked up in September, he surrendered Lancaster's eleventh and twelfth runs of the evening.  And so, Game Three of the Atlantic League Championship series ends disappointingly for Long Island in a 12-5 final.


Very simply, the Ducks must win Game Four in order to extend the series.  Should Lancaster defeat Long Island this evening, the Barnstormers would win their second ever Atlantic League championship.  If the Ducks win tonight, the decisive Game Five will be played at The Pond on Sunday.

 

Tonight

 

GAME FOUR

 

Lancaster Barnstormers

vs.

LONG ISLAND DUCKS

From

THE POND

Long Island, N.Y.

Mike.BTB

Long Island Ducks: Lancaster Wins Game One

From the desk of:   THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

LONG ISLAND DUCKS - Strong Pitching Hurls Lancaster Barnstormers Past Ducks In Game One.

GAME ONE FINAL:

Long Island    1

Lancaster       5

In Wednesday's opening game of the 2012 Atlantic League championship series, the league's regular season ERA King did what he does best - win games and make opposing runs a scarce commodity.  Lancaster's Dwayne Pollok, who not incidentally also tied for the circuit lead in wins this season, pitched six innings of shutout ball against the Long Island Ducks.  Pollok surrendered four hits, walked two, and struck out five for the win.


The Ducks finally broke through for a run in the seventh inning against Lancaster's bullpen.  Dan Lyons connected on a double.  Kraig Binick drove him home with a single.  But that's all Long Island would get.  The Barnstormer bullpen combined on three innings pitched, allowing the Ducks their lone run.  Five Lancaster relievers surrendered five hits, walked no batters and struck out four.


Randy Kiesler made the start for Long Island and pitched almost equally as well.  He managed through the first six innings, allowing a run in the second inning, and another in the sixth.  Kiesler surrendered five hits and walked two to that point, while striking out four.  Then after retiring the first two batters in the seventh, Coach Baez made a move to the bullpen.  Jeremy Hill was given the ball.  The first batter he faced singled.  Hill then issued a walk to the second batter, setting up runners at first and second.  In was what still a 2-1 game in Lancaster's favor, the next batter Jeremy Hill faced was Lancaster's DH, Ryan Harvey, who promptly connected on a three run home run, making the game a 5-1 affair.
 

After Game Two, the series will shift back to Long Island for all remaining games.




Mike.BTB

Long Island Ducks: Defeat Blue Crabs; Take 1-0 Series Lead

From the desk of:   THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

ATLANTIC LEAGUE ~ DIVISION SERIES

 

 

 

Playoff Preview

 

Long Island Lead Series 1-0

I - Ducks 4; Blue Crabs 3

 

II - TONIGHT

 

LONG ISLAND DUCKS:  Eighth Inning Rally Just Enough To Defeat Blue Crabs In Game One.

There's nothing like a little late inning drama to start the playoffs, huh?  In several respects however - mission accomplished.  The idea is to split games on the road, and win at home, right?  Down in the park at Waldorf last night, the Long Island Ducks took a 1-0 lead in their semi final series against the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs.


After just the first three batters of the game, the Ducks were in possession of a two run lead.  Kraig Binick led off the game with a double.  Batting second, Joash Brodin also doubled, scoring Binick.  Ray Navarrete then singled to drive in Brodin.


Ducks starter, Randy Keisler, kept the Blue Crabs scoreless through the first four innings.  He struck out out the side in the bottom of the first inning, with a walk interspersed.  An inning ending  double play got Randy out of the second.  In the third inning, Randy Keisler struck out the side in order.  He pitched himself into big trouble in the fourth, when with one out, he walked two batters and hit a third batter to load the bases.  But he managed to induce a foul pop-up, and a force out to escape the inning.


He wasn't as lucky in the fifth inning.  Southern Maryland struck for two runs on three hits to knot the game at two apiece.


Randy Keisler pitched six innings in all.  He allowed the two runs, and limited the Blue Crabs to four hits.  He had troubles with control as he walked four batters.  But he was also strong with nine strikeouts.


Coach Biaz went to his bullpen in the seventh.  Jared Lansford was first and struck out the side.


In the top of the eighth, Long Island broke the deadlock.  Three doubles led to two more runs.  Dan Lyons led off with the first double.  Joash Brodin followed with another to drive in Lyons.  The Brandon Sing delivered a clutch two out double to drive in Brodin for a 4-2 Ducks lead.


Coach Biaz turned to Eric Niesen for the eighth.  After retiring the lead off batter, Coach Biaz played match-ups and summoned Jeremy Hill.  But a solo home run by Jesse Gutierrez almost thwarted that strategy.  Jeremy Hill was able to complete the inning without further damage.


Leo Rosales pitched a scoreless ninth inning to preserve Long Island's victory, and earned himself the save.  Jared Lansford gets credit for the win.  A fine effort by Randy Keisler ended up in a no decision.


Brandon Sing drove in what wound up being the game winning RBI.

TONIGHT

 

GAME TWO

 

LONG ISLAND DUCKS

(SP - Matt Way)

vs.

South Maryland Blue Crabs

(SP - Matthew Vasquez)

 

FROM

The Baseball Grounds at Waldorf

 

 

 

 

Mike.BTB

L.I. Ducks ~ Limp Into Break After Clinching Title

From the desk of:   THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

LONG ISLAND DUCKS:

First Half Liberty Division Champs Stumble Into The Break

LOSING STREAK UP TO SIX

Six Long Island Ducks Headed to All-Star Game

We've reached the half way point folks.  Having already clinched the first half Liberty Division title handily over the second place RiverSharks, it's now time for Wednesday's Atlantic League All-Star Game, being played this season in beautiful Campbell's Field in Camden, New Jersey, right underneath the Ben Franklin Bridge.  If you've never seen a game there, do so.  The park sits right    across the river from Philadelphia with the bridge and the downtown skyline serving as a backdrop.


Long Island's manager Kevin Baez, will lead the Liberty Division All-Stars in this year's game.  Joining him will be six Ducks players.  Starter Jason Monti, and reliever Jeremy Hill are the hurlers.  Ray Navarrete, Kraig Binick, Dan Lyons, and Shawn Williams, will join them in Camden.


After stumbling through a six game losing streak to end the first half, the Ducks finished 39-30, ever so coincidentally after they clinched the division title.  Thirty-nine wins was still tied for second best in the circuit.  The Freedom Division first half champ Lancaster Barnstormers romped to forty-five wins, to include a closing four game sweep of the Ducks in Lancaster.


Not necessarily an All-Star omission, the Independent League's premiere power hitter over the last few seasons, Brandon Sing, missed twelve games in the first half due to an injury.  He is in his first season in the Atlantic League since coming over from the American Association.  So perhaps he's still adjusting.  His thirteen home runs are just slightly off the league lead.  But maybe with more games played, his thirty-six RBI could be up among the leaders.  Ray Navarrete by the way, is tied for second in the A.L. with forty-eight RBI so far.  Ramon Castro of York, leads with fifty.


Then there is the curious case of starting pitcher, Mike Loree.  He is clearly not the same triple crown pitcher who dominated the league just a season ago.  In fact, he has struggled in thirteen starts with a 5.80 ERA, which is three full points higher than last year's mark.  Last season's league leader in wins, is currently sporting a 4-4 record.  He has been far more hittable this season than over last.  In 71.1 innings pitched, he has surrendered eighty-five hits.  Mike has issued seventeen walks and struck out fifty-four.  Last year's strikeout king, is currently ranked thirteenth in the circuit.


This season at least, Bob Zimmermann and Jason Monti have emerged to lead Long Island's starting rotation to somewhat offset Mike Loree's slide.  But the Ducks aren't nearly as deep as they were last season either.  If you remember, last season in the first half, the Ducks bulldozed their way to a title behind a formidable offense, but also rode the strong pitching of Mike Loree, and Mike Parisi before his contract was purchased.  This season, Mike Loree, Bob Zimmermann, and Jason Monti, have combined to win thirteen games.  That's only a third of all Ducks' victories.


It is also worth noting, after a string of terrible starts, Gustavo Chacin was finally jettisoned from the rotation and the team.  Reliever Jason Monti was then needed to be taken out of the bullpen to start games, and has gone on to win five of six decisions.  Monti's insertion into the rotation became possible when reliever John Hunton returned to the Ducks' bullpen this season.  He was signed late last season and pitched in the playoffs, and was resigned again in early June this season.


In other news, on July 6th, the Ducks signed former Met outfielder, Timo Perez.  He joins fellow former Met, Armando Benitez, on the activated list.




Mike.BTB

L.I. Ducks ~ Riversharks Bite Ducks in Ninth

From the desk of:   THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

LONG ISLAND DUCKS:  After a Marvelous Pitcher's Duel, Camden Riversharks Serve Up Last Licks on Ducks.

For six innings, Long Island's starter, Gustavo Chacin, and Camden's Kevin Reese, engaged in a fine pitcher's duel at Campbell's Field.

Gustavo pitched through the seventh, surrendering only three hits, and striking out five, while walking two.  Kevin Reese was relieved after six.  But he similarly only allowed four hits, walked one, and struck out three.  Then Camden's bullpen took over.

Through seven innings, Kraig Binick was 2 for 4, and was the only Ducks player with multiple hits.  Brandon Sing, Matt Esquivel, and Ray Navarrete, had the other three Long Island hits.

After the Ducks failed to score in the top of the eighth, Coach Baez opted to turn the game over to his bullpen.  He summoned Jason Monti, who promptly sat down the Riversharks in order.  The Ducks were likewise set down in order in the top of the ninth.


Jason Monti went out to the hill for his second inning of work.  Suffice to say, after a lead off double, an intentional walk, and a hit-by-pitch to load the bases, Monti was in trouble.  A sac-fly to right later, and this game went final.  Ducks lose on Camden's last licks.


So, after winning the first two games of the series, Camden gets one back.  Thursday will be the fourth and final game of this series.  The Riversharks will be looking for a split.



Mike.BTB

L.I. Ducks ~ The Webbed Nine Take a Bite Out of Camden

From the desk of:   THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

LONG ISLAND DUCKS:  Open Road Trip With 8-0 Blanking of River Sharks.


Mike Loree pitched like the Ducks' ace of old Monday evening in Camden.  He hand-cuffed the Sharks over seven innings, allowing a mere three hits and no runs.  He walked none and struck out five, before giving way to Dan Meyer and Conner Graham, who took care of the eighth and ninth innings to end Camden's night.  Long Island pitching held the River Sharks to five hits.

After a pair of rocky starts, and a few no decisions, Mike Loree pitched, by far, his best game of the season over five starts so far, and picked up his second win in the process.  Mike also lowered his ERA to a 3.18 mark.

Long Island got on the board right away against Camden starter, Mike McGuire.  Kraig Binick led off the game with a walk, and later came around to score for a 1-0 lead.  In the fourth, Long Island used power and took advantage of shoddy defense to score three more runs.  Ray Navarrete led off the inning with a home run.  Then two River Sharks' errors led to two more runs for the Ducks, and a 4-0 lead.

Bryant Nelson led off the fifth with a single, then scored on a Ray Navarrete sac-fly.  In the eighth, Ried Gorecki launched his first home run of the season; a solo shot, to give the Ducks a 6-0 lead.  Then in the ninth, Long Island tacked on two more for good measure.  Matt Esquivel and Ray Navarrete hit back to back doubles, for a 7-0 lead.  Shawn Williams' sac-fly to center scored Navarrete, and capping the Ducks scoring at eight.

That's the Ducks' third win in a row.  They are now the first team to reach twenty wins this season.  Long Island has also opened up a 4.5 game lead over the Bridgeport Bluefish, who lost at home to the Revolution.  Only the Sugar Land Skeeters are a hotter club than the Ducks over the last ten games of the season.

Armando Benitez, signed by the Ducks on May 24, is yet to appear in a game.





Mike.BTB

L.I. Ducks ~ Salvage Game Versus Bridgeport; At The Game

From the desk of:   THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE
*Corrected on Tuesday

LONG ISLAND DUCKS:  Another Fine Day in The Pond.

The Ducks salvaged a win versus the Bridgeport Bluefish Sunday afternoon in the second installment of this season's Ferry Cup Series.  The Bluefish now lead the benefit series four games to one.  Game Three will be Monday.

Play Ball!  First Pitch

Long Island's starter, Randy Keisler, labored through 102 pitches in six innings.  He was touched for six hits and three earned runs.  And struggled with control, walking four, and struck out three.


Bridgeport took a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning on a two run home run by third baseman, Brock Peterson.  But Long Island struck back for three runs in their half of the inning.  Ray Navarrete led off the home half of the fourth with a walk.  Brandon Sing followed with a single.  Then Shawn Williams drove them both home with a one out triple.  Ried Gorecki lofted a fly ball to center for a sacrifice fly RBI, and a 3-1 Ducks lead.  Bridgeport tied the game however in their next at-bat off Randy Keisler.

By the sixth inning, Randy Keisler's day was through.  But not before the Ducks supplied him with four more runs in the bottom of the sixth, to put Keisler on the winning side of the game again.  This was Randy's third win of the season against just one loss.


After Shawn Williams led of with another extra-base hit; a double this time; Ried Gorecki drove him home with a single.  Josh Johnson followed with another single to score Gorecki who had previously advanced to second.  Yet another single by Bryant Nelson later delivered Josh Johnson.  A sac-fly by Brandon Sing drove home Kraig Binick, and the fourth Ducks' run of the frame.  An error led to one more Long Island run in the eighth, giving them an 8-3 lead, and eventual final.

Kraig Binick and Ray Navarrete

Brandon Sing

In the lead-off spot, Kraig Binick was 3 for 4 Sunday, with a walk, and two runs scored.  First baseman Shawn Williams, was 2 for 4, with a double, triple, and two RBI.  Ried Gorecki also had two RBI.


After Randy Keisler, Long Island's bullpen took care of the final three innings.  Jason Monti pitched two innings, allowed three hits and two walks, and struck out three.  Jeremy Hill closed out the ninth inning, surrendering a hit, and a walk


The Ducks begin a four set in Camden against the River Sharks Tuesday evening.

My Sixth Inning Foul Ball.

Mike.BTB

L.I. Ducks ~ Next Up; The Bluefish in a Battle for First

From the desk of:   THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

LONG ISLAND DUCKS:   After Dropping Opening Game, Ducks Comeback to Take Series from Lancaster.  Next, the Bluefish Invade The Pond in a Clash For First Place.

The Ferry Cup Series Resumes.

What do you do when the Barnstormers ruin your home winning streak at nine?  You start a new streak by winning the next two.  And so, the Ducks came back to win the final two games in their series against Lancaster.


In Tuesday's game, Randy Keisler, Jeremy Hill, and Dan Meyer, all pitched brilliantly against former major leaguer, John Halama and company.  Randy Keisler tossed seven innings of seven hit, shut-out ball.  He walked one and struck out eight.  After 103 pitches, Randy gave way to Jeremy Hill staked to a 6-0 lead.


In the first inning, Kraig Binick led off the game with a double, and scored on Bryant Nelson's single, and an error by the third baseman.  Reid Gorecki later singled home Bryant Nelson for a 2-0 Ducks' lead.


It stayed that way until the bottom of the seventh inning.  For John Halama's part, he was snake bit by errors over 6.2 innings.  Of the six runs charged to him, only two were earned.  He did surrender nine hits however, and walked three.


After a good seventh inning stretch, the Ducks beefed up their lead with four more runs.  After an E-5, a wild pitch, a walk, and a single by Bryant Nelson to load the bases, John Halama was on the ropes.  After missing some time, Brandon Sing made his return to play in time for this series, and said hello to John Halama with a grand slam home run, for a 6-0 Ducks' lead.  It was Brandon's first home run since returning over the weekend, and his sixth of the season.


The Ducks tacked on one more run in the eighth on Wilberto Ortiz' second home run of the season.


Jeremy Hill pitched a scoreless eighth and struck out two.  And Dan Meyer pitched a scoreless ninth to finish off the win.




On Wednesday, the Ducks picked up where they left off.  Jason Monti hung in and pitched five innings of four hit ball.  He gave up one earned run and struck out three with no walks on the way to recording his third win of the season.  Jason trails Mike Loree by one strikeout (21/22) for the team lead.


By the fourth inning, the Ducks already posted their ten runs.  Brandon Sing seems to be getting his swing in order.  He was 3 for 5, with a double and a run scored.  Along with Sing.., Kraig Binick, Bryant Nelson, Ray Navarrete, and James McOwen, all had multiple hits.  Shawn Williams was the only Duck to homer Wednesday and had three RBI.  Bryant Nelson drove in his team leading 19th RBI.  And Ray Navarrete was 2 for 4 with four RBI and two runs scored.  In all, the Ducks had fifteen hits.


Once Jason Monti was out of the game, the bullpen had some trouble closing out.  Connor Graham, and Eric Niesen, combined to pitch four innings (two each), and surrendered four runs on six hits, and walked four.


So a flaky bullpen and two errors get covered up by ten runs for a day...  Winning can do that.


The Ducks are now 17-8, and remain the only team with single digit losses.  They maintain a 3.5 game lead over the Bridgeport Bluefish in the Liberty Division, who conveniently swim into The Pond Thursday night for a four game series in what is now a battle for first place.  But Bridgeport is 3-7 in their last ten, while the Ducks are just the opposite with a 7-3 record in their last ten games.  The Bluefish were 4-2 losers to Southern Maryland Wednesday.  The Ducks are now 11-1 at home.


The Ferry Cup Series continues.  In the last meeting between these teams, the Bluefish swept a three game series in Bridgeport.





Mike.BTB

L.I. Ducks ~ Waddling Off to Sugar Land, Texas

From the desk of:   THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

LONG ISLAND DUCKS:  No Revolution For You!  Ducks Win Measure of Revenge Versus York in Rematch of 2011 Finals.

Ducks Sweep Thursday Double-Header, and the Series.

Any early season concerns the Ducks might have trouble replicating last season's offensive output, are steadily being put to rest.  For the third time against their last two opponents, the Ducks topped double-digit scoring, and in doing so, secured their sixth consecutive win by sweeping their first two opponents at home.

York was just the latest.  There would be no revolution out of them this time, only heavy losses.  After getting rained out on Wednesday, the teams played a twin bill in Bethpage Ballpark on Thursday to conclude the three game rematch of last season's league finals.  The Ducks defeated the back-to-back champs in back-to-back games to compete a three game sweep and gain a measure of revenge against the Revs.


Game One Final:
Revs     2
Ducks  4


In Game One of the twin bill, starting pitcher Bob Zimmermann gained his second win in three starts.  He limited the Revs to single runs in the fourth inning and the sixth before being relieved.  Over six innings, Bob allowed five hits, only one earned run, walked two, and struck out five York batters.  Jon Meloan pitched a scoreless seventh inning to finish the shortened double-header style seven inning game.


The Ducks jumped on York's starting pitcher, Chris Cody, early.  In the bottom of the first, Ryan Garko continued to sizzle with a home run, plating Brandon Sing for a 2-0 lead.  Long Island added another run in the second on Dan Lyon's RBI single.  They added their fourth and final run of the game in the fourth when Lew Ford scored on a passed ball.


Game Two Final:
Revs 9
Ducks 16


Both club's pitching had troubles taming each other In Game Two.  For the Ducks, Jason Monti was asked to make a spot start.  In three and a third innings, he allowed five earned runs on six hits.  He gave way to four more Long Island hurlers, who combined to pitch another win over the Revolution.  In his second appearance this season, Wynn Pelzer faced four batters to pick up the victory.


Through the first three innings, the Ducks jumped out to 2-0, 5-0, then a 9-3 lead over York.  Ryan Garko and Lew Ford both drove in runs in the first.  With the bases loaded, an E-3 opened the door for three more Duck runs in the bottom of the second.  In the third, the renaissance man, Lew Ford, jacked a lead off home run.  An RBI double by Wilberto Ortiz, an RBI single by Dan Lyons, and a sac-fly RBI by Kraig Binick gave Long Island a 9-3 lead.


The major fireworks came in the fifth inning.  After RBI singles by Kraig Binick and Bryant Nelson, Brandon Sing crushed his league leading fifth home run of the season bringing the Ducks to thirteen runs.  And they would score three more unearned runs in the inning on singles by Wilberto Ortiz and Dan Lyons before they were through.


That's six in a row for the 9-4 Ducks, who find themselves a mere half-game behind the Bridgeport Bluefish for the Liberty Division lead.

And now, it's time to - Go West Young Men!  There's Skeeters to be played in Texas.  Soon after quieting the Revolution, the Ducks hit the road and will arrive in Sugar Land, where they will play the Sugar Land Skeeters; the Atlantic League's newest expansion team.  The Skeets have been a big hit with their fans so far, but on the field, and specifically on the road, the Skeeters have had more troubles than an armadillo crossing Interstate-Ten.  Sugar Land is 1-9 in their last ten games, and hope playing in front of their big home crowds gets them moseying in the right direction again.

Should be a good time in Texas.

TONIGHT

LONG ISLAND DUCKS

vs.

Sugar Land Skeeters

From

CONSTELLATION FIELD

in Big Texas

Mike.BTB

L.I. Ducks ~ Preparing for a Revolution

From the desk of:   THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE
UPDATED: Tuesday 12:35 pm

LONG ISLAND DUCKS:   Camden Flushed From the Pond.

Next Up ~ York Revolution

The Rematch

The Ducks chewed up the Sharks with overwhelming offensive efforts on Friday and Saturday by a combined 26-7 score after posting thirteen runs on back to back nights.  On Sunday, the Ducks needed extra innings to gain a 2-1victory and complete an Opening Day series sweep over Camden.

Renaissance man, Lew Ford continued his hot start against the Camden River Sharks.  He clubbed the Sharks with two home runs, two doubles, and five RBI in the three game series.  Last season's batting champ; Kraig Binick; seems to be heating up as well with a break-out 4 for 6 game on Sunday.  And Ryan Garko's continuing surge just pushed him over the .500 mark in slugging.

Mike Loree is still searching for his first victory this season.  In Sunday's extra inning affair, he pitched in his third no decision of the season.  The Ducks are 2-1 in those games.


Starting Tuesday, the Ducks will host the York Revolution in a rematch of last season's finals.  The Revs are struggling at the moment, sporting the Atlantic League's worst mark.  However offensively, they already claim three of the circuit's top home run hitters.  They will look to be adding to tonight's Ducks starting pitcher Joe Esposito's early season troubles.  In his two starts this season, he has gotten absolutely creamed.  He's trying to make the conversion into a full time starter, and I think sooner that later, he'll get himself straightened out.  He's a good kid with a good resume.

After this series with York, Long Island will be heading to the Lone Star State where they will get their first look at the Sugar Land Skeeters and their new Texas sized scoreboard.

Mike.BTB

L.I. Ducks ~ 2012 Positional Players Preview

From the desk of:   THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

Long Island Ducks

LONG ISLAND DUCKS:  Many New Faces Will Be Wielding a Bat for the Ducks This Season.  But Can the New Members be as Formidable as Last Year's Line-Up?


L.I. Ducks - Gearing Up for Another Run at Title




CATCHER  - J.R. House  .305 AVG  19 HR  81 RBI  ~  GONE.

 Replacements:

1) - The Ducks will primarily go with JOSH JOHNSON behind the dish.  He's 29 years old with AAA experience.  He played last season for the Road Warriors.  Last season, his nine home runs and forty-six rbi were career bests.

2) - SHAWN WILLIAMS is a twenty-eight year old switch hitter who played with the Brockton Rox last season where he batted .316 in 69 games.  He has A-level experience.

Analysis:  The Ducks will clearly not be getting the same production out of their backstop they received last season.





FIRST BASE/DH - John Rodriguez  .313 AVG  18 HR  81 RBI  ~  GONE.

Replacements:

1) - Freddie Thon returns from last season and will see action at first base.

2) - BRANDON SING has resoundingly been considered the American Association's top slugger over the last four seasons.  The 31 year old's best season came in A-ball when he batted .270, stroked 32 home runs, and drove in 94 runs.

Analysis:  John Rodriguez wielded a very productive bat last season.  But he was injured far too often.  What better we to replace him than with independent ball's top slugger.





SECOND BASE - Ray Navarrete will be back.  He has been a Long Island Duck for the majority of the last six seasons.  Ray will turn thirty-four years old in May.  Last year he tied his career best with twenty-seven home runs.  However, he posted his lowest career batting average as a Duck.  Last season Ray Navarrete continued to etch his name into Long Island's record books.  During the 2011 season, Ray became the Ducks' all-time hits leader as well as becoming the team's all-time runs scored leader.  He also lays claim to being the team's all-time home run leader and all-time rbi leader.  For a single season, he holds their record for doubles and games played.  And he also holds the Ducks' record for hits in a single game, and rbi in a single game.  The long time Ducks favorite will be a pleasant sight for Duck fans when this new look team takes the field.





SHORTSTOP - Javier Colina  .309 AVG  25 HR  90 RBI  ~  GONE.
THIRD BASE - Matt Padgett   .282 AVG  11 HR  67 RBI  ~  GONE.

Infield Replacements:

1) - BRYANT NELSON is 38 years old and will serve as a middle infielder off the bench.  This will be his third season with the Ducks.  He gained MLB experience with the Red Sox.  With eighteen years of minor league experience, he is a career .285 hitter.

2) - WILBERTO ORTIZ has six years as a pro with AAA experience.  He's 27 years old and comes to the Ducks from the L.A. Dodgers organization.  Signed more for his glove than his bat, he possesses no real power to speak of, and is a .265 career minor league hitter.

3) - RYAN GARKO has six years of MLB experience. He is 31 years old. His best seasons came in 2007 and 2008. He's a .275 career hitter, with 55 home runs, and 250 rbi on his pro resume.

Analysis:  Dan Lyons also will be back for another season.  But the new infielders will be hard pressed to replicate the kind of offense last season's Ducks generated.  Matt Garko may have something to say about that however.





CENTER FIELD - Kraig Binick returns for his second season in the Pond.  He was last season's Atlantic League's batting champion.  Kraig split time leading off, and hitting in the sixth and seventh spots in the order.  Prior to suffering a facial injury in a collision at second base, Kraig was off to a blazing start batting as high as .409 as of June 6th.





LEFT FIELD - Kennard Jones   .292 AVG  8 HR  54 RBI  ~  GONE.
RIGHT FIELD - Matt Esquivel   .328 AVG  15 HR  69 RBI  ~  GONE.

Outfield Replacements:

1) - REID GORECKI is a nine year AAA pro.  He is 32 years old with a career .267 average.  Doubles to the gap is his thing.  But he has no real power to speak of.

2) - PAUL KARMAS is a 22 year old who is fresh out of Rookie ball.  Prior to that, he was a .300 hitter for St. John's.

3) - JAMES McOWEN is 27 years old with AA experience.  If he can keep his strikeouts down, he'll be another doubles machine with occasional home run power.  In five seasons, he's a career .289 minor league hitter.

Analysis:  Most of the Ducks' power last season came from the infield.  But Matt Esquivel's numbers will be hard to make-up.  The spotlight seems to be on James McOwen.  Lew Ford will turn thirty-six in August.  This will be his third season in the Pond.

2012

ATLANTIC LEAGUE SEASON

GAME ONE

LONG ISLAND DUCKS

vs.

Somerset Patriots

From

TD Bank Ballpark

New Jersey

OPENING DAY

Somerset Patriots

Mike.BTB

L.I. Ducks ~ Mike Loree Stops The Revolution

From the desk of:  THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

ATLANTIC LEAGUE

CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

THURSDAY

Game Two

York Revolution (0-1)

vs.

Long Island Ducks (1-0)

From

Bethpage Park

LONG ISLAND, N,Y.



*    *    *

Game One Final:

York Revolution.......0

Long Island Ducks....1

LONG ISLAND DUCKS:  Game One was a Classic Pitcher's Duel.  Ducks Manage Only One Run and Four Hits.  Mike Loree Betters Great Performance by York Starter.



If you didn't know who he was, know him now.  His name is Nick Schumacher.  Wednesday night in Game One of the Atlantic League Championship Series, he pitched in only his 6th game this season as a member of the York Revolution.  He made his first appearance for them on September 1st.  So if you didn't know who he was, neither did I; and perhaps not even the Ducks knew.  But after last night, I'm sure he left a lasting impression on them and made them want to not see him again.



Nick Schumacher was the only pitcher York needed all night.  He stymied the Ducks like most pitchers in the League only wish they could against Long Island's potent offense this season.  He didn't throw a shut-out.  But York couldn't have asked for more than he gave them.  He limited the Ducks to four hits over eight innings; allowing no bases on balls while striking out six.  A third inning double by Matt Esquivel and single by Kraig Binick produced the only Long Island run of the night against Schumacher.



But for the home team, it was the only run they'd need.  Because Long Island Ace; Mike Loree; was better.  Mike Loree won the opening game of the Liberty Division Championship Series against the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs.  And Wednesday night he won Game One of the Atlantic League Championship round in a much needed convincing fashion.



He pitched seven innings of no run; seven hit baseball.  Along the way, he struck out ten Revolutionaries while walking only one for his second post-season victory and sixteenth of the season overall.



Bubbie Buzachero is settling into his new set-up role.  He pitched a scoreless eighth inning allowing only a walk.  The ninth inning now belongs to Jon Hunton.  He retired the York Revolution in order for the Save; his third of the playoffs.



There were no errors in this game and only one extra-base hit per team.  This was just a great old fashioned pitcher's duel from start to finish.  Mike Loree is a known commodity and it's fair to expect a performance like he offered tonight.  But what the Ducks saw from Chris Schumacher tonight must have been startling.  After allowing 2 hits in the third, he didn't allow Long Island another hit until the eighth inning.  Six times, Schumacher retired the Ducks in order.

Game Two will be played Thursday evening and conclude the Long Island portion of this series.  The series will shift to York, Pennsylvania for the remainder of the games and where this season's Champion will be crowned.  Long Island held the option of scheduling preference.  They opted to play two games at home, then take the show on the road.  The strategy worked for them in round one.

Mike.BTB