The Long Island Ducks continue to struggle. However, it seems no other team is able to take advantage of the Ducks’ sub-par play. They lead the first half champion Newark Bears by five games
Three game series: Ducks @ Lancaster Barnstormers Opening game (8/29/07): Ducks 7, Barnstormers 2 Bill Pulsipher made his return debut to the Ducks and pitched fantastically. He threw five innings of one run ball and picked up his first win of the season. The Ducks bullpen got the last 12 outs allowing one other earned run and four hits. The Ducks added two homeruns, a two-run shot by P.J. Rose and a three-run bomb by Estee Harris, his 10th of the season.
Middle game (8/30/07): Barnstormers 5, Ducks 4 The Ducks jumped to 3-1, only to see Lance Davis fall apart in the bottom of the seventh inning. The Barnstormers scored four runs, capped by a Michael Woods two-run homerun to take a 5-3 lead. Rose added a homerun, his second in as many days, to cut the lead in half. That was all the extra offense the Ducks could muster against the Barnstormers bullpen.
Final game (8/31/07): Ducks 6, Barnstormers 5 In one of the more sloppy games of the season the Ducks were able to prevail, 6-5. There were five errors in total, three by the Barnstormers and two by the Ducks. Down 3-0, the Ducks scored two runs in three of the next four innings to take the lead and didn’t look back. Byrant Nelson added a solo homerun for the Ducks, Estee had the game-tying single in the sixth inning. Danny Graves pitched a perfect ninth for his 31st save of the season.
Three game series: Ducks @ Newark Bears Opening game (9/1/07): Bears 4, Ducks 2 Jon Halama threw a complete game 10-hitter allowing three earned runs and took the loss as the Ducks fell, 4-2. The Ducks were only able to get six hits off the Bears pitching staff; two errors helped the Ducks score two unearned runs. Rose and Carl Everett added the two RBIs for the Ducks on back-to-back singles in the top of the first inning. The Bears took the lead with a three run outburst in the bottom of the first and never looked back.
Middle game (9/2/07): Bears 10, Ducks 5 Joey Gomes and Jason Torres, the eight and nine hitters for the Bears added eight of the 10 runs for the Bears. Gomes hit two, two-run homeruns and Torres added a three-run shot of his own. Ed Yarnall was solid in the defeat. He threw six and a third innings, giving up five hits and four runs, and he struck out seven. The Ducks rallied with three runs in the top of the ninth but it was too little too late. Jared Price added a two run homerun for the Ducks.
Final game (9/3/07): Ducks 7, Bears 6 On Labor Day, the Ducks came back from a three run 9th inning deficit to beat the Bears, 7-6. Three homeruns off Bears closer Jason DiAngelo gave the Ducks the win. Estee Harris started the ninth inning rally with a two-run homerun to bring the score to 5-4. Ray Navarrete hit the game-tying homerun. Reggie Taylor then hit the two-run go-ahead homerun to seal the win for the Ducks. Graves gave up a run in the bottom of the inning but held on for the save.
Weekly Notes:
- Navarrete hit his 37th double of the season which is the new Ducks single-season record. - Graves leads the Atlantic League with 31 saves, 11 more than the second place pitcher. - Graves and Ben Grezlovski have been the one-two punch from the bullpen and have made the most appearance of any players with 56 and 53 respectively. - The Ducks come home to start a weekday series against the Road Warriors then travel to Camden where they look to lock up the division.
The Long Island Ducks continue to struggle. However, it seems no other team is able to take advantage of the Ducks’ sub-par play. They lead the first half champion Newark Bears by five games