Ducks Hold Off Late Patriots Rally To Open Series With 3-2 Win
Bridgewater, NJ- The Long Island Ducks (22-15, 58-49) defeated the Somerset Patriots (18-17, 60-45) 3-2 at TD Bank Ballpark on Tuesday night.
The Ducks took an early 2-0 lead in the first inning on a home run by Mark Krauss (16).
A sacrifice fly by Carlos Guzman in the second inning cut the lead in half for Somerset.
Long Island plated another run on an error in the fifth inning for a 3-1 advantage.
The Patriots rallied for a run in the bottom of the ninth inning on a home run by Mark Minicozzi (4).
“I was hunting for a pitch. I got a slider that I was looking for and I didn’t miss it,” said Minicozzi. “It was a good start to the inning. We’ve been that way all year. It was the ninth inning and it’s never over with us.”
After Minicozzi’s homer, the Patriots continued to threaten. With the tying run on second base, and the winning run on first base, Alfredo Rodriguez launched a long fly ball to the warning track that was caught for the final out of the game.
Henderson Alvarez (2-1) picked up the win, allowing an earned run on three hits in five innings pitched. David Kubiak (5-10) suffered the loss, allowing three earned runs on five hits in five innings pitched. Amalio Diaz earned his tenth save of the season.
The 2017 Somerset Patriots Season presented by Ford will continue at home on Wednesday, August 16th with a Day-Night Double Header against the Long Island Ducks at 11:05 am and 7:05 pm. For tickets, visit www.somersetpatriots.com.