Ducks Rally And Hold Off Patriots For 11-9 Win

Bridgewater, NJ – The Long Island Ducks (18-11) rallied to defeat the Somerset Patriots (19-11) 11-9 at a rainy TD Bank Ballpark on Saturday night.

Clinging to a one run lead in the top of the ninth inning, Jon Hunton wasn’t able to shut the door on Long Island, as he was tagged for five runs in the frame. Two-run doubles by Mike Blanke and Matt Wessinger highlighted the inning that put the Ducks in front.

“Both teams came ready to play and scored plenty of runs to win the ballgame. If we score that many runs we have to find a way to get a win out of it and that hasn’t been happening too much lately,” said Somerset Patriots manager Brett Jodie.

Somerset attempted a comeback bid in the bottom of the frame, plating two runs on a two-run single by Bryan LaHair, who would finish the game 3-for-5 with three RBI. Brad Snyder represented the winning run at the plate, but a deep drive to right was caught at the wall to end the game.

The Patriots took an early 2-0 lead in the second inning on a Mycal Jones’ RBI tripled and a sacrifice fly by Carlos Guzman.
The Ducks tied up the game on a two-run double by Cody Puckett in the top of the third inning.

RBI doubles off the bats of Ruben Gotay and Lew Ford in the fourth inning gave the Ducks a 4-2 lead.
It was a short-lived lead for Long Island as Snyder launched a three-run home run (3) and Carlos Guzman followed with a solo shot for a 6-4 advantage.

“It comes along with more consistent at bats and seeing more pitches. I’ve been making some small adjustments, but it’s more about getting back out on the field, getting healthier and your body just comes together to help the game slow down,” said Snyder, who had the go-ahead single for Somerset in consecutive games he played.

The Patriots extended the lead in the fifth on a sacrifice fly by the hot-hitting LaHair, who has a .444 average over his last ten games and is 4-for-8 in this series.

The Ducks cut into Somerset’s lead in seventh inning on another two-run double by Blanke for his fourth RBI of the game.

Amalio Diaz (2-1) picked up the win with a scoreless inning pitched. Hunton (0-2) suffered the loss, allowing five runs (four earned) in an inning of work.

The 2016 Somerset Patriots season presented by Ford continues at TD Bank Ballpark on Sunday afternoon with a 1:05 p.m. game against the Long Island Ducks. The game includes Championship Logo Baseballs presented by NJEA. For tickets, call 908-252-0700 or visit www.somersetpatriots.com. Download our Mobile App for free in the Apple or Android App store.

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