Bridgewater, NJ- Yovan Gonzalez’s pinch hit single in the tenth inning led the Somerset Patriots (32-20) over the Long Island Ducks (26-26) 7-6 at TD Bank Ballpark on Wednesday night.
Gonzalez came up to the plate with two outs and runners on first and second when he singled to left field for the game-winner. It was Gonzalez’s fourth walk off hit of the season.
“I wasn’t playing today so I kept myself warm in the bullpen. The situation was explained to me that if it was a lefty, I was going to be the guy,” said Gonzalez. “My confidence was up. This was the first time I felt like I knew I was going to win it.”
The Patriots jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the third inning on a two-run home run by Adam Donachie (2) and an RBI single by Mark Minicozzi.
Mark Krauss got the Ducks on the board with a solo home run (5) in the top of the fifth inning.
Somerset quickly got the run back in the bottom of the frame on Aharon Eggleston’s RBI double for a 4-1 advantage.
The Ducks took the lead in the top of the seventh inning on a three-run home run by Alex Burg (6) and an RBI single by Lew Ford.
The Patriots rallied for two runs and a 6-5 lead in the bottom of the seventh on a Greg Golson single that plated Minicozzi and Kyle Roller.
The Ducks tied up the game again in the top of the ninth inning on a sacrifice fly by Anthony Vega.
Will Oliver (2-0) got the win with a scoreless inning pitched. Patrick Crider (0-3) took the loss, allowing a run on three hits in 0.2 innings pitched.
The 2017 Somerset Patriots Season presented by Ford will continue at home on Thursday, June 15th with a 7:05 pm game against the Long Island Ducks. The game includes Baseball Caps (1st 2,000) presented by Morristown Medical Center. For tickets, visit www.somersetpatriots.com.