Ducks Win Slugfest, 18-13
June 20, 2021 - Atlantic League (AtL)
Lancaster Stormers News Release
Do the math.
The electronic strike zone designed to have more balls put in play. Pitching staffs thinned out by a surge in purchased contracts. A hot, sunny afternoon with the wind blowing out.
It all added up to runs and more runs on Father's Day at Fairfield Properties Ballpark on Long Island.
L.J. Mazzilli hit a grand slam and drove in six total, leading the Long Island Ducks to an 18-13 victory over the Lancaster Barnstormers in the rubber game of a three-game series.
Lancaster built an early three-run lead on an RBI single by Alejandro De Aza and two-run double by Blake Allemand in the first five batters of the afternoon.
Starter Dominic DiSabatino made it through the first four innings, allowing only a Daniel Fields homer in the second and took the 3-2 lead into the bottom of the fifth. The Jenga tower came crashing down at that point.
Long Island opened the home fifth with five straight hits, the last of which was Mazzilli's two-run single to left that gave the Ducks a 5-3 lead. Junior Rincon allowed three walks and a single in his four-batter stint, leaving with the deficit at 8-3. Two more walks and an error with Donald Goodson on the hill resulted in four more runs; the nine-run inning ended with Long Island ahead, 11-3.
Goodson walked three more in the sixth. A ground out, infield single by pitcher Jhoendri Herrera and throwing error put three more Ducks on the board.
Even with 12 unanswered runs on the board, the Barnstormers would not stay quiet. Anderson De La Rosa and Cleuluis Rondon pounded back-to-back homers to open the seventh. The Barnstormers tacked on another in the eighth before Mazzilli's grand slam off Gabriel Moya in the bottom of the inning seemed to put the game out of reach.
Lancaster did not roll over. Caleb Gindl opened the ninth with a booming homer to right. Four hits followed as Lancaster narrowed the gap to 18-9. Kelly Dugan loaded the bases with a walk to load the bags. A Devon Torrence ground out made it 18-10. Rondon walked with two outs, and Gindl cleared the bases with a three-run double as the lead was trimmed to five.
Melvin Mercedes sliced a fly ball down the left field line, bidding for another double. Mazzilli had had enough of the afternoon and made a tremendous diving catch to cap off the day.
The Barnstormers are off on Monday and open a three-game series at Lexington on Tuesday at 7:05 with left-hander Augie Sylk (0-0) on the hill.
NOTES: The game was Lancaster's fourth this season where both clubs scored in double digits...De Aza was 7-for-10 in the series...Allemand and Rondon became the seventh and eighth Barnstormers to reach 10 RBI on the season...Mercedes has hit safely in 19 of 21 starts...He made a bad throw attempting to start a double play in the fifth inning for his first error in 21 games.
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Atlantic League Stories from June 20, 2021
- Southern Maryland Outdistances Rockers in Slugfest - High Point Rockers
- Nine-Run Fifth Inning Lifts Ducks to Series Win - Long Island Ducks
- Ducks Win Slugfest, 18-13 - Lancaster Stormers
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