AtL Somerset Patriots

Late Surge Leads Ducks To Win

Published on July 28, 2010 under Atlantic League (AtL)
Somerset Patriots News Release


A three-run 7th inning for Long Island and a scoreless three innings of relief from Chris McCoy led to a 6-3 Duck victory over the Somerset Patriots on Tuesday night at Suffolk County Sports Park.

For the second straight night, the Ducks in a tie game put up a three-spot in the late innings for the win. Knotted up at 3-3, Ben Grezlovski arrived in relief for the 7th. The Ducks had scored an unearned run in the 6th off Andrew Dobies to tie the game and picked up a one-out double from Ray Navarette to start the 7th inning rally. After Grezlovski (5-2) walked Johnny Hernandez, John Rodriguez lined a double up the right field line to score Navarette. Two batters later, Matt Padgett in his first game since May 30 when he broke his foot cracked a base hit to center field to bring home Hernandez and Rodriguez to give Long Island their 6-3 lead.

The Ducks struck first in the opening inning against starter Jonathon Ellis. The 27-year-old in his 11th career start gave up a RBI groundout to Javier Colina and a run-scoring base hit from Padgett in the 1st. But Ellis settled down from there, allowing one hit the rest of the way, retiring 10 of the final 12 men he faced. Ellis finished 5.0 innings, yielding just four hits and two runs.

The Patriot offense went scoreless in the first three innings against Kyle Jackson. The former Bridgeport Bluefish 3-2 with a 3.48 ERA in five career starts against Somerset retired nine of the first 13 Patriots he saw. Jackson who beat Somerset with Bridgeport on April 23 had struck out Noah Hall looking on three pitches in the 2nd. Hall swung at the first pitch he saw in the 4th, a hanging curveball, blasting it to left field for a homer. It did not take long for the tie as Pete LaForest stood in to follow and served a fly ball the other way to left-center for a solo shot, tying the game at 2-2. Somerset pushed Ellis in line for the win in the 6th against Jackson when Michael Hernandez lifted a home run down the left field, sneaking it inside of the foul pole and just over the wall to give the Patriots their first lead of the series. Jackson, despite the three homers, still threw a quality start after 6.0 innings, six hits, and four strikeouts.

After the Ducks tied the game in the 6th, 37-year-old Chris McCoy who pitched for Long Island in 2000 and 2001 began a stretch of outstanding relief. With a short bullpen behind him, McCoy (1-0) tossed 3.0 scoreless frames of relief, hitting Hall in the 8th and surrendering a two-out single to Tim Raines Jr. in the 9th before striking out Wayne Lydon for his first Duck win since 01.

Somerset (6-13, 42-47) continues its series with the Long Island Ducks (10-9, 46-43) on Wednesday night as Justin Jones (4-6, 5.11) squares off with former big leaguer Kip Wells (1-1, 3.00). Coverage begins at 7:00 pm from Suffolk County Sports Park on 1450 WCTC-AM and online at www.wctcam.com and www.somersetpatriots.com.

NOTES: The game marks the second time this season the Patriots have hit a season-high three homers, the other coming on July 17 against Southern Maryland...Hall and LaForest going deep marked the first time the Patriots have hit back-to-back homers this season...Grezlovski had not allowed a run in July until the three against him Tuesday...the Patriots are just 3-9 against Long Island this year and 2-9 in their last 11 in Long Island dating back to last season...Jeff Nettles is 0-8 in the series with three strikeouts...Hall's homer was his fifth of the year, his third in the last six games...Jeff Kennard pitched a scoreless 8th for Somerset...Dobies pitched on back-to-back nights, tossing just two pitches on Monday in his Patriot debut...Nettles committed a two-base error behind Dobies in the 6th allowing Matt Esquivel to reach second. Brendan Monaghan drove Esquivel home for the tying run. The error was the first by the Patriot defense in four games. The Somerset Patriots 2010 Season presented by Ford will continue on the road until Friday, July 30th when the Patriots return to TD Bank Ballpark for a 7:05 pm game against the Bridgeport Bluefish. The game includes a Post Game Fireworks Show presented by Carrier Clinic. Great seats are available by stopping by the Patriots Ticket Office located at TD Bank Ballpark, by calling (908) 252-0700, or on-line at www.somersetpatriots.com.

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Atlantic League Stories from July 28, 2010


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