DUCKS LEFTIES BEAT STORMERS

Long Island Scores Five in Sixth

The Long Island Ducks struck for five runs in the top of the sixth inning, and their two left-handers struck out 12 in an 8-3 win over the Lancaster Stormers Friday evening at Clipper Magazine Stadium.

Aaron Antonini and Chance Sisco each doubled home a run in the first three innings off Brady Tedesco (0-1), but the Ducks blew the game open in the sixth.  Tyler Dearden doubled to the wall in the right field corner to start the inning.  Sisco and Antonini followed with long homers to right off reliever Brad Markey for a 5-0 lead. 

Markey retired the next two batters before Kevin Higgins and Scott Kelly each singled into right field.  J.C. Encarnacion drilled a double over Niko Hulsizer’s head in left field, driving home both runners for a 7-0 lead.

The Stormers fought back into the game with two starkly different home runs.  Trace Loehr took starter Jimmy Robbins (3-2) over the wall in right in the sixth inning to break up the shutout.  In the seventh, Joseph Carpenter reached on a one-out single off the glove of first baseman Chance Sisco.  Chris Proctor followed with a fly ball to shallow left that skipped beyond John Mead’s lunging effort, rolling all the way to the warning track.  Proctor steamed around the bases and scored standing up with the inside-the-park homer.

JC Encarnacion wrapped up the scoring with a solo homer in the ninth.

Robbins yielded only four hits in seven innings with no walks and seven strikeouts.  He was replaced by Nick Fanti in the eighth, and the left reliever struck out the final five batters he faced after Jack Conley opened the eighth with a bunt single.

Lancaster will send Max Green (3-4) to the hill on Saturday evening against right-hander Daniel Corcino (2-3).  Fireworks will follow.  Fans may tune into FloBaseball, beginning at 6:40.

NOTES:  Proctor’s inside-the-park home run was Lancaster’s first since he performed the same feat on a ball hit to center field at Charleston, May 11, 2023…He is the first player to have two in a career with Lancaster…The last inside-the-park home run by a Stormer at home came off the bat of Beau Amaral in 2017…It was Proctor’s first homer at home this season and first overall since May 15.