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Long Island battles two different opponents in twinbill

(Central Islip, N.Y., Sept. 6, 2010) – The Long Island Ducks played a rare day/night doubleheader on Labor Day at the Duck Pond, as they faced two different opponents in the same day. The Ducks were edged by the Newark Bears 7-5 in the opener before falling to Bridgeport in the nightcap.

A combined 12,179 fans came out to Suffolk County Sports Park to be a part of the Labor Day festivities, with past capacity crowds of 6,112 and 6,067 enjoying some holiday baseball.

In the opener, Long Island engineered a tremendous comeback after falling behind 5-0 to the Bears. Javier Colina’s RBI single to right in the fourth closed the gap to 5-1, and Matt Cavagnaro’s grand slam over the left field wall tied the ballgame at five.

Prior to game two, the final Empire Angel award of 2010 was handed out in a pregame ceremony. Roger Clayman, Executive Director of the Long Island Federation of Labor AFL-CIO, was this month’s recipient. Mr. Clayman helps promote the federation’s efforts in seeking to gain good jobs and housing in local communities. Clayman was the perfect choice to receive the award on Labor Day.

In the nightcap, Randy Leek and Esteban Yan were locked in a tremendous pitcher’s duel through the first five innings of the ballgame before the Bluefish grabbed the lead on their way to a 9-0 win. Robinson Cancel continued his hot hitting with three hits in the game, while Matt Esquivel, Willis Otanez, and Matt Padgett collected two hits apiece.

Following the game, the packed house was treated to a spectacular Grucci Fireworks Extravaganza, presented by Empire BlueCross BlueShield.

The Ducks hit the road for a three-game series against the Camden Riversharks beginning on Tuesday. Game time is set for 7:05 PM at Campbell’s Field. Kyle Jackson takes the mound for the Flock against Camden’s Brad Knox. Fans can tune into all the action live via streaming webcast at www.liducks.com with Casey Lynn calling the play-by-play.

Long Island returns to Suffolk County Sports Park on Friday, September 10^th to begin a three-game series against the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs. Game time is set for 7:05 PM, with the Suffolk County Sports Park gates opening at 6:05. Following the game, fans will be treated to another Grucci Fireworks Extravaganza. Tickets to the game and all upcoming Ducks home games are available at the Suffolk County Sports Park Box Office, by calling (631) 940-TIXX, or by logging onto www.liducks.com and clicking on the tickets icon at the top of the page.

Duck Tales (Game One): Matt Cavagnaro’s grand slam was his seventh homer of the season and the third grand slam hit by the Ducks this season. Robinson Cancel hit a grand slam on June 23^rd against the Camden Riversharks in game two of a doubleheader and Ray Navarrete clubbed one on July 11^th in Newark. Cavagnaro’s four RBI also marked the second time he has driven in four runs in a game, with the first coming against Newark on July 3^rd at the Duck Pond…Matt Esquivel, Javier Colina, and Matt Padgett each picked up two hits in the contest. Esquivel leads the team in two-hit games with 32 and multi-hit games with 38. Colina and Padgett each collected their 14^th two-hit contest and 17^th multi-hit game overall.

Ducks Tales (Game Two): With a double in the third inning, Robinson Cancel extended his on-base streak to 40 games. He has reached base safely in every game he has played in since July 13^th. The streak is the longest in the Atlantic League this season…Cancel also picked up three hits in the game, his fifth three-hit contest in 2010. The Ducks’ backstop has a total of 33 multi-hit games this season…Matt Esquivel collected two hits once again to extend his team-leading total in two-hit games to 33. He also collected his 39^th multi-hit game, which also leads the Ducks.

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