CENTRAL ISLIP, NY — Solid starting pitching continually served as the Ducks weakness for most of the season. The club’s collective ERA still is hovering well above five per game.

But the lineup continues to propel the Ducks up the Liberty Division standings. Once again, an offensive explosion was used to bludgeon an opponent. The Ducks belted out 10 runs in the second inning last night, sending 14 men to the plate to ignite a 10-4 victory over the Lancaster Barnstormers.

“You see very few innings like that,” Kevin Haverbusch said. “Everybody was just putting good swings on every pitch the guy threw.”

A sell-out crowd of 6,321 enjoyed pregame dancing and singing as part of the Irish night celebration. Yet the Ducks didn’t need the luck of the Irish to tag Barnstormers starter Chris Steinborn. Rob Sandora and Haverbusch, the eighth and ninth hitters, combined for five RBIs in the second. Coupled with Southern Maryland’s loss, the Ducks moved into a first-place tie in the Liberty Division; the first time since July 11 the Flock have claimed at least a share of the top spot.

“Everybody’s in a pretty good mood today. Everybody did pretty well,” manager Dave LaPoint said.

Two singles and a walk loaded the bases to start the second. Damian Rolls filed out to shallow right, forcing all runners to hold. That would be the highlight of the inning for Steinborn. Sandora followed by hitting an opposite-field single that landed just inside the third base foul line, opening a 2-0 lead.

Batting ninth, the struggling Haverbusch broke the game open by drilling Steinborn’s 1-0 changeup over the YMCA sign in left. The three-run shot was Haverbusch’s eighth of the season, helping the Ducks score 10 runs or more for the 14th time this season.

“I sure as hell hope so,” said Haverbusch when asked if the homer could help him break out of his recent slump. “I’ve been pretty much terrible. It’s been hard not playing and then being out for so long. Hopefully, it gets me going so I can help out.”

Pete Rose Jr., Ray Navarrete and Richard Hidalgo each added RBI hits while Carl Everett logged two hits and two runs in the inning. Damian Rolls capped the rally, ripping a run-scoring double to extend his hitting streak to 19 games. Steinborn pitched the entire inning and actually stayed in the contest, pitching six innings despite his ledger that included 14 hits against one walk.

“You usually don’t see it manifest itself in one inning like that, usually it’s over the course of a game,” said Haverbusch about the offensive barrage. “But that inning, it just picking up right where the last guy left off.”

Jose Paniagua made the run support stand-up and provided LaPoint with optimism that the rotation could start to stabilize. The former White Sox, Mariners and Expos right-hander allowed just one run in six innings, striking out three in his first start of the season.

The 34-year-old pitched three innings in relief while making his Ducks debut last week and seamlessly made the transition back to starter. Michael Wood’s RBI single was the only run Lancaster could muster against Paniagua.

“We got a big lift out of Paniagua,” LaPoint said. “He pitched one of the better games of the year right there. It’ll be a big lift for us if he can keep doing that.”

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