CENTRAL ISLIP, NY - Getting swept in a series when you are the home team is tough for the manager, and the players alike. Especially when the team is heading out the door the next day for a seven game road trip, a losing streak is the last thing a team wants.

For the Long Island Ducks, being down by three runs in the second inning, after losing the two previous nights, it was a test of their intestinal fortitude, and the offense provided the much needed spark, scoring one run at a time over the middle innings, climaxing with a lazy bounced ball over the third base bag, scoring Richard Hidalgo to life Long Island to a 6 – 5 victory over the York Revolution at Citibank Park.

Kevin Haverbusch, out of the Ducks lineup for the past month with a sprained wrist, wished that ground ball just over the third base bag and down the left field line off Revolution reliever Dan Foli (son of former Met Tim Foli), with two outs in the seventh inning to give the Ducks the lead for good.

“From the first bounce, it looked to be foul, but the next few bounces, it seemed to roll fair”, said Haverbusch after the game. “It wasn’t fair by much, so I don’t blame them (York Manager Chris Hoiles) for arguing about it.

“It was interesting to see the left-fielder frozen by the ball”, said LaPoint.

After the Ducks took the lead, the bullpen took over with two solid scoreless innings from Todd Williams and Ben Valentine, who picked up his 11th save of the season. In fact, Long Island relievers allowed only one hit in three and one third innings.

Revolution starter Dave Gil looked sluggish to start the game, and it showed when he left a pitch up in the strike zone, which Ducks first baseman PJ Rose slammed over the right center field fence to put the first two runs of the game on the scoreboard. It was Rose’s 49th and 50th runs batted in of the season.

After a solid first inning, Ducks starter Alay Soler seemed to fall apart. He gave up five runs on three hits, with only one of them being earned, thanks to a Dennis Donovan error. He allowed a run to score via a wild pitch, and then hit a batter, forcing a run to score.

“We can’t giving up these four run and five run innings. These starting pitchers have to get their act together”, said Ducks manager Dave LaPoint. “We are going to give them every chance. It is putting too much of a hole offensively, and it is putting it is killing us in bullpen.”

After the second inning though, Soler seemed to some of his game in order, allowing only two singles and a walk over the next three and two-third innings, with six of his eight strikeouts occurring over this time. His curveball was superb, freezing batters in their tracks. With two outs in the sixth, Soler was out of gas, and LaPointe replaced him with Abe Alvarez to finish the sixth, and Ben Grezlovski (3-2)

Long Island began to close the gap in the bottom of the second, as Haverbusch slammed a Gil fastball over the left field wall to cut the lead to two runs. An inning later, Backup Catcher Robert Sandora stroked a double in the fourth inning, bringing home formet Met Richard Hidalgo to cut the deficit to one.

In the sixth inning, Haverbusch who got on as a result of an error by Shea Hillenbrand, scored on a wild pitch from Foli (2-4), which deadlocked the score at five. The next inning, Haverbusch get the winning hit, which gave the Ducks a much needed victory (5-4, second half). Long Island now makes their way on a seven game road trip which will take them to Somerset for three, and then to Waldorf, Maryland for a big four game series against the Blue Crabs.

“Getting a win before a long road trip is real important”, said Haverbusch. With the Atlantic League division always being tight, having the momentum before a stretch of road games, especially when the Ducks have not played well in Somerset or Southern Maryland this season.

“Well the momentum we needed is for the pitchers”, said LaPoint. “The hitters, since we added the additions (Alfonzo, Hidalgo), we have been getting six, seven runs a game. We need the pitchers to get going, and with our two best pitchers, Randy (Leek) and Manny (Ulloa), going, maybe everyone will get into the groove.”

Will this game, be the momentum that Long Island needs to improve in the standings? The next seven days will be a litmus test.

QUACKER NOTES: Who’s HOT: Ray Navarette. Although not in the lineup tonight, and his consecutive games on base streak ended at 16 on Saturday, Navarette is among the top 10 in average (.336), Home runs (17), and RBI’s (61). Edgardo Alfonzo has hit in every game, since his return to the Flock. Once again, the Ducks are tops in the Atlantic League in attendance, with nearly 5,900 per game (99% capacity).

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