Yunior Santana’s bases-loaded, two-out single in the bottom of the ninth inning plated Ricardo Cespedes with the game’s lone run as the Staten Island FerryHawks edged the Long Island Ducks in front of a 1,000 appreciative fans Friday night at Staten Island University Hospital Community Park.
The win lifted the FerryHawks’ record to 13-30, while the Ducks fell to 21-22. It was the first-ever meeting between the two New York clubs at Community Park in a series that has come to be known the “Battle of the Belt” for the roadway that separates the two teams. The Ducks have won five of the seven Belt meetings so far this season.
The home ninth inning started out like the rest of the game with little or no offense as the first two FerryHawks struck out against relief hurler Kai-Wei Lin, (who just entered the game), making extra innings an almost certain thing.
But not so fast. Cespedes and Javier Betancourt sandwiched singles around Joe Monge’s walk, bringing up Santana, who lined a 2-2 pitch into left field, giving the home team the win. It was Santana’s second hit of the game in four at-bats. The rest of the team combined for four other hits.
Santana’s heroics made a winner out of Eddy Reynoso (3-2), who pitched three, one-hit innings with two strikeouts. Starter Anthony Rodriguez hurled the first five innings, allowing just three hits but five bases on balls.
NOTES: The FerryHawks played without the services of Kacy Clemens, son of former Red Sox and Yankee Roger Clemens, who was placed on the temporarily inactive list … The Ducks and FerryHawks continue their three-game series Saturday at 6 p.m. in St. George. The final game of the set is Sunday at 4 p.m.
