Ducks Drop Game 1, 5-1
by: Brian Bohl | Senior Writer - NY Sports Day | Wednesday, September 24, 2008
CENTRAL ISLIP, NY — Four years ago to the day, Lance Davis pitched the best game in his Ducks career, going 7 2/3 innings as the Flock won a one-run game to advance to the championship round en route to the organization’s only Atlantic League title.
Davis—the only Duck remaining from the 2004 squad—couldn’t find his dominant form Tuesday night. The southpaw was tagged for four runs in 5 2/3 innings as the Camden Riversharks won, 5-1, in Game 1 of the Liberty Division playoffs in front of 4,910 at Citibank Park.
Camden sent nine men to the plate during a four-run sixth inning, taking control of the best-of-three set. The Riversharks will have two chances to close out the series at home starting Wednesday night. Game 3, if necessary, will also be held at Campbell’s Field.
Kevin Walker quieted the Ducks bats, limiting the home team to just six hits in seven innings. The Ducks have lost its last seven postseason games dating back to the first round in 2005. Staff ace Randy Leek will go in the elimination game, giving manager Dave LaPoint reason for some optimism.
“There’s no panic situation,” LaPoint said. “We have a 12-game winner going for us and it’s not like we haven’t hit up there [Camden]. It should another great game. I would look for us to break out a little more offensively. We’ll be more in a groove.”
Walker allowed a run in the second but quickly found his grove. The lefty retired 12 straight batters from the third to the seventh inning. Walker induced two double plays and silenced the heart of the Ducks order. LaPoint watched his 2-5 hitters go a combined 2-16.
Carl Everett, who hit a team-record 29 home runs during the regular season, was 1-4 with a single. Ray Navarrete posted a franchise-record 103 RBIs, was just 1-4 and hit a bases-loaded fly out. Edgardo Alfonzo and Pete Rose Jr. each went hitless in four at-bats.
“We know what’s ahead of us,” Rose said. “We can’t look ahead to Game 3. We have to go out tomorrow and play. With the guys we have in here, I don’t think anyone is going to put any extra pressure on themselves. We’ll just go out and do whatever we need to do.”
Davis pitched out of trouble until the sixth when the Riversharks racked up four runs and five hits to chase the former Cincinnati Red. Shawn Boyd and Nic Jackson started the frame with singles. Following a flyout, L.J. Bierbaum erased a 1-0 deficit by lifting a RBI single to right.
Tyler Von Schell’s run-scoring groundout broke the tie the next batter. Third baseman Bryant Nelson didn’t field the grounder cleanly yet recovered to get the out at first. Biernbaum was running on the pitch, negating any chance of a double play on the grounder.
Bierbaum’s aggressive base running contributed to two insurance runs. Sheldon Fulse ripped a double off the base of the wall in left-center to score Biernbaum and Michael Thompson’s single plated Fulse and ended Davis’ evening with the Ducks trailing 4-1. Davis would not speak to the media after the game.
“He threw good and gave us a chance to get ahead,” LaPoint said about Davis. “The other guy just threw better.”
Davis escaped out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the second. After retiring the first batter, Davis allowed two singles and a walk before striking out ninth-hitting Josh Arhart on a 2-2 pitch and inducing David Espinosa to ground into a fielder’s choice to squash the scoring threat.
The Ducks responded by breaking open the scoring in the bottom half of the inning. Camden’s Juan Francia tapped a bases-loaded soft roller to third, where Michael Thompson scooped the grounder and fired to first. Thompson’s throw was in time, but first base umpire Dan Wilson ruled Von Schell bobbled the ball, allowing Nelson to score the game’s first run. Ray Navarrete couldn’t add to the lead, flying out to right to end the rally.
“He [Walker] didn’t change his game plan,” LaPoint said. “He just threw outside, outside, outside. He had really good control. He had a good changeup and sinker going into the same spot. The differential in speed…he was getting ahead of everybody with the fastball and a good sinker. It didn’t do us any good if we were aggressive or if we waited on him.”
Shawn Boyd belted a solo home run off Ryan Knippschild in the eighth, padding the lead to 5-1. Ben Grezlovski gave the Ducks offense a chance to make a comeback, tossing 2 1/3 scoreless innings in relief of Davis. Grezlovski surrendered just one hit and walk, striking out three.
