The Long Island Junior Ducks got out to an early 3-0 lead but wound up hanging on to win, 3-2, over the East Coast Jays to open up the 2019 Columbus Day Tournament.
After both teams went scoreless through the first two innings, the Ducks broke through in the top half of the third in a big way.
After a hit by pitch by John Rizzo, Billy McKinney walked to move the runner into scoring position. Nick Rizzo came through with a clutch RBI single to give the Ducks an early 1-0 lead. After a ground out, Paul Mata drove in a run with a single to center to make it 2-0. An RBI ground out off the bat of KJ Flores made it 3-0.
While it appeared the Ducks were well on their way to a victory, the Jays got something going in the fourth.
After a walk and a single to open up the frame, an RBI single by Tyler Zanghi made it 3-1. The next two batters were retired but a two-out walk loaded up the bases and the Ducks made a pitching change. On a 3-1 count, an attempted pick off to first base was thrown into right field to allow one run to score. The right fielder made a perfect throw to the plate to nail the potential tying run, though, to keep the Ducks clinging to a 3-2 lead.
Here’s how the final out was recorded pic.twitter.com/zJsCpKhoqH
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) October 12, 2019
The Ducks did not extend their lead, but they were able to hang onto their 3-2 lead when John Rizzo fired a scoreless sixth inning. The Jays did put the potential tying run in scoring position on a leadoff single by Matt Ciocano but he was caught napping to end the game when he drifted too far off second base.
