Carlos Castro, Brantley Bell lift Ducks with extra-base hits in 8th
Long Island Ducks Carlos Castro connects for a RBI triple to give the Ducks the lead against the Gastonia Honey Hunters, Sunday, July 30, 2023 at Fairfield Properties Ballpark in Central Islip. Credit: George A Faella
The Ducks needed a week like this, and they needed a win like Sunday’s.
Carlos Castro hit a go-ahead RBI double and Brantley Bell followed with an RBI triple to lead the Ducks to a 4-2 win over Gastonia at Fairfield Properties Ballpark on Sunday night.
After losing 10 of their first 13 games to start the second half, the Ducks went 5-1 this week to improve to 8-11 in the second half and 45-37 overall.
“We never give up,” Castro said. “No matter what the score is, no matter how the game is, we’re going to keep pushing.”
Righthanded reliever Justin Alintoff made his second start of the season in what Ducks manager Wally Backman designated as a bullpen day.
Gastonia's Zach Jarrett hit an RBI double to right-center field to give Gastonia a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Alintoff escaped further trouble by striking out Eric De La Rosa with runners on first and second to end the frame.
“Early on, I kind of struggled with my command a little bit. But once I settled in, I had a bunch of pitches working really well,” Alintoff said. “I felt confident. I felt like I was making competitive pitches and getting ahead of counts.”
The Ducks took advantage of a Gastonia error in the second inning. Honey Hunters’ third baseman Luis Curbelo dropped a Wilson Ramos pop fly, giving the Ducks a runner on first base with one out. Castro and Bell worked back-to-back walks before Joe DeCarlo flipped a line drive over Curbelo to drive in Ramos and Castro to put the Ducks up 2-1.
Alintoff protected the lead with a perfect third and fourth inning and a scoreless fifth. Alintoff (77 pitches) struck out three and allowed one run and four hits in five innings.
“[Alintoff] was above and beyond what I expected,” Backman said. “If he could’ve gotten us through four [innings], I would’ve been happy. He looked good after the fourth inning, and I was like, ‘OK, we’ll let him go.’”
De La Rosa drove solo home run over the leftfield wall off Ducks' reliever Jose Jose in the seventh inning to tie it at 2.
Ramos singled to lead off the eighth and was pinch ran for by Boog Powell. Castro plated Powell in the next at-bat on a double to rightfield. Bell then tripled and scored Castro for the Ducks’ insurance run. Kevin Quackenbush allowed one hit and struck out three, pitching a scoreless eighth and ninth inning.
