Boog Powell's leadoff homer gets Ducks going in Game 2 of Atlantic League Championship Series

The season wouldn’t have been over for the Ducks with a loss Saturday, but they would have been in rough shape. Boog Powell didn’t waste any time doing what he could to stop that from happening.

The centerfielder hit a leadoff home run to left-centerfield and the first six Ducks reached base safely in their 9-7 victory over the Lexington Legends in Game 2 of the best-of-five Atlantic League Championship Series on Saturday afternoon at Fairfield Properties Ballpark in Central Islip.

"It felt great. I mean, I ran the bases so fast," said Powell, who went 1-for-3 with two walks and three runs. "I was just so fired up ready to get inside [the dugout] and ready to get more. And we added on."

Game 3 is Monday at Lexington’s Whitaker Bank Ballpark in Kentucky at 6:31 p.m.

The Ducks opened a 4-0 lead in the first inning, but the game quickly turned on them. Lexington scored four runs in the top of the second inning and three more in the third to take a 7-5 advantage.

The Ducks scored one run in the second inning and tied the score at 7 in the fourth. Powell and Vladimir Frias, who went 5-for-5, scored on Lew Ford’s bases-loaded fielder’s choice, with Frias scoring from second base on a throwing error, in the fourth.

The Ducks took the lead on Chris Shaw’s RBI single in the sixth inning and added the game’s final run on L.J. Mazzilli’s RBI single to centerfield in the seventh inning.

"The players answered the bell," manager Wally Backman said. "The offense came in and answered the bell. We were up 4-0 then all of a sudden it’s tied and then they go up [7-4] and we just kept battling. The offense had to do the job."

The Ducks didn’t allow a run in the final six innings, scattering two hits with no walks (one hit batter) with eight strikeouts. Rob Griswold pitched the final two innings for the save.

The Ducks are now basically in a best-of-three series with Lexington in an attempt to capture a second straight Atlantic League title and fifth in franchise history.

"We’re extremely confident," Powell said. "We just have to get base runners and do the job to get them in."

Backman tossed

Backman was ejected in the sixth inning after Frias was thrown out at the plate on Ford’s fly ball to rightfield. Backman felt Lexington catcher Christian Correa blocked the plate, which has been illegal since 2014.

"I thought he blocked the plate," Backman said. "The Buster Posey rule came into effect for a reason and I watched the replay four or five times and he should have been safe."