Nick Margevicius strikes out 8 to lead Ducks in Game 2 of the North Division championship series
Ducks starting pitcher Nick Margevicius delivers to the plate during Game 2 of the Atlantic League's North Division championship series against the Hagerstown Flying Boxcars in Central Islip on Wednesday. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
Ducks pitcher Nick Margevicius isn’t native to Long Island. He’s made it his home anyway.
The Cleveland-born Margevicius has lived in Mineola since 2019 with his wife, Shannon, who is from the town. Complete with their young daughter, Scarlett, Margevicius’ family is a constant presence at his starts, which wasn’t always the case in his career.
“I was over in Asia when my wife was pregnant with our daughter,” Margevicius said. “She had to wake up in the morning and watch me on TV… So having her and my daughter coming to every game that is here and see them in the stands between innings, clapping, it’s been special.”
With a son due any day now, Margevicius will soon have one more set of tiny hands clapping for him, and his family wasn’t alone in applauding the left-handed pitcher Wednesday night.
Margevicius allowed just one run, two hits and no walks in eight innings with eight strikeouts, leading the Ducks to a 5-2 win in Game 2 against Hagerstown in the Atlantic League’s North Division championship series.
The Ducks lead the best-of-5 series, 2-0, and will resume play Friday in Game 3 at Hagerstown’s Meritus Park, with Anthony Escobar starting for the Ducks against Chase Chaney.
Marcus Chiu went 3-for-4 with two RBI doubles, including one in the eighth inning to score Jacob Robson.
A two-out, RBI double produced by @marcus_chiu brings home @Elboni4 all the way from first base with the go-ahead run as the Flock take their first lead of game two of the @AtlanticLg North Division Championship Series 2-1! pic.twitter.com/IqlIPkJNxC
— Long Island Ducks (@LIDucks) September 17, 2026
“[Chiu] was one of our best hitters, had a lot of RBIs,” manager Lew Ford said. “He stepped it up in the playoffs, and you need guys to do that.”
Aaron Antonini and Chris Roller both added an RBI single, giving the Ducks a 5-1 lead entering the top of the ninth. Ramon Santos allowed one run in the ninth, but retired Darick Fall for the final out.
Margevicius allowed a two-out solo homer to Danny Ortiz amid an 18-pitch first inning, but threw just 69 over the next seven innings. He hurled 69 strikes and just 18 balls, retiring 16 consecutive batters after allowing a single to Jared Carr in the third inning.
“I think tonight may have been the best game he’s had all year,” Ford said.
This season, Margevicius’ first with the Ducks, is also his first time playing for an East Coast team since his days dominating with Rider University in New Jersey, where he met his wife.
Fittingly, Margevicius celebrated after the game with his daughter on the mound, later running the bases with her. He didn’t extend that experience to many Hagerstown batters Wednesday night.
“The game was great, and that was something I’ll remember for the rest of my life,” Margevicius said. “Bringing my daughter out there, two years old, and she can remember everything. That is special; that's what it’s about.”
Michael Sicoli covers high school sports for Newsday. He graduated from Quinnipiac in 2022 and left with a master’s degree in sports journalism in 2023.
More LI Ducks
