CENTRAL ISLIP, NY — It may be too early in the Atlantic League season to be playing statement games, but it only took the Ducks two days to negate a slow start.

With a scheduled day-night doubleheader yesterday against the defending champion Lancaster Barnstormers and their top three starting pitchers not scheduled to appear, the prospects for a turnaround seemed dubious.

Edgardo Alfonzo broke out of his slump, finishing a combined 3-6 with two RBIs and three runs scored to help the Ducks win both ends of a doubleheader to complete a three-game sweep over Lancaster.

Alfonzo helped Ryan Leek improve to 2-0 in the first game, recording his first hits of the season at Citibank Park in a 6-1 win. Leek surrendered just one run on four hits in six innings. The right-hander received additional run support when Ray Navarrete continued his torrid start, hitting a home run for the third straight game in the fifth that made it 3-1.

Staff ace Pat Ahearne and No. 2 John Halama could not work the series on normal rest, while potential third starter Donovan Osborne is still recovering from a virus. Manager Dave LaPoint said the former Yankee is scheduled to start the series opener against Somerset at home on Tuesday.

Osborne’s absence forced LaPoint to use James Garcia in a spot start in Game 2, and the swingman responded by giving up just two runs in five innings, picking up the win after going just 1/3 of an inning during his 2007 debut against Camden.

Garcia was victimized by bad defense in his first outing against Camden May 5, giving up two unearned runs in a relief appearance. The 27-year-old started 28 of the 30 games he appeared in for three San Francisco Giants farm teams he played for last season.

Garcia (1-1) capitalized on the opportunity to start again, preventing Lancaster from completing a comeback after the Ducks posted six runs in the second inning to propel them to a 6-3 win in the nightcap. He will go back to the bullpen when Osborne returns, but the Torrance, California native said he is comfortable in either role.

“I try to keep the same game plan no matter what,” Garcia said. “I just try to go out there as hard as I can for as long as I can.

“I talked to LaPoint in the offseason. He said I was going to be a starter, so I’ve been training as a starter.”

LaPoint saw his bullpen support the timely hitting and good starting pitching, as five different relievers surrendered just one run in seven innings combined. Garcia and Leek’s performance followed John Riedling’s effort on Friday, when he was knocked for just one run in six innings. The sweep propelled the Ducks from two games under .500 to just 1.5 games behind Newark in the North Division with a 5-4 record. Lancaster, which won the league’s 2006 championship, entered the series tied for first in the south and exited Long Island trailing Somerset and Camden.

“We just played three good ball games. We hit when we had to,” LaPoint said. “We hit with guys on base. We let them walk us when they were wild. We just played smart.”

The Ducks scored their only runs in second inning during Game 2, sending 11 men to the plate before Derek Griffith (0-1) finally completed his nightmarish inning. Pete Rose Jr. started the frame by flying out to center before the rally started. Griffith, making his first appearance of the season, allowed three consecutive singles, loading the bases.

Backup catcher Jared Price worked a walk to drive in the first run, but Griffith recovered to strike out ninth-place hitter Derek Wathan. The left-hander missed his chance to escape with just the one run, walking Navarrete to bring in Jorge Piedra with the second run.

That brought up Alfonzo, who was hitting .077 before the start of Game 1. The former Mets All-Star second baseman continued his solid hitting from the afternoon contest, lining a two-run single. Carl Everett followed with another single that brought in two runs, allowing the Ducks to bat around the lineup for the first time all season. Lancaster manager Frank Klebe elected to keep Griffith in, though he walked Rose to prolong his arduous inning. Damian Rolls grounded out to finally end the frame, which featured six runs on just four hits thanks largely to three walks.

“It’s always nice to have a cushion,” Garcia said. “You don’t really expect that, but with our lineup, we’re not even clicking. We have guys with timing still off. Once they get going, it’s going to be deadly.”

Everett and Alfonzo, two former power hitters with ample major league experience, both struggled to put up big numbers early on, forcing LaPoint to move Alfonzo up to the lineup’s second position with Everett hitting behind him. The moves paid off this weekend, and their manager said he expects the production to continue as the players get more comfortable facing the independent minor league competition.

“When Fonzie and Carl starts hitting, everyone loses up,” LaPoint said. “They’re swinging pretty well.”