CENTRAL ISLIP, NY — Winning both ends of a doubleheader is usually a challenging task for any professional baseball team.

Sweeping two twin-bills in one week is even more difficult, though the Ducks capitalized on strong starting pitching and unlikely offensive heroes to win two shortened games against the Somerset Patriots at Citibank Park.

John Halama saw his start pushed back 24 hours after the Ducks lefty only threw four pitches Thursday. The ensuing rainout necessitated the doubleheader last night, though Halama was not fazed by the extra day’s rest. The former Mariners starter allowed just one run in six innings to propel the Ducks to a 3-1 win in the second game.

Catcher Jamie Pogue supported his pitcher by calling a good game behind the plate. After sitting behind Jared Price in the opener, Pogue, who hit just six home runs in 63 games for Bridgeport last season, belted two solo home runs to stake Halama (1-0) to a 3-0 lead through five innings.

“I just try and make good swings,” Pogue said. “I want to be aggressive, especially early in the count. I try to get a good pitch to drive. It’s nothing [like] I try to go up there and hit home runs. I’m just trying to get good swings.”

Pogue also helped Halama work out of a jam in the sixth. Jose Morban led off with a double and scored on Anton French’s one-out RBI single to end the shutout bid. Danny Garcia worked a walk, while Mike Lockwood moved runners to second and third with a groundout.

Jeff Nettles came to the plate with the tying run on second and smacked a hard 1-1 offering to centerfield. Newly acquired Ron Acuna tracked it down for the final out, ending the budding rally. Halama allowed just five hits, recording one strike out and issuing just the one walk.

“I know he’s a legitimate centerfielder and he looks comfortable out there,” manager Dave LaPoint said about Acuna, who made his Ducks debut on Tuesday. “I think that alleviates some of the pressure on the other guys [that were] forced to play centerfield.”

The Ducks two Massapequa natives, Rob Cafiero and Kevin Haverbusch, both were offensive forces in the sweep. If Pogue’s power display was unlikely, it was even rarer sight to see Cafiero blast a home run in the first game.

His shot to left-centerfield to open the fifth broke a scoreless tie and helped the Ducks to a 3-2 win in the opener, marking the first time since 2004 Cafiero hit a home run. Haverbusch said he called the shot before the game, and the outfielder contributed a long ball as well in the second game by leading off the second inning against John Cannon (0-1) with a homer to left.

“They have a good staff, I can tell you that,” Haverbusch said. “I’m sure if you ask them, they’ll tell you they left some pitches up, and we didn’t miss them.”

Ducks starters pitched 12 of the 14 innings last night, helping them improve to 7-5 and moving one game behind Bridgeport in the North Division. John Riedling was four outs away from throwing a no-hitter in the opener, and Pogue said Halama was pitching well enough to get the shutout before tiring slightly in the sixth.

“The biggest thing with him is strike one,” Pogue said. “He throws strikes with all his pitches. He works both sides of the plate.”

Despite the save situation, LaPoint called on southpaw Kevin Tolar to start the ninth instead of closer Danny Graves. Tolar retired Josh Pressley, a left-handed hitter, on a ground out. Graves then came into the game, where he retired the next two batters to pick up his first save of the season.

“Riedling’s done it all year, and John has too. They come out and throw strikes and throw strikes with everything,” LaPoint said about his starting pitching performances.

Somerset entered with the fewest home runs surrendered in the Atlantic League, with the team’s pitching staff allowing just three homers through 10 games for a collective 1.90 ERA. The Ducks then proceeded to hit four home runs in the two games, even as starting outfielders Carl Everett (calf) and Damian Rolls (hamstring) sat out both contests.

“I don’t think anyone’s going up there looking to hit home runs,” Pogue said. “We got some good pitches to hit, and we capitalized on them.”

Notes: LaPoint said Everett and Rolls could both play tonight when the Ducks travel to Somerset for a three-game series that will complete the home-and-home engagement…Randy Leek (2-0, 3.27 ERA) is the probable starter for the Ducks, where he is slated to go up against Somerset’s Brian Reith (1-1, 0.82 ERA). Game time is set for 7:05 p.m.