CENTRAL ISLIP, NY — Pete Rose Jr. didn’t need to wear a white hat to be the Ducks’ hero last night. The hot-hitting first baseman celebrated western night at Citibank Park by bashing a three-run homer, providing the bulk of his team’s offensive production.

That one fifth-inning swing was enough support for Lance Davis, who allowed just one run on six hits in seven innings for a 4-1 win over York in front of an announced crowd of 6,104. The Ducks and Revolution each lead their respective divisions, with the two clubs now claiming 12-5 records to share the Atlantic League’s best mark.

Davis utilized a fastball-changeup-heavy repertoire to record eight strikeouts, improving his ledger to 5-0. Jason Aspito’s solo home to in the seventh was his only mistake as the Ducks won for the third time in the past four games. The southpaw has whiffed 33 in his last five outings, improving the Ducks lead to 3 ½ games in the North Division.

“I had a feeling Lance was going to do what he did,” manager Dave LaPoint said. “This was one of the few games that I’ve seen where he was as hot warming up in the bullpen as he was in the game. Usually, that doesn’t happen.”

Rose entered the contest with a .346 average, putting him just .04 points behind Newark’s Victor Rodriguez for the primary position. He left five men on base in his first two at-bats, but atoned for those missed opportunities in the fifth. In a scoreless game, York’s Frank Castillo surrendered consecutive one-out singles to Ray Navarrete and Bryant Nelson. As Carl Everett waited on deck, Rose turned on the right-hander’s offering, belting his ninth home run to right.

“I think he had a little mission to get those runners in when he got up there again,” LaPoint said.

That would be the only runs Castillo surrendered.

Jose Offerman added a RBI single in the eighth, providing an insurance run. Closer Danny Graves let up a single and a walk in the ninth to bring up the tying run, but induced Ramon Nivar’s groundout to third. Graves’ scoreless inning facilitated his league-best 22nd save.

Joe Valentine preserved a two-run lead in the eighth, though not without tension. York brought the potential go-ahead run to the plate. Nivar led off with a base hit, advancing to second on Nate Espy’s one-out single. Justin Singleton drove a long drive to the warning track in left before Navarrete tracked it down for the out.

One out away from trouble, Matt Dryer worked an 11-pitch at-bat off Valentine before the former major leaguer got him to fly out to Rose in foul territory, keeping the score 3-1.

“I fell behind. You just don’t want to walk the bases loaded,” said Valentine, who LaPoint said is the primary set up man and eighth-inning bridge to Graves. “The tying runs are on base already. You just have to go after him.

“He was expanding on the zone, but I thought he was fouling off the good pitches. He was expanding on the zone, but also fouling off good pitches. So tip his cap, he did a good job. But a fly ball; I’ll take it.”

The Ducks were in a good position to fire a devastating opening salvo, but instead missed a chance for a big first inning. Frank Castillo escaped without any damage despite surrendering a leadoff double and two consecutive singles.

How did that oddity occur? Offerman lined the extra-base hit but couldn’t advance on Ray Navarrete’s infield single. Bryan Nelson followed with a hard single to right, loading the bases with no outs. But Castillo induced Pete Rose Jr., the Atlantic League’s second leading hitter, to ground weakly to first, leading to an out at the plate. A pop out and another force ended the threat, wasting a chance for the Ducks to stake Davis to an early edge.

Despite the wasted rally and the fact they wear black hats; the Ducks were still able to ride into the sunset with a victory.