sfoggi posted on June 19, 2011 17:47
WINTER PARK, Fla. (June 19, 2011) – Peter Miller (Florida State) and Brady Rodriguez (Abilene Christian) combined for nine innings of three-hit baseball as the Winter Haven Loggerheads shutout the Winter Park Diamond Dawgs, 1-0, at Alfond Stadium Sunday afternoon.
Earning his first start for the Loggerheads, Miller tossed five full innings, striking out a game-high seven batters and giving up one hit. Rodriguez pitched the final four innings giving up two hits and fanning two. Miller (1-0) was credited with the win, while Rodriguez (S, 1) closed the door on the Dawgs to pick up the save.
With the win, Winter Haven improves to 6-6 on the season, while Winter Park drops to 8-3 on the year.
The right-handed pitcher from Florida State faced no more than five batters an inning and had a perfect game through 4 1/3 before giving up a hit to centerfielder Ryne Knuth (Polk State College).
Swing baby blue bats in honor of Father’s Day, the Loggerheads scored their lone run in the opening frame as Sean O’Brien (Florida State) plated Andrew Sterling (Dickinson College) from third. Sterling led off the inning on a walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch. He then made his way to third on a Justin Burgess (Montevallo) single.
Along with the strong pitching performances from Miller and Rodriguez, defense was also key in the Loggerheads victory. Winter Haven’s defense allowed just three Diamond Dawgs runners to reach second, with one reaching third in the fifth.
Winter Park starter Chad Modomo (West Virginia Wesleyan) was charged with the loss working 6 2/3 innings on the bump. Modomo fanned four, walked two, and gave up the Loggerheads only five hits.
Michael Heller (Florida) led the Loggerheads offensively with two hits, while Burgess, O’Brien, and Daniel Gonzales (Rice) added a hit apiece.
The Loggerheads will return to their home at Chain O’ Lake Park as they host the Orlando Freedom on Tuesday, June 21 with first pitch slated for 7 p.m.