sfoggi posted on June 22, 2011 16:21
THE VILLAGES, Fla. (June 21, 2011) - In a game that featured 16 runs, a league season-high 32 hits and 12 different pitchers, the Winter Park Diamond Dawgs survived to beat “The Villages Sluggers” by a score of 9-7 on Tuesday night. The win snapped a six-game win streak for the Suns and vaulted the Diamond Dawgs into first place in the Florida League standings.
The Dawgs were led offensively by Ted Blackman (Coastal Carolina) who went 4-for-5 with three doubles, three stolen bases, two RBI and two runs. Reigning Florida League Player of the Week Dustin Demuth (Indiana) chipped in with two hits, two RBI and two stolen bases. In all, five Winter Park players finished the night with multiple hits in what proved to be an offensive showcase for the new first place team who only managed three hits in their previous game versus Winter Haven.
The Suns had been red hot, ripping off a six-game win streak that had vaulted them from fifth to third place in the standings. While the offense remained strong, the team’s defense and pitching was suspect throughout the night. The Suns were forced to use seven pitchers on the night and they committed four errors in the field. Still, they remained in the game until the last out thanks to multiple offensive rallies. Brett Knief (Seminole State) led the way for the Suns, finishing the night 4-for-5 with two singles, a double, a triple, scoring twice and knocking in one.
The Suns started the scoring in the bottom of the first when Knief laced a double and was brought in on a Kevin Lindheim (Stetson) single. The Diamond Dawgs answered in the top of the second when they loaded the bases and Brad Hutton (Ohio St.) knocked in two with a single of his own.
The onslaught continued in the top of the fourth when the Dawgs loaded the bases again and ended up scoring four runs thanks to a Michael Reed (Auburn) single, Omar Cotto (USC) groundout, Blackman double and a Demuth single. Not to be outdone, the Suns managed to load the bases themselves and with two outs, Aaron Silbar (Columbia) laced a bases-clearing double down the right field line.
The Suns missed out on a big opportunity to tie the game in the bottom of the fifth when Austen Barber (Winthrop) struck out looking on a devastating 3-2 breaking ball from relief pitcher Case Nixon (Alabama) with runners on first and second base. That page seemed to deflate the Suns offense, as they only managed three more hits for the rest of the game.
Nixon picked up the win for the Diamond Dawgs (9-3-1) while starter Chad Rood suffered the loss for the Suns (7-6). Dawgs closer Matt Kimbrel (Shelton State CC) picked up his league leading second save of the season.
Every year in the Florida League, a team is selected to become “The Villages Sluggers” as they travel to the community to treat the local fans to a three-game series of Florida League action. The games are consistently one of the best draws of the year in terms of attendance as the fans show up in golf carts to watch their adopted home town team for a few games. The series will continue Wednesday, June 22 when the Sluggers take on the Sanford River Rats at 7 p.m.