sfoggi posted on July 05, 2011 22:00
WINTER PARK, Fla. (July 5, 2011) - The Leesburg Lightning (15-6) took sole possession of first place with a 10-9 win over the Winter Park Diamond Dawgs (13-6) Tuesday night.
In a game that featured a combined 19 runs and 29 hits, the Diamond Dawgs dropped their third consecutive contest. Both teams battled constantly, as they traded shots throughout the game.
“We are just not playing very well right now,” said Head Coach Kevin Davidson.
Winter Park starting pitcher Brad Renner (Hillsborough Community College) went 4 2/3 innings, giving up two runs while striking out six. Opposing starting pitcher Nic Kovacs (Lake Sumter Community College) gave up four runs in 4 1/3 innings, and walked his first two batters of the entire season. However, the bullpens for both teams would be the deciding factors.
The Lightning struck first as they scored a run in the second and third innings, with two outs, to take an early 2-0 lead.
In the fifth inning, Winter Park broke through with four runs chasing Lightning starter, Kovacs, from the game.
However, Leesburg responded with a run in the top of the sixth inning, making the Dawgs lead 4-3.
“Against a good team like Leesburg we have to come back and shut them down there,” said Davidson.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, Spencer Haynes (University of Central Florida) stole third base, and came around to score the Dawgs fifth run on a throwing error by the catcher - all in the same play. Haynes went 1-for-2 with three runs scored.
The seventh inning was the beginning of the craziness. With two outs and runners on first and second, Zane Evans (Georgia Tech) hit a double off of the right center field wall, plating Mike Miller (Dallas Baptist) and Christian Coburn (College of Central Florida). Evans would score on a Chase Durham (Howard College) single to left field, and Durham himself would eventually score on an error by the short stop. At the end of the half inning, Leesburg led 7-5.
“With inherited runners, the last three games, the bullpen hasn’t done very well,” said Pitching Coach Kevin Gallaher. “We haven’t stopped the bleeding.”
In the bottom of the seventh, Winter Park tied things up. Ted Blackman (Coastal Carolina) and B.J. Zimmerman (University of Tampa) both reached base to begin the inning. With one out, after Blackman and Zimmerman pulled off a double steal, Dustin DeMuth (Indiana University) singled to right field to tie the score at seven runs apiece.
However, Leesburg brought their knockout punch in the top of the eighth. After one run had already come home in the inning, Evans hit another double that scored two more runs to give the Lightning a three run lead.
Still, the Diamond Dawgs were not completely rocked by the three run outburst as Blackman hit a two run blast over the right field fence in the bottom of the eighth inning. Blackman went 2-for-4 and scored three runs while hitting his first home run of the season to bring the Dawgs within one, 10-9.
Things settled down in the ninth, when neither team scored for the first time since the fifth inning. Winter Park went down in order, the only inning of the game where a runner did not reach base.
“We made too many mental errors,” said Gallaher.
The Diamond Dawgs will look to get back on the winning track Wednesday, July 6 against the US9 Armed Forces Baseball team. The game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m.
Mitchell Adams (UCF)