sfoggi posted on July 10, 2011 15:51
WINTER PARK, Fla. (July 10, 2011) - The Winter Park Diamond Dawgs (15-6) will head into the Florida League All-Star break with a 4-3 victory over the DeLand Suns.
In a game that came down to the wire, Winter Park out hit DeLand 10-7, as neither team made an error.
It was a bullpen day for both teams, as each had six different pitchers enter the game. Winter Park starting pitcher Chad Modomo (Embry-Riddle) picked up his second win of the season, tossing three shutout innings and allowing just one hit. Modomo’s counterpart, Jairo Acevedo (Bethune Cookman), received the loss while pitching three innings, giving up one run on two hits and a walk.
The scoring began with one out in the bottom of the second inning when Michael Danner (Polk State College) hit a triple to right centerfield, and then scored on a fielder’s choice to give Winter Park the early 1-0 lead.
The Suns (13-12) threatened to score in the top of the sixth inning, but the Diamond Dawgs defense kept DeLand off of the board. With one out and runners on first and second, J.T. Warmoth (Embry-Riddle) hit a single to left field, but Danner gunned down Brandon Turner (Bethune Cookman) at the plate. After an infield single by Blake Prince (University of North Florida) to load the bases, first baseman B.J. Zimmerman (University of Tampa) made a diving catch on an Austin Barber (Winthrop) line drive to end the inning. The defensive stop made by Winter Park proved to be the difference in the game as things got interesting late.
The Dawgs responded to their great defensive play with a two-out rally in the bottom of the seventh inning. Patrick McGavin (University of Alabama) got the ball rolling with a single to right field. McGavin was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with two singles and a double. Alex Cruz (Georgia Tech) then drew a walk to bring Mike Reed (Auburn University) to the plate with two outs and runners on first and second. Reed came through in the clutch with a single to right field, bringing home McGavin and advancing Cruz to third base. After Reed stole second, Ted Blackman (Coastal Carolina) brought both runners home on a single to center field. Blackman was 2-for-3 with a walk and stolen base on the day. After seven innings, it was 4-0 Winter Park.
Nevertheless, DeLand finally got on the board in the top of the eighth inning. Stephen Bellantoni (USC-Aiken) practically manufactured a run, all by himself, for the Suns’ first run of the game. After reaching first on a base hit, he stole second and third, and scored on a fielder’s choice.
The Suns nearly stole the game from the Diamond Dawgs in the last two innings of play. In the top of the ninth inning, three of the first five Suns batters reached base to load them for Bellantoni, who brought home two runs on a single; the hit made it a 4-3 game. Turner then followed that with a walk to reload the bases, but Winter Park would stop the bleeding there just in time to hold on for the win.
“We haven’t been playing our kind of baseball lately,” said Blackman.
Nine members of the Diamond Dawgs will represent the team in Tuesday’s All-Star game televised by Bright House Networks. Winter Park will be back in action Thursday, July 14 at home against the Winter Haven Loggerheads. The game is set to begin at 7 p.m.
Mitchell Adams (UCF)