sfoggi posted on July 23, 2011 20:03
WINTER PARK, Fla. (July 23, 2011) - The Winter Park Diamond Dawgs (20-8) defeated the Sanford River Rats (10-20) for the sixth time this season by a score of 6-2.
With many host families present, the Dawgs won their home finale on Host Family and Fan Appreciation Day. They also got twice as many hits as Sanford, reaching double-digit hits for the 15th time this season with 14.
“That’s a scrappy team, offensively, we were just fortunate to see the ball well,” said Head Coach Kevin Davidson.
Diamond Dawgs starting pitcher Chad Modomo (Embry-Riddle) got his fourth win of the season in five innings of work, in which he allowed three hits and one run while striking out four. River Rats starter Bennie Sanchez (SCAD) received his fourth loss of the season after giving up three runs on eight hits in 4 1/3 innings pitched.
Winter Park nearly started things off with a bang in the bottom of the first. With one out, Dustin DeMuth (Indiana University) and Michael Danner (Polk State College) hit back-to-back singles to right field. That brought cleanup hitter Austin Chubb (Florida Southern) to the plate, who then had to wait an hour during a weather delay before he could get his chance to do some damage. Chubb responded to the delay with a single to centerfield, loading the bases. Chubb would go 3-for-3 on the day with a walk and two runs scored. However, the next two Diamond Dawgs batters would make quick outs and Winter Park was left with nothing.
The Dawgs made up for their missed opportunity in the bottom of the following inning. With two outs, Michael Reed (Auburn University) hit a triple to right field and scored on a Ted Blackman (Coastal Carolina) single to centerfield.
Sanford answered back in the top of the fourth inning. Austin Liput (USC-Upstate) led off with a single to right field and came around to score all the way from first base on a Ryan Woodrey (Nova Southeastern University) double to left field to tie the game at 1-1.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, the Diamond Dawgs distanced themselves from the Rats. After a Chubb RBI single brought one run home in the inning, Patrick McGavin (University of Alabama) plated two more runs on a double to right centerfield with the bases loaded. The double gave Winter Park a three-run lead, 4-1.
“I think the biggest thing for [McGavin] has been the opportunities at the plate, and so far he has stepped up and capitalized,” said Davidson.
McGavin has been swinging a hot bat of late, as he is batting a .556 clip over the last seven days and went 2-for-4 on the day with three RBIs.
“My swing has shortened a lot since I got here,” McGavin said.
The Rats chipped away with a run in the top of the seventh, but the Dawgs immediately answered back with two insurance runs in the bottom of the inning. One of those runs came on a McGavin single; the other came home on an Alex Cruz (Georgia Tech) double to right field.
The Diamond Dawgs will be on the road Sunday, July 24 against the Orlando Freedom as they begin the grueling stretch of nine games over the next eight days. The first pitch is set for 5 p.m.
Mitchell Adams (UCF)