sfoggi posted on July 28, 2011 21:03
WINTER HAVEN, Fla. (July 28, 2011) – The Winter Haven Loggerheads split Thursday night’s twinbill against the Winter Park Diamond Dawgs. Winter Haven dropped game one, 3-1, and escaped with a 7-6 victory in game two.
Thursday night was the first time the two teams were able to play at Chain of Lakes Park this summer with every other contest canceled due to inclement weather.
Jonathan Hall (Trinity) and Sam Halpern (Barry) led the club with three hits on the night, as Hall blasted his second home run of the week and tallied two RBIs. Both of Hall’s blasts this week have been over the left centerfield wall just over the 380 sign. His homer set the pace for game two, scoring six runs in the bottom of the fourth.
First baseman Sean O’Grady (Benedictine College) scored the Loggerheads’ lone run in game one in the second inning, scoring on a Chris Pagliarulo (Boston College) grounder to second.
Winter Park capitalized on a pair of Loggerheads errors in the opening frame and plated their only three runs that inning.
Right-handed pitcher Matt Fishman (Quincy) pitched a complete game for the Loggerheads, almost reaching his pitch count limit, and was charged with the loss. Winter Park starter Case Nixon (Alabama) earned the win in five innings of work. Nixon struck out four and issued three walks.
Game two was a pitcher’s duel as each team went down scoreless through 3 1/3 innings. Winter Haven busted the door wide open in the bottom of the fourth notching three consecutive hits to begin the frame.
Hall’s homer gave Winter Haven the 4-0 lead and lit a fire under the Loggerheads’ feet as they managed to plate another two runs.
In the top of the fifth, Winter Park cut the deficit in half scoring three runs off of Loggerheads starter Joe Kelly (Saint Leo). Kelly was unable to record an out in the top of the fifth, as his day would come to an end. Despite giving up the three runs, Kelly was the pitcher of record and picked up his first win of the season.
Winter Park tallied another three runs in the following frame, but would be the last time they would score, as closer Brady Rodriguez (Abilene Christian) shut the door on the Dawgs retiring the inning 1-2-3.
Diamond Dawgs starter Chad Modomo (Embry-Riddle) was charged with the loss in five innings of work.
As the season nears an end, the Loggerheads stand at half a game behind the Sanford River Rats in last place. Winter Haven will hit the road for their final road contest of the summer as they head to DeLand to face the Suns at 7 p.m.