Dawgs Hold Off Late Lightning Rally for 11-9 Victory

WINTER PARK, Fla.- The Winter Park Diamond Dawgs picked up their first win of the 2026 Florida League season Sunday night, defeating the Leesburg Lightning 11-9 at Alfond Stadium in a game that featured plenty of offense and momentum swings.

Winter Park struck first with a four-run second inning, highlighted by RBI contributions from Ethan Koller, Houston Hosford, Osmin Melendez, and Skyler Jersey. Leesburg answered immediately in the top of the third, scoring four runs to tie the game at 4-4.

The Dawgs responded with their biggest offensive outburst of the season, plating seven runs in the bottom of the third. RBI hits from Eric Entrekin, Skyler Jersey, Colton Musgrave, and Garrett Frost fueled the rally as Winter Park built an 11-4 advantage.

Leesburg refused to go away, scoring three runs in the sixth, one in the seventh, and another in the ninth. Kaden Thompson led the Lightning offense with two hits and three RBIs, while Dylan Green scored twice and added a double.

For Winter Park, Garrett Frost and Ethan Koller each collected two hits and scored two runs. Canyon Marcewicz also crossed the plate twice, while Musgrave and Jersey each drove in two runs. The Dawgs were aggressive on the bases, as Jacob Pearl, Osmin Melendez, Carson Balls, and Frost all recorded stolen bases. Winter Park's aggressive baserunning has been a consistent theme through the opening games of the season.

On the mound, Benjamin Filler earned the win in relief after tossing two innings, allowing one earned run while striking out two. Andrew Barr recorded the save by working the final two innings, striking out three of the eight batters he faced.

Winter Park finished with 11 runs on 10 hits, while Leesburg totaled nine runs on eight hits in front of 135 fans at Alfond Stadium.

The Diamond Dawgs return to Alfond Stadium on Monday night, where they will host the Winter Garden Squeeze at 6 p.m.

Justin Baltes (University of Central Florida)