Suns Drop Third Straight, Fall to Winter Park

WINTER PARK, Fla. - The DeLand Suns dropped their third straight game Thursday night, falling 9-5 to the Winter Park Diamond Dawgs.

The Winter Park offense came out hot against the Suns, scoring two runs in each of the first two innings. The Dawgs added to their 4-0 lead with a four-run fifth inning to extend the advantage to 8-0.

The Suns' offense got off to a slow start once again against the Dawgs. Only three DeLand batters reached base through the first five innings, one of whom was erased on a double play. By the time the Suns' offense heated up, DeLand was already trailing 8-0.

The Suns got their first run of the night in the sixth inning when Bryce Pasternack (Daytona State) scored on a single by Hunter Demetree (Tallahassee State). Torin Foley (Embry-Riddle) then grounded into a fielder's choice, driving in Blue Hunter (Rollins) for DeLand's second run of the night.

The Suns' bats stayed hot in the seventh inning as Boomer Rogozinski (Stetson) scored on a single by Noah Prudencio (Florida State College at Jacksonville).

Winter Park added another run in the bottom of the seventh to take a 9-3 lead into the eighth inning. In the top of the eighth, the first two batters reached on walks. After a groundout moved both runners into scoring position, Foley drove in Pasternack with a groundout to cut the deficit to 9-4.

The Suns added another run in the ninth as they attempted to mount a late comeback. Rogozinski drew a leadoff walk before stealing both second and third base. Prudencio followed with a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Rogozinski and trimming the Winter Park lead to four runs.

DeLand ultimately came up short as Winter Park secured the 9-5 victory. Despite the loss, the game marked the first time this season that the Suns scored in four consecutive innings.

The six runners left on base also marked a season low for DeLand, which has stranded double-digit runners twice this season. The Suns' offense continues to struggle early in games, as DeLand hitters are batting 1-for-13 with one walk in the first inning this season.

The Suns and Diamond Dawgs will meet again Friday at 7 p.m. at Conrad Park in DeLand for Game 2 of the three-game series.

J.C. Fox (Mississippi Christian University)