Errors Punish River Rats in Loss to Leesburg

SANFORD, Fla. - The Sanford River Rats dropped a 10-4 decision to the Leesburg Lightning in Game 1 of the three-game series Thursday night at Sanford Memorial Stadium.

Sanford struck first in the opening inning when Drew Pynes delivered an RBI single to left field, scoring Zach Walker for a 1-0 advantage.

Leesburg responded in the third inning, tying the game on a wild pitch before taking the lead on an RBI single from Dylan Green. The Lightning added another run on a sacrifice fly by Marcello Cortale to move ahead 3-1.

The River Rats cut the deficit to one in the sixth inning when Michael Thomas lined an RBI single to left field, bringing home Pynes to make it a 3-2 game.

However, Leesburg pulled away in the late innings. The Lightning scored twice in the seventh, capitalizing on a wild pitch and a Sanford error to extend the lead to 5-2. Leesburg added two more runs in the eighth on a two-run single from Cory Banasiak before plating three runs in the ninth, aided by a passed ball and another defensive miscue.

Sanford showed some fight in the bottom of the ninth. Ben Fulks ripped a two-run single to left field, scoring Enzo Ercole and Michael Thomas, but the comeback fell short as the River Rats dropped the opener 10-4.

Thomas finished with an RBI and a run scored, while Fulks drove in two runs in the ninth inning. Pynes also contributed offensively with an RBI single and a run scored.

Leesburg's late-inning pressure proved to be the difference, as the Lightning scored seven unanswered runs from the seventh through ninth innings to secure the victory.

Alejandro Landers (Elon)