Suns Slip Late in Loss to Leesburg

DELAND, Fla. - The DeLand Suns dropped game two of their weekend series, falling 8-2 to the Leesburg Lightning.

Leesburg struck first, scoring two runs in the top of the second inning to take a 2-0 lead.

DeLand responded in the bottom of the third, tying the game at 2-2. With runners on first and second and two outs, Akhil Nimmala (Undecided) lined a single to left field, scoring Asher Kimball (Lycoming). A few pitches later, Josh Vinciguerra singled through the left side, bringing home Boomer Rogozinski (Stetson) to even the score.

The game remained deadlocked through the sixth inning as neither team could generate another offensive breakthrough.

Leesburg regained the lead in the seventh, scoring three runs to move in front. The Lightning added two more runs in the eighth to extend their advantage to 7-2. In the ninth, Hudson Reed (Troy) put the finishing touches on the victory with a solo home run, making the final score 8-2.

With the loss, DeLand fell to 5-6 on the season, while Leesburg improved to 10-2.

The Suns and Lightning will meet again on Saturday, June 13, at Conrad Park to determine the winner of the three-game series.

J.C. Fox (Mississippi Christian University)