River Rats Outlast Suns in Series Opener

SANFORD, Fla. — After nearly four hours of weather delays, the Sanford River Rats finally took the field and earned a 6-2 victory over the DeLand Suns in a game that stretched late into the evening.

The contest was originally scheduled as the first game of a doubleheader with a 4 p.m. first pitch, but severe weather pushed the start time back more than three hours to approximately 7:15 p.m. The second game of the doubleheader was postponed until Wednesday.

Jake Schincariol broke a scoreless tie in the third inning with a solo home run to right field, giving the River Rats a 1-0 lead.

After four innings were completed, another lightning delay halted play for an additional 45 minutes before the teams returned to finish the game.

Sanford's offense erupted in the fifth inning. Schincariol struck again with an RBI single to score Sean Stafford and extend the lead to 2-0. Moments later, Michael Dobkowski lined a two-run double to center field, bringing home Dominic Donatucci and Schincariol to make it 4-0.

The River Rats added another run later in the inning when Enzo Ercole drove in Dobkowski on a fielder's choice, capping the four-run frame and pushing the advantage to 5-0.

DeLand answered in the sixth inning. Shane Thomas singled to left field to score Torin Foley before Joshua Vinciguerra added an RBI single that plated Trey Seluk, trimming Sanford's lead to 5-2.

The River Rats added an insurance run in the seventh inning when Braeden Weckman drove in Donatucci with an infield single, extending the lead to 6-2.

Sanford controlled the game from there to secure the victory despite the lengthy delays.

Alejandro Landers (Elon)