Squeeze Score 12 Unanswered to Erase Deficit

WINTER GARDEN, Fla. — Early on, it looked like the Winter Park Diamond Dawgs were on their way to a comfortable victory.

Instead, the Winter Garden Squeeze mounted another remarkable comeback.

After falling behind 6-0 through the first three innings, the Squeeze scored 12 unanswered runs Thursday night to defeat the Diamond Dawgs 12-7 at Horizon Park.

The victory marked Winter Garden's second straight dramatic comeback after erasing a 6-1 deficit in Wednesday's resumed game against the Orlando Snappers.

With the win, the Squeeze (16-16) clinched a postseason berth. One victory in their final two regular-season games would secure a top-three seed and allow them to avoid the play-in game. The Diamond Dawgs fell to 14-17.

Winter Park struck first with a pair of two-out runs in the opening inning. Second baseman Jacob Pearl lined an RBI single to right field before catcher Evan Tavares was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, extending the lead to 2-0.

Squeeze starter Rylee Gibson endured a difficult final start of the summer, allowing five runs on six hits over 1 2/3 innings.

The Diamond Dawgs added three more runs in the second. Roberto Odor lifted a sacrifice fly to right field to score Luke Manderson, who had doubled earlier in the inning. Two wild pitches by reliever Brady Montrowl brought home two more runs, giving Winter Park a 5-0 advantage.

Winter Park pushed the lead to 6-0 in the third when another Montrowl wild pitch allowed Pearl to score.

From there, everything changed.

Montrowl settled in on the mound, and the Squeeze offense came alive in the bottom half of the inning.

With the bases loaded, Brody Bellomo was hit by a pitch to force home Winter Garden's first run. Leo Suarez later scored on a wild pitch to trim the deficit to 6-2 before Fabian Antonsanti ignited the comeback.

The shortstop crushed a three-run home run over the left-field wall, pulling the Squeeze within one.

"It helped the team get their energy back up. We started hitting after that, and everyone's confidence was up," Antonsanti said.

Winter Garden completed the comeback in the fifth.

Colson May singled to open the inning before scoring when Pearl's throwing error allowed Leo Suarez to reach safely. May finished 3-for-4 with two stolen bases.

"My approach has been backside, and it's working well, especially jumping on the first pitch," May said.

The Squeeze weren't finished.

Alex Galan lined an RBI double into the right-center field gap to give Winter Garden its first lead of the night. Osjun Rivas later scored on a wild pitch before Edwin Melendez drove Galan home with a double off the left-field wall. Suarez capped the four-run inning with a sacrifice fly to right-center, scoring Melendez and extending the lead to 10-6.

After a rough start, Montrowl earned the win by dominating over the final 3 1/3 innings of his outing. The UCF left-hander allowed just one hit while striking out eight.

"I didn't have everything today, but I found a way to make it work, attacking with my fastball and sticking with it," Montrowl said.

Winter Garden added two insurance runs in the sixth. Galan delivered his second RBI double of the night before first baseman Ayden Elixson drove him home to make it 12-6.

The Diamond Dawgs scored once in the seventh on Hutson Guinn's RBI double down the left-field line, but they never threatened again.

Jacob Cali followed Montrowl with three dominant innings, striking out six while allowing one run.

Two-way player Peyson Garcia closed out the victory with a scoreless ninth inning, striking out one.

Game 2 of the series is scheduled for Friday at Horizon Park. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.

Zach Moore (Florida)