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Lightning Earn Redemption Over Loggerheads

Saturday, July 23, 2011 10:01pm

The Lightning got some redemption Saturday night, beating the Winter Haven Loggerheads 8-4. The teams met on Wednesday and the Lightning were unfortunately responsible for ending Winter Haven’s seven game losing streak. The fortunes favored Leesburg in the final game at home between the two teams.

                On a beautiful night in front of a packed house at Pat Thomas Stadium, the Lightning nickel and dimed their way to a huge victory. Winter Park had already won earlier in the afternoon, making it essential for Leesburg to find a way to win against the Loggerheads to stay ahead in the race.

                “It doesn’t matter who won or lost or who we’re playing,” said Coach Therneau. “I just tell the guys the effort needs to be there everyday regardless.”

                Similar to Friday night, Leesburg got good enough pitching from their starter to keep them in the game. In a spot start, Andrew White was able to settle down from a rough first inning and the offense had his back.

                Heading into the bottom of the second, the Lightning trailed 2-0 before Chase Durham stepped to the plate with a runner on. He lifted a shot into the night that kept carrying and carrying until the centerfielder ran out of real estate and the ball was over the fence. The crowd erupted and the game was tied.

                “I got it good, had good wood on it,” said Durham. “I’ve been working hard and it’s starting to pay off.”

                The homerun seemed to launch the game into a back and forth battle chalked full of highlight reel action.

                The next inning, the Loggerheads threatened to score when they loaded the bases but White induced a crucial groundball double play to get out of the jam.

                A bloop single by Zane Evans broke the tie in the third and the Lightning took a 3-2 lead.

                Winter Haven would come right back though and throw up two more runs on the scoreboard in the fourth inning. Even though they meant the loss of a lead for the Lightning, the runs would be the last ones scored by Winter Haven on the night.

                The newest member of the team, John Beary, brother to former Lightning player Robert Beary, smashed a single up the middle that scored a run and tied the game at 4-4.

                Back to back to back singles by the Lightning in the sixth inning had the home team in business with no outs but baseball has a funny way of balancing out. Back to back strikeouts endangered the Lightning threat until a wild pitch on what would have struck out Mike Miller and ended the inning went for a Lightning run and Leesburg had the lead once again.

                Zane Evans absolutely tattooed a ball to left centerfield to bring home perennial fan favorite Mike Albaladejo on a stand up double for Zane. Errors would bring home two more Leesburg runs and the lead was now four runs.

The insurance runs paid off in the end and the Lightning once again received great pitching from its bullpen by way of Ethan Bader and Nick Palmer.

                Albaladejo, Durham and Jacob Tillotson each had three hits and Evans and Tom Sicking each had two. The Lightning as a team had 16, just two shy of their season high which they hit last month against the very same Loggerheads.

                “Games like this, these guys are fun to watch,” said Therneau. “They had some competitive at bats and they come ready to play everyday.”

                “I’ve been seeing good pitches early and have been working the counts,” said Tillotson of his three hit effort. Tillotson has also upped his game exponentially on the defensive side of the ball which he attributes to taking groundballs by the dozens in practice and before games.     

Leesburg has a makeup game against DeLand Sunday afternoon at Melching Field before returning home for a crucial game against the Diamond Dawgs Monday night at 7:00.

By: Nick Beardi (Medaille College)