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Lightning Lose in The Villages

Friday, June 24, 2011 1:58am

The Lightning suffered their fifth loss of the season Thursday night against DeLand in The Villages. Early pitching problems put the Lightning in a deep hole that they couldn’t quite dig themselves out of as the game progressed.

One start after a phenomenal outing, Lightning starter Micah Kellogg, pitching out of Flagler College ran into some early trouble Thursday night. After escaping trouble in the first inning with runners on the corners, Kellogg once again found himself in a jam in the second. With the bases loaded and one out, Coach Therneau came out to talk to his pitcher. Kellogg looked like he might escape trouble again after striking out DeLand centerfielder Stapen Bellantoni and working an 0-2 count on the next batter, but five hits and five runs later, Kellogg was replaced by David Lucroy.

                But Lucroy would also find himself in trouble in his first two innings of work and through three innings it was 7-0 in favor of DeLand. Lucroy threw an incredible amount of pitches for a reliever, but was able to eat up 4.2 innings for the Leesburg pitching staff. The Suns only added one run beyond the third inning, but the damage was already done.

                For the third time in four games, the Lightning ran into a pitching roadblock as DeLand starter Daniel Sanchez pitched a gem. The Suns were hoping for a long start from Sanchez after their bullpen was forced to pitch through some extra innings the last two games and that’s just what they got.

                Chris Coburn and Chase Durham doubled on back to back pitches in the fifth inning and both would score. Other than that, Sanchez was able to keep the explosive Leesburg lineup at bay for the first seven innings of the game. He struck out four and scattered his hits and walks so that Lightning runs were kept off of the scoreboard.

                Patrick Hicks came on in relief of Lucroy after he reached his pitch limit in his first time on the mound since his debut on Sunday.

                Even a wild ninth inning couldn’t bring the Lightning back. The last frame included hit batsman on back to back pitches, an errant throw, a passed ball and some premature action from the sprinkling system at the ballpark, however the Suns would quell a late rally by the Lightning. Despite two runs, Leesburg would leave the tying run in the on-deck circle as DeLand left fielder Brandon Turner made a nice sliding catch to end the game.  

Kellogg would drop to 1-1 on the year as the Lightning would drop to 10-5. In what would end up being the only game played Thursday night in the Florida Collegiate Summer League, the Lightning find themselves in second place for the first time all season.

Leesburg looks to enact revenge on the Orlando Freedom at Orel Hershiser Field Friday night at 7:00.

By: Nick Beardi (Medaille College)