Drapeau's Doubles Defeat Storm 6-5

Drapeau's Doubles Defeat Storm 6-5

 

SANFORD, Fla. - Brandon Drapeau (St. Josephs) came up big at the plate and on the mound for the Seminole County as the Loggerheads defeated the Leesburg Storm by a score of 6-5. 

 

It was a game of copycat through the first two innings as both teams scored the same amount of runs in the top and bottom frames. A leadoff walk to Jeffrey Mejia Jr. (Northern Essex CC) started the top of the first for Leesburg. He moved all the way to third after a pickoff attempt escaped past the first baseman. Alex Freeland (UCF) stepped in and knocked Mejia Jr. in with a double. Freeland soon attempted to steal third but the throw down rolled into left field allowing Freeland to score. The three-run inning was capped off by consecutive brilliant coaching decisions. With AJ Shaver (Florida State) on first, the hit and run was on. Shaver sprinted to second, pulling the shortstop out of his position and Parker Pillsbury (Southern Wesleyan) smacked a base hit line-drive to where the shortstop would have been standing. In the ensuing at-bat, Pillsbury took off for second, pulling the pitcher off the mound and trapping Pillsbury between first and second. Shaver took off for home and scored just moments before Pillsbury was tagged out as the Storm grabbed a 3-0 lead.

 

That early lead did not last long as Seminole County tied it up in the bottom half. Andrew Brait (UCF) was plunked by a baseball in his first at-bat and Ryan Fischer (Indiana) followed with a walk to put two runners on. McGwire Holbrook (West Virginia) got the first run on the board for the Loggerheads with a single to score Brait. Drapeau followed with a huge double to plate Fischer and Holbrook and tie it at three runs each. 

Leesburg managed just one run in the top of the second. Ariel Martinez (St. Leo) walked to first and stole second setting up a RBI double by Mejia Jr. The Storm retook the lead 4-3. 

Seminole County tied it once again in the bottom of the second as Parker Smith (Rollins) was also walked and stole second base. Luke Napolitano (Hofstra) sent him to third with a single and Smith crossed home plate a few minutes later on a wild pitch. 

After a scoreless third, the Loggerheads led for the first time all game in the bottom of the fourth. Ryan Coleman (Rollins) struck out but the strike-three pitch rolled past the catcher allowing Coleman to reach base. Coy Phillips (Santa Fe) then got his first hit of the season and moved Coleman to third. With one out, Napolitano launched a ball high up in the air and to the outfield for a sacrifice fly to score Coleman and take the lead 5-4. 

An insurance run was added in the next inning for Seminole County. A one-out walk had Fischer on first and then second after he stole the base. That set up another RBI double by Drapeau to increase the lead to 6-4.  

Leesburg got back within one in the top of the sixth. Freeland led off with a single and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Tanner Clark (North Florida) popped it up into right field and Freeland scored on the sac fly to reduce the deficit to 6-5. 

Needing just three more outs for the victory, the Loggerheads sent out Drapeau to get the save, and he did just that. After walking the first batter, Drapeau retired the next three to secure the win for Seminole County. 

Michael Demo (Tampa) received the win after pitching four innings and allowing only one run on two hits and five strikeouts. Drapeau finished 2-for-3 with two doubles, his first extra-base hits of the season, and 3 RBIs. Fischer added a pair of runs for the Loggerheads as well. Freeland was the star hitter for Leesburg as the shortstop went 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI. 

Seminole County (3-5) will head to Conrad Park to play the Winter Garden Diamond Dawgs on Thursday at 7 p.m. while the Storm (5-5-1) return to Leesburg to play the Lightning also at 7 p.m.

 

Boxscore

 

- Kyrin Mayfield

Posted by Zack Smolen on 2020-07-14T23:59:00-04:00

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