Leesburg’s Pitching Shines Again in 5-3 Victory Over DeLand

Leesburg, Fla- Just like on Friday, Leesburg saw its starting pitcher go 5 strong innings, this time allowing just 1 run on 3 hits. The offense was able to provide just enough run support to help out the dominant pitching staff. 

Starting RHP Tanner Walker began his outing with a 1-2-3 inning, striking out two batters and keeping it scoreless going to the bottom of the inning.

The Lightning offense got things going quickly in the 1st as CF Elijah Thurmond led off with a single and a stolen base to put himself in scoring position. SS Ryan Jenkins then knocked him in with an RBI single, giving Leesburg the 1-0 lead. Jenkins would come around to score off a wild pitch that made it 2-0 heading into the 2nd.

In the 2nd and 3rd, Walker cruised through the Suns batting order facing the minimum in both innings. Despite an error at short in the 2nd, C Trey Craft threw out a runner trying to steal second which allowed for Walker to face just the three batters in the frame.

Later in the 4th, the Suns picked up their first run with a double that landed just out of the reach of LF Julian Irizarry to make it a 2-1 game.

Walker was able to limit the damage in the 4th, and in the 5th, he was able to work around a leadoff single and a two-out walk to hold DeLand to just one run.

Leesburg added on to its lead in the 6th with a bases loaded walk from 2B Ledger Pleasant followed by Craft getting hit with a pitch which extended the lead to 4-1.

Jenkins led off the 7th with a walk before extra hitter Marco Mueses tapped a slow roller out to the Suns third baseman who bobbled the ball and made a late throw. With no one covering third, Jenkins took advantage which paid off as the DeLand first baseman threw it away allowing him to score, making it 5-1.

The later innings saw dominant pitching performances from Gunnar Plante, Blake Tipmore, and Riley Fitzgerald who combined for 4 strikeouts while allowing just 1 hit.

RHP TJ Socarras was tasked with closing the game out in the 9th but quickly ran into trouble, allowing two solo home runs which cut the deficit down to just two. The righty was able to lock back in and strike out the last batter, handing Leesburg its third straight win in a 5-3 victory over the Suns.

Coach Billings touched on Tanner Walker's stellar performance and how crucial it was for the team in a pivotal playoff race. 
 
“He was really sharp tonight, a lot of first-pitch strikes, he got a lot of leadoff guys out,” said Billings. “He’s starting to ramp up right when we need him to, going into the playoffs. He'll be a good starter for us come playoff time.” 
 
Ryan Jenkins discussed his successful night at the dish and what type of adjustments he has made in the recent past to get back on track. 
 
“I’ve just been confident at the plate lately,” said Jenkins. “In batting practices our coaches have been harping at us to hit line drives and hit the ball to the opposite field so that's what I’ve been focusing on lately and I've been seeing some success.”
 
The Lightning go right back at it Monday, July 14 with the River Rats coming to town for a single game matchup. First pitch is set for 7 p.m. at Pat Thomas Stadium. 

 Vic Maslia (Syracuse University)

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