Lightning Bats Explode For 17 Hits in Win

LEESBURG, Fla- The Leesburg Lightning (16-10) enjoyed some of their most prolific offensive games last week against the Seminole County Snapper (8-19). After outscoring the Snappers 27-11 over last week’s three game series, the Lightning run ruled the Snappers 12-4 on Tuesday night to snap a two game losing streak. The loss also eliminated the Snappers from playoff contention.

The Snappers swung first, scoring two runs off of Lightning starter Jackson Spiller (FAU) in the opening frame. Consecutive singles, followed by a fielder’s choice and a double by Ryan Coleman (Rollins) gave the Snappers a short-lived lead. The Lightning matched them in the home half after Cam Hill (Georgia College & State) and Clay Stearns (Troy) reached on a walk and single, respectively. An RBI single up the middle by JD Stubbs (Georgia Gwinnett) and a sacrifice fly by Robbie Scott (UNF) tied it up at 2. The Lightning would grab their first lead of the night in the next inning, with a Brett Kelly (UNCG) sac fly scoring Jordan Griffin (Carson Newman). 

The Snappers would quickly grab the lead back in the third, with four straight base runners reaching off of Spiller. Entering with the bases loaded, Matthew Coles (Carson Newman) threw a wild pitch to score the second run of the inning. He would limit the damage past that, ending the inning without allowing another run. Coles would stay in to pitch another three innings, allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out five the rest of the way. The lefty dominated nearly every batter he faced, with a nasty curveball getting more air than bats. Coles, who’s in his fourth year with the Lightning, blew away head coach Rich Billings.

“Matt Coles was as good as I’ve ever seen him.” said Billings. 

The run, which made it 4-3, wound up being the last one the Snappers scored. The Lightning, however, did not get the memo to stop scoring. In the bottom of the third, an RBI single for Scott scored Stearns, who had singled two batters before, from second. Scott was thrown out trying to advance to second, but Travis Stapleton (UNF) made sure to make up for it a batter later, crushing a no-doubter over the left field wall for a team-leading third home run of the season.

Entering Tuesday night, the Lightning’s longest streak of scoring in consecutive innings was four, a mark they set on Thursday against the Snappers in a 12-2 win. They surpassed that on Tuesday, scoring another two runs in the fifth. In fact, they scored at least one run in all seven innings that were played.

Three straight hits, headlined by a double from Stubbs and an RBI single from Stapleton, turned into two more runs to make it 8-4 in the fifth. The Lightning showed no mercy, with a Cam Hill two-run bomb over the right field wall making it 10-4 an inning later. It marked the second straight night that Hill homered after not hitting a single one through the first 24 games.

Leading by a half dozen, Will Sprague (Virginia Wesleyan) struck out two in a clean seventh inning. With their eyes set on the run rule, singles by Scott, Stapleton, Griffin and Jesse Hall (Troy) put the icing on the cake. Hall’s hit would end up being the last of the game, with Stapleton’s run completing the run rule in the bottom of the seventh.

“You always like it when you score runs,” said Billings. “It allows you to breathe a little… It helps your guys relax and have some fun. I think our pitchers enjoyed it”

The Lightning collected a season-best 17 hits and tied a season high in runs with a dozen, scoring at least one in each inning. They got three-hit performances out of Scott and Stapleton, who now finds himself playing his best baseball of the season.

Multi-hit performances from Stearns, Stubbs, Griffin and Naphis Llanos (Francis Marion) helped fuel the Lightning to their seventh win in their last ten games as well. Nine of the ten hitters in the lineup registered a hit, with all ten reaching base at least once. Coach Billings recognizes how big of a win this was, considering the end of a season is often tiring. 

“We talked about that before the game- doing whatever we have to do to get through this week. A win like tonight does a lot for our team morale. Everyone had fun tonight.”

With the River Rats (17-8) getting rained out, the Lightning moved within a game and a half of first place. A pivotal matchup awaits them on Wednesday, when they travel to Sanford to take on those same Rats. Dominick Madonna (UNF) will get the start.

Coach Billings doesn’t need to tell his team what’s potentially on the line on Wednesday.

“These guys are smart. They know what’s at stake… they don’t have to be reminded.”

Matias Weilmann (Ithaca College)

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