Lightning Edge Snappers In Pitching Duel

LEESBURG, Fla.- The Leesburg Lightning (21-9) got the better of the Orlando Snappers (12-17) in a 2-1 pitching duel at home on Sunday afternoon, giving the team their sixth consecutive win. 

Layton Perry (Jacksonville) got the start on the mound for Leesburg and he was nothing short of phenomenal against Orlando’s ace in Jacob Burr. Both pitchers shutout the opposing offense through the first three innings, before the Lightning finally broke through in the fourth inning on an RBI single from Austin Brinling (South Carolina) that scored Gabriel Santiago (Coker) to take a 1-0 lead. 

Perry would continue to be dominant in the fifth inning and was finally replaced by Riley Fitzgerald (Flagler) with two outs in the sixth inning, where Fitzgerald would get the Lightning out of the jam unscathed. Perry had his best start of the season, pitching 5.2 innings, allowing only three hits, and striking out six Orlando batters.

“Layton (Perry) was phenomenal for us tonight, it was really hard for me to take him out when we did,” Leesburg Lightning Head Coach Rich Billings said. “He just pounds the zone and gets alot of weak contact, which almost always puts him in a position to succeed.”

The Lightning would score a very important insurance run in the bottom half of the frame, as Michael Furry (St. Johns River State) drove in Santiago on an RBI single to extend the Leesburg lead to 2-0.

After getting through the seventh inning smoothly, Fitzgerald found himself in a jam in the eighth inning, as the Snappers quickly put runners on second and third with no outs, before the game was put into a weather delay. Once the game resumed, Jace Trautner (Indian River State) found himself in a tough spot, as he entered the game trying to preserve the 2-0 lead for Leesburg. 

After a base hit smoked into left scored the runner from third for Orlando, Tyler Gerteisen (North Florida) made a perfect throw to catch the baserunner trying to score from second and preserve the Lightning’s lead at 2-1.

Gerteisen has been an unsung hero for this Lightning team all season both offensively and defensively, as he made a game-saving play in the field, while extending his on-base streak to 25 games in a row. 

“He’s such a quiet producer, he’ll have three hits and you won’t even know it, but that is what makes him so valuable to this team,” Billings said. “He’s such a solid player and such a great teammate above all else.”

Trautner would go on to close out the game in the ninth and secure a 2-1 win for Leesburg, in what turned out to be one of the most exciting games of the Lightning’s season to this point. 

The Lightning now have a 2.5 game lead at the top of the Florida League standings and are on a six-game winning streak currently. The Lightning will be back in action on the road against the Snappers on Monday for a modified doubleheader. Leesburg will have a 6-3 lead going into the first game of the double header, as it is a continuation of an early game this season, with a seven inning game to follow. First pitch of game on is set for 4:30 PM at Lake Highland Prep.

(Carter Mansfield, Austin Peay State University)

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