Lightning Struggle To Keep Up In Opening Night Championship Rematch

LEESBURG, Fla.-In the initial rematch of last season’s Florida Collegiate Summer League championship, the Winter Park Diamond Dawgs were able to beat the Leesburg Lightning in dominating fashion, by a score of 14-6.

Miscues by the Lightning and big innings by Diamond Dawgs were the stories in this matchup, as all 14 of Winter Park’s runs came within a combined three innings. 

“We’ve got a lot of guys who haven’t gotten a lot of innings on the mound or at-bats at the plate,” Lightning Head Coach Rich Billings said. “These guys just have to be ready to bounce back when it’s there turn to pitch or their turn to play again.”

Even with a large and loud crowd on hand, Leesburg struggled early, as two costly first-inning errors allowed the Diamond Dawgs to gain momentum early and take a 5-1 lead at the end of the first inning. 

Layton Perry (Jacksonville) got the start on the mound for the Lightning, but he struggled to find command and was giving up solid contact, including a three-run home run in the first inning, when he was finding the strike zone early. 

This seemed to be a common theme for Leesburg Friday night, as a majority of the relievers struggled to find command at times during their outings as well. 

“I think it’s a bit of a mixture between rust and nerves,” said Billings. “Most of the guys that had command issues were the guys who didn’t throw a lot for their college last year, so those guys will adjust as we get deeper into the season.” 

While the Lightning did manage to string a run or two together as the game went along, the Diamond Dawgs were able to post 4 runs in the 5th inning and 5 runs in the 9th innings, following their huge first inning, which effectively ended Leesburg’s chances of making a comeback every time they started to gain momentum. 

The Lightning will be back in action on the road on June 3rd at Rollins College, in the second game of a two-game set against Winter Park. First pitch is set for 7 PM. 

(Carter Mansfield, Austin Peay State University)

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