Lightning Pitching Shines in a 10-4 Win at Sanford
SANFORD, Fla. – Behind a dominant pitching performance that produced 15 strikeouts, the Leesburg Lightning pulled away late for a 10-4 victory over the Sanford River Rats on Thursday night at Sanford Memorial Stadium.
After falling behind 1-0 in the first inning, Leesburg answered in the third. The Lightning capitalized on Sanford miscues and aggressive baserunning to score three runs and take a 3-1 lead. From there, the pitching staff took control, holding the River Rats largely in check through the middle innings.
Starter Bryan Burtoft struck out six batters over three innings while allowing just one run on three hits. Gavin Dicks followed with an impressive debut for the Lightning, matching Burtoft with six strikeouts across three innings and earning the win. Andre Bilbao Jr. added two scoreless frames out of the bullpen before Austin MacCardle closed out the victory.
Leading 3-2 entering the seventh, Leesburg created separation with a two-run inning before adding two more in the eighth and three in the ninth. The Lightning scored seven of their ten runs over the final three innings to put the game out of reach.
Cory Banasiak paced the offense with a two-hit night and drove in two runs. Dylan Green added an RBI while Marcello Cortale contributed a sacrifice fly. Gabe Campos scored twice and continued to wreak havoc on the bases with four stolen bases, while KT Thompson swiped two bags of his own. As a team, the Lightning stole eight bases and drew six walks.
Although Leesburg collected just eight hits, the offense consistently pressured Sanford's defense, which committed seven errors in the contest. Turner Gross, Jack Waddingham, Campos, Green, Thompson, and Charlie Keller all crossed the plate.
The pitching staff was the story of the night, combining for 15 strikeouts and limiting Sanford to four runs. Burtoft and Dicks set the tone early, while Bilbao's scoreless relief appearance helped preserve the lead before the offense broke the game open late.
With the win, the Lightning improve to 5-1 on the season as they’ll face the Sanford River Rats again at Pat Thomas Stadium on Friday, June 5th at 7:00 PM.
Adam Rothschild (Susquehanna University)
Return to News
Batting
| Name |
AB |
R |
H |
RBI |
BB |
SO |
|
Green, 3b |
4 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
Thompson, cf |
3 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
|
Keller, eh |
4 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
Cortale, rf |
4 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
|
Murphy, 2b |
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
|
Gross, eh |
4 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
|
Waddingham, 1b |
5 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
Campos, lf |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
|
Pleasant, ss |
2 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
|
Banasiak, c |
4 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
Batting
RBI - Green, Cortale, Banasiak 2
HBP - Green, Keller, Gross
Baserunning
SB - Green, Thompson 2, Campos 4, Banasiak
Fielding
E - Green, Murphy 2, Campos
Pitching
Pitches/Strikes - Burtoft 50/31, Dicks 58/38, Bilbao, Jr 30/16, MacCardle 31/20
Groundouts/Flyouts - Burtoft 0/3, Dicks 1/1, Bilbao, Jr 2/3, MacCardle 0/1
Batters Faced - Burtoft 13, Dicks 14, Bilbao, Jr 8, MacCardle 8
Batting
| Name |
AB |
R |
H |
RBI |
BB |
SO |
| Upperman, cf |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Pitman, cf |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
| Marlo, 2b |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| Donatucci, ss |
3 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| Walker, rf/1b |
4 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
| Pynes, c |
2 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
| Garcia, c |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| M. Dobkowski, eh |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
| Meyer, eh |
2 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| J. Dobkowski, eh |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| Thomas, eh |
2 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
| Weckman, lf |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
| Ercole, lf |
2 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Schincariol, 1b |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| Beal, rf |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
| Seymour, 3b |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
| Fulks, ph |
1 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
| Gonzalez, ss/2b |
4 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
Batting
RBI - Pynes, Thomas, Fulks 2
Baserunning
SB - Donatucci, Walker
Fielding
E - Upperman, Pynes, Schincariol, Beal, Seymour 2, Gonzalez
Pitching
| Name |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
SO |
| Bracher, L |
2.1 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
| Kendall |
3.2 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
| Hair |
1.0 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
| DeVita |
1.0 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
| Garcia |
1.0 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
Wild Pitches - Bracher, Hair
Pitches/Strikes - Bracher 53/25, Kendall 52/33, Hair 20/11, DeVita 23/13, Garcia 28/17
Groundouts/Flyouts - Bracher 1/3, Kendall 5/1, Hair 1/2, DeVita 0/3, Garcia 0/1
Batters Faced - Bracher 13, Kendall 14, Hair 7, DeVita 7, Garcia 7
Lightning
Batting
| Name |
AB |
R |
H |
RBI |
BB |
SO |
|
Green, 3b |
4 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
Thompson, cf |
3 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
|
Keller, eh |
4 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
Cortale, rf |
4 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
|
Murphy, 2b |
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
|
Gross, eh |
4 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
|
Waddingham, 1b |
5 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
Campos, lf |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
|
Pleasant, ss |
2 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
|
Banasiak, c |
4 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
Batting
RBI - Green, Cortale, Banasiak 2
HBP - Green, Keller, Gross
Baserunning
SB - Green, Thompson 2, Campos 4, Banasiak
Fielding
E - Green, Murphy 2, Campos
Pitching
Pitches/Strikes - Burtoft 50/31, Dicks 58/38, Bilbao, Jr 30/16, MacCardle 31/20
Groundouts/Flyouts - Burtoft 0/3, Dicks 1/1, Bilbao, Jr 2/3, MacCardle 0/1
Batters Faced - Burtoft 13, Dicks 14, Bilbao, Jr 8, MacCardle 8
River Rats
Batting
| Name |
AB |
R |
H |
RBI |
BB |
SO |
| Upperman, cf |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Pitman, cf |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
| Marlo, 2b |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| Donatucci, ss |
3 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| Walker, rf/1b |
4 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
| Pynes, c |
2 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
| Garcia, c |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| M. Dobkowski, eh |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
| Meyer, eh |
2 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| J. Dobkowski, eh |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| Thomas, eh |
2 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
| Weckman, lf |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
| Ercole, lf |
2 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Schincariol, 1b |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| Beal, rf |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
| Seymour, 3b |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
| Fulks, ph |
1 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
| Gonzalez, ss/2b |
4 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
Batting
RBI - Pynes, Thomas, Fulks 2
Baserunning
SB - Donatucci, Walker
Fielding
E - Upperman, Pynes, Schincariol, Beal, Seymour 2, Gonzalez
Pitching
| Name |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
SO |
| Bracher, L |
2.1 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
| Kendall |
3.2 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
| Hair |
1.0 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
| DeVita |
1.0 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
| Garcia |
1.0 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
Wild Pitches - Bracher, Hair
Pitches/Strikes - Bracher 53/25, Kendall 52/33, Hair 20/11, DeVita 23/13, Garcia 28/17
Groundouts/Flyouts - Bracher 1/3, Kendall 5/1, Hair 1/2, DeVita 0/3, Garcia 0/1
Batters Faced - Bracher 13, Kendall 14, Hair 7, DeVita 7, Garcia 7
Scoring Plays
Bottom 1st
Drew Pynes singled to left field, RBI, advanced to second on a throwing error by lf. Zach Walker scored.
Top 3rd
Ledger Pleasant advanced to third. Gabriel Campos scored on a wild pitch.
Dylan Green singled to right field, RBI. Ledger Pleasant scored.
Marcello Cortale flied out to cf, sacrifice fly, RBI. Charles Keller advanced to second on a throwing error by cf. Kaden Thompson advanced to third. Dylan Green scored.
Bottom 6th
Michael Thomas singled to left field, RBI. Tyler Meyer advanced to third. Drew Pynes scored.
Top 7th
Ledger Pleasant advanced to third. Gabriel Campos scored on a wild pitch.
Cory Banasiak stole second. Ledger Pleasant scored on an error by c, unearned.
Top 8th
Cory Banasiak singled through the right side, 2 RBI. Gabriel Campos advanced to second. Jack Waddingham scored, unearned. Turner Gross scored, unearned.
Top 9th
Charles Keller advanced to second. Kaden Thompson scored on a passed ball, unearned.
Jack Waddingham reached first on a dropped fly by rf, advanced to second on the error. Turner Gross scored, unearned. Charles Keller scored, unearned.
Bottom 9th
Ben Fulks singled to left field, 2 RBI. Ethan Beal advanced to second. Enzo Ercole scored. Michael Thomas scored.
All Plays
Top 1st
Dylan Green lined out to cf.
1 out
Charles Keller flied out to cf to left center. Kaden Thompson did not advance.
2 out
Kaden Thompson stole second.
Marcello Cortale grounded out to 3b.
3 out
Bottom 1st
Nick Upperman flied out to cf to right center.
1 out
Jordan Marlo struck out looking.
2 out
Zach Walker singled to right center.
Zach Walker stole second.
Drew Pynes singled to left field, RBI, advanced to second on a throwing error by lf. Zach Walker scored.
Michael Dobkowski struck out looking.
3 out
Top 2nd
Preston Murphy flied out to rf.
1 out
Turner Gross struck out looking.
2 out
Jack Waddingham struck out looking.
3 out
Bottom 2nd
John Dobkowski struck out looking.
1 out
Braeden Weckman struck out looking.
2 out
Jake Schincariol struck out swinging.
3 out
Top 3rd
Gabriel Campos stole second.
Gabriel Campos stole third.
Ledger Pleasant walked. Gabriel Campos did not advance.
Gabriel Campos did not advance.
Cory Banasiak struck out swinging, out at first c to 1b. Ledger Pleasant did not advance. Gabriel Campos did not advance.
1 out
Ledger Pleasant advanced to third. Gabriel Campos scored on a wild pitch.
Dylan Green singled to right field, RBI. Ledger Pleasant scored.
Kaden Thompson singled to left field. Dylan Green advanced to second.
Charles Keller singled to right field. Kaden Thompson advanced to second. Dylan Green advanced to third.
Brian Kendall replaces Brock Bracher at pitcher.
Marcello Cortale flied out to cf, sacrifice fly, RBI. Charles Keller advanced to second on a throwing error by cf. Kaden Thompson advanced to third. Dylan Green scored.
2 out
Preston Murphy struck out looking.
3 out
Bottom 3rd
Miguel Gonzalez singled through the left side. AJ Seymour advanced to second.
Nick Upperman flied out to cf. Miguel Gonzalez did not advance. AJ Seymour did not advance.
1 out
Jordan Marlo fouled out to lf. Miguel Gonzalez did not advance. AJ Seymour did not advance.
2 out
Zach Walker struck out swinging.
3 out
Top 4th
Turner Gross struck out looking.
1 out
Jack Waddingham reached first on a muffed throw by 1b, assist by 2b.
Gabriel Campos grounded out to 3b. Jack Waddingham advanced to second.
2 out
Ledger Pleasant grounded out to ss.
3 out
Bottom 4th
Gavin Dicks replaces Bryan Burtoft at pitcher.
Drew Pynes singled to right field.
Michael Dobkowski struck out swinging. Drew Pynes did not advance.
1 out
John Dobkowski reached first on a fielding error by 2b, out at second rf to 2b. Drew Pynes advanced to second, advanced to third on the error.
2 out
Braeden Weckman struck out swinging.
3 out
Top 5th
Cory Banasiak singled to left field.
Dylan Green reached on a fielder's choice to third base. Cory Banasiak out at second 3b to 2b.
1 out
Dylan Green stole second.
Kaden Thompson grounded out to 2b. Dylan Green advanced to third.
2 out
Charles Keller struck out swinging.
3 out
Bottom 5th
Jake Schincariol reached first on a fielding error by 2b.
Ethan Beal replaces Jake Schincariol at .
Ethan Beal advanced to second on a passed ball.
AJ Seymour grounded out to 3b. Ethan Beal advanced to third.
1 out
Miguel Gonzalez struck out looking.
2 out
Cooper Pitman replaces Nick Upperman at pinch hitter.
Cooper Pitman struck out looking.
3 out
Top 6th
Cooper Pitman replaces at center field.
Dominic Donatucci replaces Jordan Marlo at shortstop.
Zach Walker replaces at first base.
Ethan Beal replaces at right field.
Miguel Gonzalez replaces at second base.
Enzo Ercole replaces Braeden Weckman at left field.
Marcello Cortale struck out looking.
1 out
Preston Murphy struck out looking.
2 out
Turner Gross singled to right center.
Jack Waddingham reached on a fielder's choice to shortstop. Turner Gross out at second ss to 2b.
3 out
Bottom 6th
Dominic Donatucci struck out swinging.
1 out
Zach Walker struck out swinging.
2 out
Tyler Meyer replaces Michael Dobkowski at pinch hitter.
Tyler Meyer singled to right field. Drew Pynes advanced to second.
Michael Thomas replaces John Dobkowski at pinch hitter.
Michael Thomas singled to left field, RBI. Tyler Meyer advanced to third. Drew Pynes scored.
Enzo Ercole fouled out to lf.
3 out
Top 7th
Joshua Hair replaces Brian Kendall at pitcher.
Gabriel Campos singled to third base, bunt.
Gabriel Campos stole second.
Gabriel Campos stole third.
Ledger Pleasant advanced to third. Gabriel Campos scored on a wild pitch.
Cory Banasiak reached first on an error by 3b. Ledger Pleasant did not advance.
Cory Banasiak stole second. Ledger Pleasant scored on an error by c, unearned.
Dylan Green hit by pitch.
Kaden Thompson lined out to rf. Dylan Green did not advance. Cory Banasiak did not advance.
1 out
Charles Keller popped up to ss. Dylan Green did not advance. Cory Banasiak advanced to third on a muffed throw by 2b, assist by ss.
2 out
Marcello Cortale grounded out to p.
3 out
Bottom 7th
Andre Bilbao Jr replaces Gavin Dicks at pitcher.
Ethan Beal grounded out to 2b.
1 out
AJ Seymour struck out looking.
2 out
Miguel Gonzalez flied out to cf.
3 out
Top 8th
Philip DeVita replaces Joshua Hair at pitcher.
Preston Murphy popped up to ss.
1 out
Turner Gross reached first on an error by 3b.
Jack Waddingham singled through the right side. Turner Gross advanced to second.
Gabriel Campos walked. Jack Waddingham advanced to second. Turner Gross advanced to third.
Ledger Pleasant flied out to cf. Gabriel Campos did not advance. Jack Waddingham did not advance. Turner Gross did not advance.
2 out
Cory Banasiak singled through the right side, 2 RBI. Gabriel Campos advanced to second. Jack Waddingham scored, unearned. Turner Gross scored, unearned.
Dylan Green flied out to lf.
3 out
Bottom 8th
Dominic Donatucci reached on a fielder's choice to shortstop. Cooper Pitman out at second ss to 2b.
1 out
Dominic Donatucci stole second.
Zach Walker walked. Dominic Donatucci did not advance.
Jaden Garcia replaces Drew Pynes at pinch hitter.
Jaden Garcia flied out to rf. Zach Walker did not advance. Dominic Donatucci advanced to third on an error by 3b, assist by rf, assist by ss.
2 out
Tyler Meyer replaces at .
Tyler Meyer flied out to cf.
3 out
Top 9th
Jaden Garcia replaces at catcher.
Tyler Garcia replaces Philip DeVita at pitcher.
Charles Keller hit by pitch. Kaden Thompson advanced to second.
Kaden Thompson stole third.
Marcello Cortale struck out looking.
1 out
Charles Keller advanced to second. Kaden Thompson scored on a passed ball, unearned.
Preston Murphy flied out to rf. Charles Keller did not advance.
2 out
Turner Gross hit by pitch. Charles Keller did not advance.
Jack Waddingham reached first on a dropped fly by rf, advanced to second on the error. Turner Gross scored, unearned. Charles Keller scored, unearned.
Gabriel Campos struck out looking.
3 out
Bottom 9th
Austin MacCardle replaces Andre Bilbao Jr at pitcher.
Michael Thomas replaces at .
Michael Thomas singled to shortstop.
Enzo Ercole singled to right field. Michael Thomas advanced to second.
Ethan Beal walked. Enzo Ercole advanced to second. Michael Thomas advanced to third.
Ben Fulks replaces AJ Seymour at pinch hitter.
Ben Fulks singled to left field, 2 RBI. Ethan Beal advanced to second. Enzo Ercole scored. Michael Thomas scored.
Miguel Gonzalez struck out swinging. Ben Fulks did not advance. Ethan Beal did not advance.
1 out
Cooper Pitman struck out swinging. Ben Fulks did not advance. Ethan Beal did not advance.
2 out
Dominic Donatucci singled to shortstop. Ben Fulks advanced to second. Ethan Beal advanced to third.
Zach Walker flied out to rf.
3 out
