Lightning Salvage Series Behind Scott's Home Run

LEESBURG, FL- In the back half of Friday night’s doubleheader, the Leesburg Lightning (11-8) suffered their worst loss of the season. With a chance at redemption 24 hours later, they did just that, salvaging their three-game set with a 7-4 win over the Winter Park Diamond Dawgs (11-12).

With Dylan Kelley (UNF) on the bump for the Lightning, the Dawgs carried their momentum from yesterday’s sweep into today's affairs with a pair of runs in the opening frame. A pair of walks followed by a bases-clearing single by Brody Drost (LSU) put the Lightning in an early hole. Despite getting three runners on in the home half of the inning, Leesburg had nothing to show for it. 

Kelley was basically unhittable after the first inning, allowing just two base runners over his five innings of work, including retiring 14 of the next 16 he faced. Kelley, who picked up his first win of the season, became the first Lightning starter to earn a win in the 2021 campaign. Kelley impressed head coach Rich Billings with his ability to rebound after a rough first inning.

“I felt like he was just trying to overthrow a little bit in the first inning,” said coach Billings. “He made a small adjustment in between the first and second innings and he was off to the races… it’s so hard to make an in-game adjustment like that.”

The Lightning evened up the game in the third when Robbie Scott (UNF) and Cam Hill (Georgia College & State) both reached base to open up the inning. Two batters later, Naphis Llanos (Francis Marion) delivered a rocket into right center to clear the bases and nod up the game at two. It forced Edward Berry (Swarthmore), who started the game for Winter Park and entered the day with a league-best 0.46 ERA, out of the game.

It took until the bottom of the fifth inning for the tie to be broken. After Jordan Griffin (Carson Newman) was hit by a pitch, Robbie Scott scorched a ball over the right field wall to make it 4-2 Lightning. It was the first home run of the season for the three year member of the Lightning, who also played for the Dawgs in 2018. Scott finished the day two for three, also adding in a double and a run in the third.

“I’ve been struggling down the stretch, and to come out and get some good swings on a few pitches, especially against my old team, led to a good win.” said Scott. 

Trailing by a pair, the Dawgs put the pressure on in the sixth. Facing Myles Caba (South Florida State), who started in the All-Star Game earlier this week, the Dawgs rattled over three consecutive hits, the third of which came off the bat of Grant Berman (NYU) and scored a run to make it 4-3. Following a mound visit, Caba struck out back to back batters and got a fly out into right to end the inning in the league. 

“I talked about locating the fastball and just getting ahead.” said Billings. “It was a small adjustment to get him to relax, and he did the rest. Credit to him, he got out of that one.”

That slight edge was all the Lightning needed. With the first two men aboard in the home half of the sixth, a Luke Harper (UNA) single into right extended the lead to two. A wild pitch made it a three run lead, and an ensuing deep sacrifice fly by Drew Stubbs (Eastern Florida State) gave the Lightning a 7-2 lead.

Connor Gleeson (Gardner Webb) and Blayne Huter (South Florida State) commanded the last three innings of the game, and despite a run coming into score in the ninth, the Lightning held on for a 7-4 win. For the entire team, salvaging a win in the series and coming back after a disappointing sweep was huge.

"We approached [yesterday's] game as if we had 9 days off and we were just gonna show up and be the Leesburg Lightning and we were gonna be great" said coach Billings. "Baseball doesn’t work that way. We just had to refocus a little today.”

The Lightning will be back in action Sunday afternoon at Pat Thomas Stadium when they clash with the league leading Sanford River Rats at five, from whom they’ve take two of three from this season.

Matias Weilmann (Ithaca College)

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