8
FINAL
14
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAN | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 15 | 3 |
| LEE | 3 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 14 | 0 |
WRice
LSever
SVNorris
Lightning Take Game One Over the Rats With 14-8 Victory
LEESBURG, Fla. - The regular season champion Leesburg Lightning (1-0) came one step closer to getting back to Tropicana Field on Sunday night. They defeated the Sanford River Rats 14-8 at Pat Thomas in game one of a best-of-three semifinal series and a rematch with the team that knocked them out of the playoffs in 2011.
The Lightning scored runs early and often, building an 11-2 lead after five innings and cruising to a relatively easy win.
“The first game is huge,” Lightning head coach Dave Therneau said. “In a three-game series, not having to be the team that has to win two in a row with your back against the wall is huge. But it is just one win. The toughest win is going to be the second win.”
Leesburg starter Josh Ganus (North Carolina A&T) pitched four innings and gave up two runs on six hits. He struck out six and walked one, but did not go the five innings necessary to pick up the win. Willie Rice (Nova Southeastern) got the win in relief.
Trey Norris (Polk State) picked up a four out save to seal the win, striking out three River Rats along the way.
Brett Moreland (Flagler), who was 2-for-3 with two RBI and three runs scored, drove in the first run of the game on a double, which brought Kyle Teaf (South Florida) in to score. Moreland and Chase Durham (Dallas Baptist) each scored on a double from Jason Matusik (Lynn).
The River Rats got on the board in the top of the second with two runs. Sam Halpern (Barry) scored on a single from Lee Howard (Florida State). Howard scored on an Alex Mendez (South Florida) single.
Leesburg opened a big lead in the bottom of the second when Durham hit a 365-foot grand slam to right-centerfield. Durham finished the game with five RBI.
“I was just thankful to be in that situation,” Durham said. “I knew I was going to step up there and get the job down. I was looking for a fastball over the middle of the plate and I was able to put a good swing on it.”
The Lightning expanded their lead in the fourth inning. Durham drew a bases-loaded walk to score Teaf and Matt Singletary (Polk State), who was 2-for-4 on the day, hit a two-run single.
Jake Cavender (Point) scored another run for Leesburg in the fifth to build the lead to 11-2. He came home on a fielder’s choice.
Sanford starting cutting into the lead in the sixth, putting three runs on the board in the frame. Howard hit a two-run single and scored on a groundout.
Teaf scored another run in the seventh on a Moreland single to get the lead back to 12-5 before the River Rats put three across in the top of the eighth. Drew Weeks (North Florida) hit a two-run home run and Mendez scored on a single from Keith Curcio (Florida Southern).
The Lightning added two insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth. Brett Jones (Polk State) came home on an Erik Hindmon (Polk State) single. Hindmon came home on a fielder’s choice.
Jake Hanson (Flagler) and Michael Miller (Dallas Baptist) also had multi-hit games for Leesburg.
The Lightning will head to Sanford tomorrow night to try to pick up the series-clinching win. Nic Kovacs (Palm Beach Atlantic) will start for Leesburg and Harrison Hukari (Central Florida) will start for Sanford. Game time is 7 p.m.
Batting
| Name | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mendez, cf | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Brodbeck, ss | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Curcio, 3b | 5 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Seeba, 2b | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Hermann, 1b | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Halpern, lf | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Weeks, dh | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Howard, c | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Lesch, rf | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Sever, p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hunter, p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rivera, p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Allen, p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Graham, p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Batting
2B - Weeks 2
HR - Weeks
RBI - Mendez, Curcio, Weeks 2, Howard 3, Lesch
HBP - Mendez
Baserunning
SB - Seeba, Halpern
CS - Mendez
Fielding
E - Seeba, Hermann, Lesch
Pitching
| Name | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sever, L | 2.0 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 3 |
| Hunter | 1.0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Rivera | 1.2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Allen | 2.2 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| Graham | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Wild Pitches - Rivera, Allen 2
Pitches/Strikes - Sever 68/36, Hunter 24/13, Rivera 30/19, Allen 52/33, Graham 5/3
Groundouts/Flyouts - Sever 2/1, Hunter 0/1, Rivera 2/1, Allen 4/1, Graham 1/0
Batters Faced - Sever 15, Hunter 6, Rivera 8, Allen 15, Graham 1
Batting
| Name | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teaf, ss | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| Singletary, 3b | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Moreland, lf | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Durham, rf | 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| Miller, dh | 5 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Jones, pr | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Matusik, 1b | 5 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Hindmon, c | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Hanson, cf | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Cavender, 2b | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Lusignan, ph | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Knapp, pr/2b | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ganus, p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Davis, p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rice, p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Norris, p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Batting
2B - Moreland, Matusik
HR - Durham
RBI - Singletary, Moreland 2, Durham 5, Miller 2, Matusik 2, Hindmon, Lusignan
GDP - Hindmon
Baserunning
SB - Teaf, Singletary, Jones, Cavender
Pitching
| Name | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ganus | 4.0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| Davis | 1.0 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Rice, W | 2.2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Norris, SV | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Wild Pitches - Rice
Pitches/Strikes - Ganus 77/49, Davis 25/12, Rice 39/21, Norris 27/16
Groundouts/Flyouts - Ganus 4/2, Davis 1/1, Rice 3/3, Norris 0/1
Batters Faced - Ganus 19, Davis 7, Rice 13, Norris 5
River Rats
Batting
| Name | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mendez, cf | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Brodbeck, ss | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Curcio, 3b | 5 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Seeba, 2b | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Hermann, 1b | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Halpern, lf | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Weeks, dh | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Howard, c | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Lesch, rf | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Sever, p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hunter, p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rivera, p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Allen, p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Graham, p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Batting
2B - Weeks 2
HR - Weeks
RBI - Mendez, Curcio, Weeks 2, Howard 3, Lesch
HBP - Mendez
Baserunning
SB - Seeba, Halpern
CS - Mendez
Fielding
E - Seeba, Hermann, Lesch
Pitching
| Name | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sever, L | 2.0 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 3 |
| Hunter | 1.0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Rivera | 1.2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Allen | 2.2 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| Graham | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Wild Pitches - Rivera, Allen 2
Pitches/Strikes - Sever 68/36, Hunter 24/13, Rivera 30/19, Allen 52/33, Graham 5/3
Groundouts/Flyouts - Sever 2/1, Hunter 0/1, Rivera 2/1, Allen 4/1, Graham 1/0
Batters Faced - Sever 15, Hunter 6, Rivera 8, Allen 15, Graham 1
Lightning
Batting
| Name | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teaf, ss | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| Singletary, 3b | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Moreland, lf | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Durham, rf | 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| Miller, dh | 5 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Jones, pr | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Matusik, 1b | 5 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Hindmon, c | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Hanson, cf | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Cavender, 2b | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Lusignan, ph | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Knapp, pr/2b | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ganus, p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Davis, p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rice, p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Norris, p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Batting
2B - Moreland, Matusik
HR - Durham
RBI - Singletary, Moreland 2, Durham 5, Miller 2, Matusik 2, Hindmon, Lusignan
GDP - Hindmon
Baserunning
SB - Teaf, Singletary, Jones, Cavender
Pitching
| Name | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ganus | 4.0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| Davis | 1.0 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Rice, W | 2.2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Norris, SV | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Wild Pitches - Rice
Pitches/Strikes - Ganus 77/49, Davis 25/12, Rice 39/21, Norris 27/16
Groundouts/Flyouts - Ganus 4/2, Davis 1/1, Rice 3/3, Norris 0/1
Batters Faced - Ganus 19, Davis 7, Rice 13, Norris 5
Scoring Plays
Bottom 1st
Brett Moreland doubled to right center, RBI. Kyle Teaf scored.
Jason Matusik doubled to right center, 2 RBI. Chase Durham scored. Brett Moreland scored.
Top 2nd
Lee Howard singled up the middle, advanced to second on the throw, RBI. Sam Halpern scored.
Alex Mendez singled to right field, advanced to second on the throw, RBI. Lee Howard scored.
Bottom 2nd
Chase Durham homered to right center, 4 RBI. Brett Moreland scored. Matthew Singletary scored. Jake Cavender scored.
Bottom 4th
Chase Durham walked, RBI. Brett Moreland advanced to second. Matthew Singletary advanced to third. Kyle Teaf scored.
Mike Miller singled through the right side, 2 RBI. Chase Durham advanced to third. Brett Moreland scored. Matthew Singletary scored.
Bottom 5th
Matthew Singletary reached on a fielder's choice to shortstop, RBI. Kyle Teaf out at second ss to 2b. Jake Cavender scored, unearned.
Top 6th
Lee Howard singled up the middle, 2 RBI. Drew Weeks scored. Sam Halpern scored.
Tyler Lesch grounded out to 2b, RBI. Lee Howard scored.
Bottom 7th
Brett Moreland singled through the right side, RBI. Matthew Singletary advanced to third. Kyle Teaf scored.
Top 8th
Drew Weeks homered to left center, 2 RBI. Sam Halpern scored.
Keith Curcio singled to right field, RBI. Andrew Brodbeck advanced to second. Alex Mendez scored.
Bottom 8th
Erik Hindmon singled to center field, RBI. Brett Jones scored.
Colby Lusignan reached on a fielder's choice to shortstop, RBI. Jake Hanson out at second ss to 2b. Erik Hindmon scored.
All Plays
Top 1st
Alex Mendez flied out to rf. 1 out
Andrew Brodbeck struck out swinging. 2 out
Keith Curcio singled to left field.
Daniel Seeba singled to right field. Keith Curcio advanced to second.
Spencer Hermann struck out swinging. 3 out
Bottom 1st
Kyle Teaf walked.
Matthew Singletary fouled out to 1b. 1 out
Kyle Teaf stole second.
Brett Moreland doubled to right center, RBI. Kyle Teaf scored.
Chase Durham walked.
Mike Miller struck out swinging. 2 out
Jason Matusik doubled to right center, 2 RBI. Chase Durham scored. Brett Moreland scored.
Erik Hindmon grounded out to 2b. 3 out
Top 2nd
Sam Halpern walked.
Drew Weeks struck out swinging. 1 out
Sam Halpern stole second.
Lee Howard singled up the middle, advanced to second on the throw, RBI. Sam Halpern scored.
Tyler Lesch struck out swinging. 2 out
Alex Mendez singled to right field, advanced to second on the throw, RBI. Lee Howard scored.
Andrew Brodbeck grounded out to 2b. 3 out
Bottom 2nd
Jake Hanson singled to left center.
Jake Cavender reached on a fielder's choice to shortstop. Jake Hanson out at second ss to 2b. 1 out
Kyle Teaf struck out swinging. 2 out
Jake Cavender stole second.
Matthew Singletary walked.
Brett Moreland walked. Matthew Singletary advanced to second. Jake Cavender advanced to third.
Chase Durham homered to right center, 4 RBI. Brett Moreland scored. Matthew Singletary scored. Jake Cavender scored.
Mike Miller reached on a fielding error by 2b.
Jason Matusik struck out swinging. 3 out
Top 3rd
Keith Curcio singled up the middle.
Daniel Seeba grounded out to 1b unassisted. Keith Curcio advanced to second. 1 out
Spencer Hermann grounded out to ss. Keith Curcio advanced to third. 2 out
Sam Halpern struck out swinging. 3 out
Bottom 3rd
Neal Hunter replaces John Sever at pitcher.
Erik Hindmon fouled out to 3b. 1 out
Jake Hanson struck out swinging. 2 out
Jake Cavender struck out looking. 3 out
Top 4th
Drew Weeks grounded out to ss. 1 out
Lee Howard struck out looking. 2 out
Tyler Lesch singled to second base.
Alex Mendez flied out to cf. 3 out
Bottom 4th
Kyle Teaf singled to right field, advanced to second on a fielding error by rf.
Matthew Singletary singled down the lf line. Kyle Teaf advanced to third.
Brett Moreland walked. Matthew Singletary advanced to second.
Gabe Rivera replaces Neal Hunter at pitcher.
Chase Durham walked, RBI. Brett Moreland advanced to second. Matthew Singletary advanced to third. Kyle Teaf scored.
Mike Miller singled through the right side, 2 RBI. Chase Durham advanced to third. Brett Moreland scored. Matthew Singletary scored.
Jason Matusik flied out to 2b. 1 out
Erik Hindmon grounded into double play ss to 2b to 1b. Mike Miller out on the play. 3 out
Top 5th
Jonah Davis replaces Josh Ganus at pitcher.
Andrew Brodbeck grounded out to ss. 1 out
Keith Curcio singled to left center, out at second lf to 2b. 2 out
Daniel Seeba walked.
Daniel Seeba stole second.
Spencer Hermann flied out to cf. 3 out
Bottom 5th
Jake Hanson struck out swinging. 1 out
Jake Cavender singled to shortstop, advanced to second on a fielding error by 1b.
Kyle Teaf walked.
Jake Cavender advanced to third on a wild pitch.
Matthew Singletary reached on a fielder's choice to shortstop, RBI. Kyle Teaf out at second ss to 2b. Jake Cavender scored, unearned. 2 out
Brett Allen replaces Gabe Rivera at pitcher.
Matthew Singletary stole second.
Brett Moreland grounded out to ss. 3 out
Top 6th
Sam Halpern singled to center field.
Drew Weeks doubled to right field. Sam Halpern advanced to third.
Lee Howard singled up the middle, 2 RBI. Drew Weeks scored. Sam Halpern scored.
Willie Rice replaces Jonah Davis at pitcher.
Lee Howard advanced to second on a wild pitch.
Lee Howard advanced to third on a balk.
Tyler Lesch grounded out to 2b, RBI. Lee Howard scored. 1 out
Alex Mendez hit by pitch.
Andrew Brodbeck struck out swinging. 2 out
Alex Mendez out at second p to 1b to ss, caught stealing. 3 out
Bottom 6th
Chase Durham struck out swinging. 1 out
Mike Miller singled to left field.
Jason Matusik struck out looking. 2 out
Erik Hindmon grounded out to 3b. 3 out
Top 7th
Keith Curcio flied out to lf. 1 out
Daniel Seeba flied out to cf. 2 out
Spencer Hermann grounded out to ss. 3 out
Bottom 7th
Jake Hanson struck out swinging. 1 out
Jake Cavender grounded out to ss. 2 out
Kyle Teaf walked.
Matthew Singletary singled up the middle. Kyle Teaf advanced to third.
Brett Moreland singled through the right side, RBI. Matthew Singletary advanced to third. Kyle Teaf scored.
Chase Durham grounded out to 3b. 3 out
Top 8th
Sam Halpern singled to left center.
Drew Weeks homered to left center, 2 RBI. Sam Halpern scored.
Lee Howard flied out to cf. 1 out
Tyler Lesch grounded out to ss. 2 out
Alex Mendez walked.
Andrew Brodbeck singled to center field. Alex Mendez advanced to second.
Keith Curcio singled to right field, RBI. Andrew Brodbeck advanced to second. Alex Mendez scored.
Trey Norris replaces Willie Rice at pitcher.
Daniel Seeba struck out swinging. 3 out
Bottom 8th
Mike Miller singled down the lf line.
Brett Jones replaces Mike Miller at .
Brett Jones stole second.
Brett Jones advanced to third on a wild pitch.
Jason Matusik flied out to lf. 1 out
Erik Hindmon singled to center field, RBI. Brett Jones scored.
Erik Hindmon advanced to second on a wild pitch.
Jake Hanson singled to right field. Erik Hindmon advanced to third.
Alexander Graham replaces Brett Allen at pitcher.
Colby Lusignan replaces Jake Cavender at pinch hitter.
Colby Lusignan reached on a fielder's choice to shortstop, RBI. Jake Hanson out at second ss to 2b. Erik Hindmon scored. 2 out
Kevin Knapp replaces Colby Lusignan at .
Kevin Knapp out at second c to 2b. 3 out
Top 9th
Kevin Knapp replaces at second base.
Spencer Hermann flied out to lf. 1 out
Sam Halpern struck out swinging. 2 out
Drew Weeks doubled to right center.
Lee Howard struck out swinging. 3 out
Kevin Knapp replaces at second base.
Spencer Hermann flied out to lf.
Sam Halpern struck out swinging.
Drew Weeks doubled to right center.
Lee Howard struck out swinging.