Winter Garden Squeeze

2

FINAL

7

Leesburg Lightning
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
WGS 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 2 0
LEE 0 1 4 0 1 0 1 0 0 7 9 0
WFoster
LHuskey
Lightning Win 2023 FCSL Title

Lightning Win 2023 FCSL Title

LEESBURG, Fla.- The Leesburg Lightning capped of a first-place finish in the regular season with their fourth title in franchise history at home on Monday night, taking a 7-2 win over the Winter Garden Squeeze in game three of the Florida League Championship Series.

Daniel Foster (Palm Beach Atlantic) got the start on the mound, and it looked like things might be shaky to begin with, as Todd Clay (Pensacola State) went deep with a solo homerun to give the Squeeze an early 1-0 lead.

From that point on, Foster went six more innings and did not give up anymore hits, giving the Lightning exactly what the needed from their starter in a winner-take-all matchup. 

“He (Foster) shows up every day ready to pitch, he’s all I could ask for in a summer ball player and he was phenomenal tonight,” Leesburg Lightning Head Coach Rich Billings said. “He is a phenomenal teammate and an even better human being.”

Foster has been a consistent arm for the Lightning both as a reliever and a starter and even with the bright lights shining down in Pat Thomas Stadium, Foster rose to the occasion and embraced the moment and atmosphere.

“I really kind of turned into a starting pitcher here this summer with the Lightning, the development and experience has been great,” said Foster. “When they (the crowd) started chanting as the game got farther along, it was amazing to see.”

After the solo homerun to put the Squeeze on the board, the Lightning quickly answered in the second inning with a run of their own. An RBI single from Drew Leinenbach (North Florida) deadlocked the game at 1-1, before Leesburg would really open up the scoring in the third inning. 

The Lightning struggled to string offense together through the first two games, but that was not a problem early, as a four-run frame shifted the momentum to Leesburg’s dugout. RBIs from Gabriel Santiago (Coker), Michael Furry (St. Johns River State), Leinenbach, and Tyler Gerteisen (North Florida) gave the Lightning a 5-1 lead that they would never relenquish. 

Furry would come through once again in the fifth and seventh innings with RBIs, and after one run from Winter Garden in the sixth inning, Furry’s efforts extended the Lightning lead to 7-2, which would hold until the end. 

Tyler Donay (Embry-Riddle) and Ryan Brown (Valdosta State) shut the door in the eighth and ninth innings, giving Leesburg their fourth championship in franchise history and redemption from last year’s loss. 

Several key players that remembered the feeling from last year’s loss including Santiago, Brinling, Furry, and Layton Perry (Jacksonville) came back to Leesburg even with other summer ball opportunities, because they wanted to win a championship for Leesburg after last season’s disappointing end. 

“Last year left a sour taste in our mouth for the guys that came back from last year’s team,” said Santiago. “We were in this game three, winner-take-all situation last year, so it’s a good feeling to win it this year.”

What a season it was for the Lightning. They started the season with a 2-6 record, amidst a five-game losing streak, and just when things could have avalanched and gotten even worse, the Lightning’s leaders stepped up and Leesburg would go on to take 19 of their next 22 games, overtaking Sanford for first place in the Florida League standings. They never let their grip on first place go after overtaking the River Rats in the first week of July, and eventually reaching their goal of bringing home the Whiting Cup to Leesburg. 

“I give so much credit to our players for sticking it out and going through that rough patch early and continuing to believe that they could get themselves through it,” said Billings. “Our guys just continued to buy-in, compete, and show up every single day and that’s a special thing, so all credit to them.”

A team that could have given up multiple times throughout the season, but would just never go away, a team that wanted redemption and reached their goal, a team with speed that was almost mesmerizing at times, and most importantly a team who became brothers for a two-month span in the summer, allowing a passionate community to get behind them on their way to a championship. 

Your 2023 Florida League Champions, the Leesburg Lightning. 

(Carter Mansfield, Austin Peay State University)



Carter Mansfield - 08/01/23 2:28am

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Batting

Name AB R H RBI BB SO
Prevesk, rf 3 0 0 1 0 0
McKinley, 3b 3 0 0 0 1 1
Clay, ss 4 1 1 1 0 0
Farrow, lf 2 0 0 0 2 0
Fields, cf 2 0 0 0 1 1
Rao, 1b 2 0 0 0 1 0
Young, c 3 0 0 0 0 1
Micallef, dh 3 0 0 0 0 1
Davis, 2b 2 1 1 0 1 0
Robinson, dh 2 0 0 0 0 1

Batting

HR - Clay

RBI - Prevesk, Clay

Baserunning

CS - Farrow

Pitching

Name IP H R ER BB SO
Huskey, L 2.2 6 5 5 2 1
Book 2.0 2 1 1 2 1
Feffer 1.1 0 0 0 1 1
Demo 0.2 1 1 1 1 1
Duby 1.1 0 0 0 0 0

Wild Pitches - Book

Pitches/Strikes - Huskey 52/35, Book 34/17, Feffer 21/10, Demo 20/10, Duby 15/11

Groundouts/Flyouts - Huskey 4/2, Book 0/3, Feffer 0/2, Demo 0/1, Duby 2/2

Batters Faced - Huskey 17, Book 9, Feffer 5, Demo 4, Duby 4

Batting

Name AB R H RBI BB SO
Brinling, cf 2 0 1 0 1 0
Santiago, 2b 3 2 2 1 1 0
Bryan, 1b 3 2 0 0 0 2
Chapman, 3b 3 2 2 0 1 1
Furry, rf 2 0 2 3 0 0
Leinenbach, dh 3 0 1 2 0 0
Gerteisen, lf 3 0 1 1 1 0
Stubbs, c 3 0 0 0 0 0
Massa, ss 3 0 0 0 1 0
Mangual, dh 2 1 0 0 1 1

Batting

2B - Brinling, Chapman

RBI - Santiago, Furry 3, Leinenbach 2, Gerteisen

GDP - Gerteisen

HBP - Brinling, Bryan, Furry, Stubbs

Baserunning

SB - Santiago, Bryan, Chapman

CS - Brinling, Santiago

Pitching

Name IP H R ER BB SO
Foster, W 7.0 1 2 2 5 2
Donay 1.0 1 0 0 0 3
Brown 1.0 0 0 0 1 0

Wild Pitches - Foster

Pitches/Strikes - Foster 80/42, Donay 15/11, Brown 12/7

Groundouts/Flyouts - Foster 11/7, Brown 0/3

Batters Faced - Foster 26, Donay 4, Brown 4

Squeeze

Batting

Name AB R H RBI BB SO
Prevesk, rf 3 0 0 1 0 0
McKinley, 3b 3 0 0 0 1 1
Clay, ss 4 1 1 1 0 0
Farrow, lf 2 0 0 0 2 0
Fields, cf 2 0 0 0 1 1
Rao, 1b 2 0 0 0 1 0
Young, c 3 0 0 0 0 1
Micallef, dh 3 0 0 0 0 1
Davis, 2b 2 1 1 0 1 0
Robinson, dh 2 0 0 0 0 1

Batting

HR - Clay

RBI - Prevesk, Clay

Baserunning

CS - Farrow

Pitching

Name IP H R ER BB SO
Huskey, L 2.2 6 5 5 2 1
Book 2.0 2 1 1 2 1
Feffer 1.1 0 0 0 1 1
Demo 0.2 1 1 1 1 1
Duby 1.1 0 0 0 0 0

Wild Pitches - Book

Pitches/Strikes - Huskey 52/35, Book 34/17, Feffer 21/10, Demo 20/10, Duby 15/11

Groundouts/Flyouts - Huskey 4/2, Book 0/3, Feffer 0/2, Demo 0/1, Duby 2/2

Batters Faced - Huskey 17, Book 9, Feffer 5, Demo 4, Duby 4

Lightning

Batting

Name AB R H RBI BB SO
Brinling, cf 2 0 1 0 1 0
Santiago, 2b 3 2 2 1 1 0
Bryan, 1b 3 2 0 0 0 2
Chapman, 3b 3 2 2 0 1 1
Furry, rf 2 0 2 3 0 0
Leinenbach, dh 3 0 1 2 0 0
Gerteisen, lf 3 0 1 1 1 0
Stubbs, c 3 0 0 0 0 0
Massa, ss 3 0 0 0 1 0
Mangual, dh 2 1 0 0 1 1

Batting

2B - Brinling, Chapman

RBI - Santiago, Furry 3, Leinenbach 2, Gerteisen

GDP - Gerteisen

HBP - Brinling, Bryan, Furry, Stubbs

Baserunning

SB - Santiago, Bryan, Chapman

CS - Brinling, Santiago

Pitching

Name IP H R ER BB SO
Foster, W 7.0 1 2 2 5 2
Donay 1.0 1 0 0 0 3
Brown 1.0 0 0 0 1 0

Wild Pitches - Foster

Pitches/Strikes - Foster 80/42, Donay 15/11, Brown 12/7

Groundouts/Flyouts - Foster 11/7, Brown 0/3

Batters Faced - Foster 26, Donay 4, Brown 4

Scoring Plays

Bottom 2nd

Andrew Leinenbach singled through the right side, RBI. Michael Furry advanced to second. Logan Chapman scored.

Bottom 3rd

Gabriel Santiago singled to right center, RBI. Austin Brinling advanced to third. Hector Mangual scored.
Michael Furry hit by pitch, RBI. Logan Chapman advanced to second. Brooks Bryan advanced to third. Gabriel Santiago scored.
Andrew Leinenbach flied out to rf, SF, RBI. Brooks Bryan scored.
Tyler Gerteisen singled down the lf line, RBI. Michael Furry advanced to second. Logan Chapman scored.

Bottom 5th

Michael Furry singled to left center, RBI. Brooks Bryan scored.

Top 6th

Matthew Prevesk flied out to cf, SF, RBI. Jared Davis scored.

Bottom 7th

Michael Furry flied out to lf, SF, RBI. Logan Chapman advanced to third. Gabriel Santiago scored.

All Plays

Top 1st

Matthew Prevesk grounded out to 2b. 1 out
Tripp McKinley struck out swinging. 2 out
Todd Clay homered to left center, RBI.
Ian Farrow walked.
Brandon Fields struck out swinging, out at first c to 1b. 3 out

Bottom 1st

Austin Brinling grounded out to p, bunt. 1 out
Gabriel Santiago grounded out to ss. 2 out
Brooks Bryan struck out swinging. 3 out

Top 2nd

Santino Rao grounded out to 1b unassisted. 1 out
Michael Young flied out to ss. 2 out
Frank Micallef grounded out to p. 3 out

Bottom 2nd

Logan Chapman doubled to right center.
Michael Furry singled to third base, bunt. Logan Chapman advanced to third.
Andrew Leinenbach singled through the right side, RBI. Michael Furry advanced to second. Logan Chapman scored.
Tyler Gerteisen grounded into double play 2b to ss to 1b. Andrew Leinenbach out on the play. Michael Furry advanced to third. 2 out
Drew Stubbs hit by pitch.
Joseph Massa flied out to rf. 3 out

Top 3rd

Jared Davis flied out to lf. 1 out
Dalton Robinson flied out to rf. 2 out
Matthew Prevesk grounded out to 2b. 3 out

Bottom 3rd

Hector Mangual walked.
Austin Brinling doubled down the rf line. Hector Mangual advanced to third.
Gabriel Santiago singled to right center, RBI. Austin Brinling advanced to third. Hector Mangual scored.
Brooks Bryan reached on a fielder's choice to pitcher, advanced to second on the throw. Gabriel Santiago advanced to third on the throw. Austin Brinling out at home p to 3b to c to ss to p. 1 out
Logan Chapman intentionally walked.
Michael Furry hit by pitch, RBI. Logan Chapman advanced to second. Brooks Bryan advanced to third. Gabriel Santiago scored.
Andrew Leinenbach flied out to rf, SF, RBI. Brooks Bryan scored. 2 out
Tyler Gerteisen singled down the lf line, RBI. Michael Furry advanced to second. Logan Chapman scored.
Gaven Book replaces Jordan Huskey at pitcher.
Drew Stubbs fouled out to 1b. 3 out

Top 4th

Tripp McKinley lined out to lf. 1 out
Todd Clay grounded out to 2b. 2 out
Ian Farrow grounded out to 2b. 3 out

Bottom 4th

Joseph Massa walked.
Joseph Massa out at first p to 1b, picked off. 1 out
Hector Mangual popped up to 2b. 2 out
Austin Brinling walked.
Gabriel Santiago singled to left field. Austin Brinling advanced to second.
Gabriel Santiago out at second c to ss, caught stealing. 3 out

Top 5th

Brandon Fields grounded out to 3b. 1 out
Santino Rao walked.
Santino Rao advanced to second on a wild pitch.
Michael Young grounded out to ss. Santino Rao advanced to third. 2 out
Frank Micallef grounded out to 2b. 3 out

Bottom 5th

Brooks Bryan hit by pitch.
Logan Chapman struck out swinging. 1 out
Brooks Bryan stole second.
Brooks Bryan advanced to third on a wild pitch.
Michael Furry singled to left center, RBI. Brooks Bryan scored.
Andrew Leinenbach flied out to ss. 2 out
Jake Feffer replaces Gaven Book at pitcher.
Tyler Gerteisen walked. Michael Furry advanced to second.
Drew Stubbs flied out to cf. 3 out

Top 6th

Jared Davis walked.
Jared Davis advanced to second on a balk.
Dalton Robinson grounded out to p, SAC, bunt. Jared Davis advanced to third. 1 out
Matthew Prevesk flied out to cf, SF, RBI. Jared Davis scored. 2 out
Tripp McKinley fouled out to 1b. 3 out

Bottom 6th

Joseph Massa popped up to 1b. 1 out
Hector Mangual struck out swinging. 2 out
Austin Brinling hit by pitch.
Austin Brinling out at second p to 1b to ss, caught stealing. 3 out

Top 7th

Todd Clay grounded out to 2b. 1 out
Ian Farrow walked.
Ian Farrow out at second c to 2b, caught stealing. 2 out
Brandon Fields walked.
Santino Rao flied out to cf. 3 out

Bottom 7th

M Demo replaces Jake Feffer at pitcher.
Gabriel Santiago walked.
Gabriel Santiago stole second.
Brooks Bryan struck out swinging. 1 out
Logan Chapman singled down the rf line. Gabriel Santiago advanced to third.
Logan Chapman stole second.
Michael Furry flied out to lf, SF, RBI. Logan Chapman advanced to third. Gabriel Santiago scored. 2 out
Billy Duby replaces M Demo at pitcher.
Andrew Leinenbach flied out to lf. 3 out

Top 8th

Tyler Donay replaces Daniel Foster at pitcher.
Michael Young struck out looking. 1 out
Frank Micallef struck out swinging. 2 out
Jared Davis singled to center field.
Dalton Robinson struck out swinging. 3 out

Bottom 8th

Tyler Gerteisen out at first 1b to p. 1 out
Drew Stubbs lined out to rf. 2 out
Joseph Massa grounded out to 3b. 3 out

Top 9th

Ryan Brown replaces Tyler Donay at pitcher.
Matthew Prevesk fouled out to 3b. 1 out
Tripp McKinley walked.
Todd Clay flied out to cf. 2 out
Ian Farrow fouled out to 1b. 3 out

Bottom 9th

400 Franchise win.
Daniel Foster named series MVP. 3 out

Leesburg Lightning are the 2024 FCSL Champions!