Lightning Win Big Over Winter Park

LEESBURG, Fla.- The Leesburg Lightning (19-9) cruised to a 10-2 run-rule win over the Winter Park Diamond Dawgs (10-17) at home on Tuesday night, extending their lead in first place of the Florida League. 

The Lightning offense backed a phenomenal performance from starting pitcher Daniel Foster (Palm Beach Atlantic) with a solid performance themselves, as Leesburg put up four runs in the first three innings to jump out to a 4-0 lead. 

Foster would continue to pitch into the fifth inning, giving up only one hit in the shutout performance. 

“I just felt really comfortable in the starting role, which is something I’m not used to since I’m usually a relief pitcher,” Foster said. “I just kept a clear head with the early lead and really had all three of my pitches working really well.”

The Lightning would solidify Foster’s chances of getting the win in the bottom half of the fifth inning, tacking on two more runs, highlighted by an RBI triple by Austin Brinling (South Carolina), extending the Lightning lead to 6-0. 

Leesburg would tack on two more runs in the sixth inning, on a RBI single from Joseph Massa (Samford) and a sacrifice fly from Michael Furry (St. Johns River State) to give the Lightning an 8-0 lead.

After giving up their first two runs of the game in the seventh inning, the Lightning responded with a run in the bottom half of the inning on a wild pitch that scored Brooks Bryan (Troy), and then Riley Fitzgerald (Flagler) put the nail in Winter Park’s coffin in the eighth inning, hitting a “walk-off” RBI single, giving Leesburg a 10-2 run-rule victory. 

The Lightning head into the three-day all-star break sitting first in the Florida League standing, holding 1.5 game lead over second place Sanford. Leesburg is 17-3 in their last 20 games, which has propelled them into the position they are in.

“These guys are just super resilient, the season had a chance to go south early on, but these guys did not let it go in that direction,” Leesburg Lightning Head Coach Rich Billings said. “They really get along well and are a selfless group that doesn’t care about lineup adjustments, they do what is needed to win.”

Following the break, the Lightning will be back in action Saturday at home against the Orlando Snappers. First pitch is scheduled for 7 PM at Pat Thomas Stadium in Leesburg, Florida. 

(Carter Mansfield, Austin Peay State University)

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