Lightning Force Extras But Fall 5-4

LEESBURG, Fla- The Leesburg Lightning (15-10) have only lost two home games that were played in their entirety at Pat Thomas Stadium. Monday night marked the second of the season, with both of them coming to the Winter Garden Squeeze (13-14), the latest a 5-4 heartbreaker in extra innings.

After a lengthy lightning delay that lasted an hour and 47 minutes, the teams got underway for an abbreviated seven-inning game. The Squeeze struck first, as Jacob Nemith (West Alabama) ripped a double down the third base line. Two batters later, Joseph Charles (UNC) scored him on an RBI single. Despite walking the next two, Tyler Tipton (FGCU) got out of the jam with a groundout. 

After pitching a clean third inning, things got dicey in the fourth for Tipton. Once again, Nemith doubled down the third base line and Charles knocked him in with a single. Unfortunately, the damage didn’t stop there, with an error and hit by pitch knocking Tipton out of the game. Evan Waterbor (FAU) would walk in two runs before closing out the frame, giving the Squeeze a 4-0 lead. Despite allowing four runs, only half of those were charged to Tipton, who allowed four hits and struck out four through three and two thirds. Assistant Coach Matt Swiderski was happy with what he saw from both Tipton and Waterbor.

“Tipton was fantastic. He had one rough inning, but he did a good job of throwing strikes.” said Swiderski. “Evan is just electric.”

On the other side, Ethan Brown (USF) was lights out for the Squeeze. The two-time FCSL pitcher of the week allowed just two base runners through the first three innings, while punching out four and maintaining a no-hitter. Cam Hill (Georgia College & State) quickly broke that up to open the fourth however, crushing his first home run of the season into right to make it 4-1 Squeeze.

Pitching would dominate for the next two innings, with Evan Waterbor and Matthew Coles (Carson Newman) combining to allow just one base runner and four strikeouts over that frame. Meanwhile, Brown put up another scoreless inning to get him into the sixth. After Brett Kelly (UNCG) singled and then advanced to third on a stolen base and throwing error, Brown walked Clay Stearns (Troy). Having thrown over 90 pitches, Squeeze head coach Terry Abbott replaced Brown with Carson Crossley (Seminole State). Despite walking Travis Stapleton (UNF), Crossley recorded a strikeout to end the inning and leave the bases stranded. Brown finished the game with nine strikeouts over five and two-thirds innings of one-run baseball.

With their backs against the wall, the Leesburg bats woke up in the seventh. After a walk, single and hit-by-pitch loaded up the bases, a Naphis Llanos (Francis Marion) walk scored a run. A subsequent single and fielder’s choice, respectively, by Brett Kelly and Cam Hill tied the game up at four. Despite having runners on the corners, Crossley induced a popup to send the Lightning to their second extra-inning game of the season.

With a runner on second according to open extra innings, an inaccurate throw from third scored Jacob Nemith to make it 5-4 Squeeze. It was the third error of the game and the ninth in the last three games for the Lightning, who have been the league’s best defense all season. Zach Henderson (Valdosta State) was charged with an unearned run, his first of the season. His two innings pitched set a new season high.

The Lightning entered the bottom of the seventh down one and facing Carson Crossley after a miscommunication forced him to go back on the mound instead of Jordan Winston (Lynn), who was warmed up and set to enter the game. A Travis Stapleton single put the tying run in Stearns, who started the inning on second, 90 feet away. A Robbie Scott grounder and an accurate throw home from first cooked Stearns, preserving the lead for the Squeeze. Despite loading the bases on a walk, the Lightning couldn’t not complete the comeback in extras, striking out to leave the bases juiced. Both teams left the bases full of opportunities, with the Squeeze stranding 12 runners and the Lightning stranding 11 for the game, including nine over the last three frames.

The Lightning, who were burned by their late offense on Saturday, we’re the victims to it once again on Monday. Coach Swiderski knows there are both positives and negatives to that.

“The guys stay locked in for the entire game, so that’s not the issue. It becomes ‘when are we gonna string some hits together’ and ‘when is it gonna be that time’ and lately it’s been coming at the end of the game… scoring in the eighth and ninth is good, but we have to do it earlier.” said Swiderski.

The Lightning are back at home on Tuesday to face the last-place Seminole County Snappers (8-18), who Leesburg just took two of three from this past weekend. Jackson Spiller (FAU) is expected to get the start.

Matias Weilmann (Ithaca College)

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