Lightning Shutout Sanford In Series Rubber Match

SANFORD, Fla.- The Leesburg Lightning (13-8) handed the Sanford River Rats (13-6) their first series loss of the season Saturday night, taking the rubber match at Sanford Memorial Stadium by a score of 3-0. 

Pitching and defense was the key for Leesburg, as the first four innings were scoreless between both teams. Nick Vieria (UCF) had some control issues early on, but was able to settle in and put together a phenomenal performance, pitching five shuout innings, striking out four, and allowing no hits on the night. 

“I just had to take a step back and slow the game down, I was just too amped up there at the start, so I just had to calm myself down,” Vieria said. “Once I calmed myself down in the second inning, I really locked it in after that.”

The Lightning finally broke through in the fifth inning, and an infield single by Drew Leinenbach (North Florida) scored Maika Niu (New Orleans) to give Leesburg a 1-0 lead. 

The Lightning would add on two more runs in the sixth inning on wild pitches that scored Hector Mangual (Undecided) and Austin Brinling (South Carolina) to extend the Leesburg lead to 3-0. 

Leesburg rode strong bullpen performances for that point on from Bryan Boully (Florida Atlantic), Evan Loeser (North Greenville), and Daniel Foster (Palm Beach Atlantic) to hold a usually strong Sanford offense to no runs on two hits for the game. 

“Nick (Vieria) really locked in and made an adjustment early on that allowed him to put together an awesome start,” Leesburg Lightning Head Coach Rich Billings said. “The pitching staff as a whole from the start of the season to now is a world of difference, and I think the biggest thing with that is that they are really commanding their off-speed pitches and you can get any college hitter out when you do that.”

The Lightning now only trail Sanford by one game for first place in the Florida league standings and have won 11 of their last 13 games. 

Next up for the Lightning will be a four-game series with the Winter Park Diamond Dawgs. The Lightning split the only other series played between the two teams, which was the opening series of the season for both teams. First pitch for game one of the series is set for Monday at 7 PM at Pat Thomas Stadium. 

(Carter Mansfield, Austin Peay State University)

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