Lightning Unable To Keep Up Offensively In Third Straight Loss
SANFORD, Fla.-The Leesburg Lightning (2-4) were handed their third consecutive loss Thursday night, this time at the hand of the Sanford River Rats (6-0) by a score of 14-6.
The Lightning once again found themselves in a hole early, as a second inning that included a grand slam for Sanford propelled the River Rats to a 7-1 lead. Getting down early has been a major issue in Leesburg’s early season struggles.
“It’s a tough stretch right now, but I’m trying to get these guys to understand that this is just something that we’re going through,” Leesburg Lightning Head Coach Rich Billings said. “I believe that every team in this league is going to go through a tough time and lose some games and it is hurting our confidence, but fortunately we’re getting that tough stretch out of the way early in the season instead of later on.”
Sanford’s grand slam gave the River Rats a lead that they would never relinquish, tallying seven more runs on the night, an offensive pace that the Lightning just could not keep up with.
Leesburg found more offensive production than they have in the last few games, scoring six runs on eight hits, but it was just not enough to stay in the game.
“We’ve got some good players that are just struggling right now,” Billings said. “When you’re struggling, a lot of players get outside of themselves and try to do extra and we don’t need them to do extra, we just need them to be themselves.”
One thing that the Lightning have not struggled with is speed on the basepaths, and Leesburg got even more help in that department with the addition of Michael Furry (St. Johns River State), who made his season debut Thursday night after playing in the Junior College World Series last week. He singled, stole a base, and made several nice defensive plays in center field in his season debut, after playing for the Lightning last season as well.
“He (Furry) is a really special player that shows up to play every single day,” Billings said. “He’s extremely talented, you talk about the speed, he’s one of the fastest guys I have ever coached.”
Tyler Gerteisen (North Florida) also continued his hot start to the season, going a perfect two-for-two with a walk and a stolen base. Gerteisen is one of the leaders in the Florida League in batting average, hitting at a .529 clip.
The Lightning and River Rats will continue their three-game series with a matchup in Leesburg at Pat Thomas Stadium on Friday night. First pitch is set for 7 PM.
(Carter Mansfield, Austin Peay State University)
Carter Mansfield - 06/09/23 2:18am
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Batting
| Name |
AB |
R |
H |
RBI |
BB |
SO |
|
Santiago, 2b |
3 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
|
Gerteisen, dh |
2 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
|
Chapman, dh |
4 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
|
Niu, 3b |
4 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|
Sadler, 1b |
3 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
Leinenbach, rf |
2 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
|
Furry, cf |
3 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
Massa, ss |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
|
Stubbs, c |
3 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
Fitzgerald, lf |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
Batting
RBI - Santiago, Chapman 2, Niu, Massa, Stubbs
GDP - Niu
Baserunning
SB - Santiago 2, Gerteisen 2, Leinenbach, Furry
Fielding
E - Fitzgerald, Santiago
Pitching
Wild Pitches - Boroski, Trautner 2
Pitches/Strikes - Boroski 53/32, Rodriguez 47/21, Trautner 18/12, Tipmore 26/16
Groundouts/Flyouts - Boroski 1/1, Rodriguez 1/1, Trautner 2/0, Tipmore 1/1
Batters Faced - Boroski 14, Rodriguez 11, Trautner 6, Tipmore 7
Batting
| Name |
AB |
R |
H |
RBI |
BB |
SO |
| Taylor, cf |
3 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
1 |
1 |
| Smith, rf |
1 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
| Hujsak, lf |
3 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
| Collins, 1b |
4 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
| Woodburn, 2b |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
| Shamus, 3b |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Puckett, 3b |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| Warde, ph/3b |
2 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Hodges, dh |
3 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
| Bowen, dh |
3 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
| McKenzie, c |
3 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
| Russo, c |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Trivella, ss |
3 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
Batting
2B - Hujsak, Warde 2, Hodges, McKenzie
HR - Taylor, Hujsak
RBI - Taylor 4, Smith, Hujsak 2, Collins 2, Hodges, Bowen, McKenzie, Trivella
HBP - Hodges
Baserunning
SB - Smith 2, Hujsak
Fielding
E - Shamus, Taylor
Pitching
| Name |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
SO |
| Weaver |
3.0 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
| Fisher, W |
1.0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
| Diaz |
3.0 |
4 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
Pitches/Strikes - Weaver 66/40, Fisher 22/11, Diaz 60/40
Groundouts/Flyouts - Weaver 4/2, Fisher 1/1, Diaz 3/2
Batters Faced - Weaver 15, Fisher 4, Diaz 15
Lightning
Batting
| Name |
AB |
R |
H |
RBI |
BB |
SO |
|
Santiago, 2b |
3 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
|
Gerteisen, dh |
2 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
|
Chapman, dh |
4 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
|
Niu, 3b |
4 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|
Sadler, 1b |
3 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
Leinenbach, rf |
2 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
|
Furry, cf |
3 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
Massa, ss |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
|
Stubbs, c |
3 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
Fitzgerald, lf |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
Batting
RBI - Santiago, Chapman 2, Niu, Massa, Stubbs
GDP - Niu
Baserunning
SB - Santiago 2, Gerteisen 2, Leinenbach, Furry
Fielding
E - Fitzgerald, Santiago
Pitching
Wild Pitches - Boroski, Trautner 2
Pitches/Strikes - Boroski 53/32, Rodriguez 47/21, Trautner 18/12, Tipmore 26/16
Groundouts/Flyouts - Boroski 1/1, Rodriguez 1/1, Trautner 2/0, Tipmore 1/1
Batters Faced - Boroski 14, Rodriguez 11, Trautner 6, Tipmore 7
River Rats
Batting
| Name |
AB |
R |
H |
RBI |
BB |
SO |
| Taylor, cf |
3 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
1 |
1 |
| Smith, rf |
1 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
| Hujsak, lf |
3 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
| Collins, 1b |
4 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
| Woodburn, 2b |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
| Shamus, 3b |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Puckett, 3b |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| Warde, ph/3b |
2 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Hodges, dh |
3 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
| Bowen, dh |
3 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
| McKenzie, c |
3 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
| Russo, c |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Trivella, ss |
3 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
Batting
2B - Hujsak, Warde 2, Hodges, McKenzie
HR - Taylor, Hujsak
RBI - Taylor 4, Smith, Hujsak 2, Collins 2, Hodges, Bowen, McKenzie, Trivella
HBP - Hodges
Baserunning
SB - Smith 2, Hujsak
Fielding
E - Shamus, Taylor
Pitching
| Name |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
SO |
| Weaver |
3.0 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
| Fisher, W |
1.0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
| Diaz |
3.0 |
4 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
Pitches/Strikes - Weaver 66/40, Fisher 22/11, Diaz 60/40
Groundouts/Flyouts - Weaver 4/2, Fisher 1/1, Diaz 3/2
Batters Faced - Weaver 15, Fisher 4, Diaz 15
Scoring Plays
Bottom 1st
Connor Hujsak doubled to right center, ground-rule, RBI. JQuann Smith scored.
Nicholas Collins singled to right field, RBI. Connor Hujsak scored.
Top 2nd
Drew Stubbs singled to left field, RBI. Joseph Massa advanced to second. Michael Furry advanced to third, out at home lf to c. Andrew Leinenbach scored.
Bottom 2nd
Nelson Taylor homered to right field, 4 RBI. Mario Trivella scored. Jacob McKenzie scored. Dylan Bowen scored.
Nicholas Collins singled to left field, RBI. JQuann Smith scored.
Top 3rd
Logan Chapman grounded out to ss, RBI. Gabriel Santiago scored.
Maika Niu grounded out to 2b, RBI. Tyler Gerteisen scored.
Bottom 3rd
Mario Trivella singled to left field, advanced to second on an error by lf, RBI. Dylan Bowen advanced to second, advanced to third on the error. Clayton Hodges scored.
JQuann Smith walked, RBI. Nelson Taylor advanced to second. Mario Trivella advanced to third. Dylan Bowen scored, unearned.
Top 4th
Joseph Massa grounded out to ss, RBI. Andrew Leinenbach scored, unearned.
Bottom 5th
Clayton Hodges doubled to center field, RBI. Jaiden Warde scored.
Jacob McKenzie doubled to right field, RBI. Clayton Hodges scored.
Jacob McKenzie scored on a wild pitch.
Top 7th
Gabriel Santiago singled to third base, RBI. Riley Fitzgerald advanced to second. Joseph Massa scored.
Logan Chapman singled to right field, RBI. Tyler Gerteisen advanced to second. Gabriel Santiago advanced to third. Riley Fitzgerald scored.
Bottom 7th
Dylan Bowen singled to left field, RBI. Jaiden Warde scored.
All Plays
Top 1st
Gabriel Santiago flied out to 2b.
1 out
Tyler Gerteisen singled to right field.
Logan Chapman grounded out to 3b. Tyler Gerteisen advanced to second.
2 out
Maika Niu grounded out to 3b.
3 out
Bottom 1st
Nelson Taylor struck out swinging.
1 out
JQuann Smith advanced to second on an error by p.
Connor Hujsak doubled to right center, ground-rule, RBI. JQuann Smith scored.
Nicholas Collins singled to right field, RBI. Connor Hujsak scored.
Nicholas Collins advanced to second on a wild pitch.
Nicholas Collins advanced to third on a balk.
Brayden Woodburn struck out looking.
2 out
Stewart Puckett grounded out to 2b.
3 out
Top 2nd
Cade Sadler struck out swinging.
1 out
Andrew Leinenbach singled to shortstop.
Michael Furry singled to center field. Andrew Leinenbach advanced to second.
Michael Furry stole second. Andrew Leinenbach stole third.
Drew Stubbs singled to left field, RBI. Joseph Massa advanced to second. Michael Furry advanced to third, out at home lf to c. Andrew Leinenbach scored.
2 out
Riley Fitzgerald struck out looking.
3 out
Bottom 2nd
Clayton Hodges flied out to cf.
1 out
Dylan Bowen singled to left field.
Jacob McKenzie singled to center field. Dylan Bowen advanced to second.
Mario Trivella singled to left field. Jacob McKenzie advanced to second. Dylan Bowen advanced to third.
Nelson Taylor homered to right field, 4 RBI. Mario Trivella scored. Jacob McKenzie scored. Dylan Bowen scored.
JQuann Smith stole second.
Connor Hujsak stole second. JQuann Smith stole third.
Nicholas Collins singled to left field, RBI. JQuann Smith scored.
Danny Rodriguez replaces Clayton Boroski at pitcher.
Connor Hujsak out at second p to 2b, picked off.
2 out
Brayden Woodburn reached on a fielder's choice to shortstop. Nicholas Collins out at second ss to 2b.
3 out
Top 3rd
Gabriel Santiago stole second.
Tyler Gerteisen stole second. Gabriel Santiago stole third.
Logan Chapman grounded out to ss, RBI. Gabriel Santiago scored.
1 out
Tyler Gerteisen stole third.
Maika Niu grounded out to 2b, RBI. Tyler Gerteisen scored.
2 out
Cade Sadler fouled out to 1b.
3 out
Bottom 3rd
Stewart Puckett struck out looking.
1 out
Clayton Hodges hit by pitch.
Dylan Bowen walked. Clayton Hodges advanced to second.
Jacob McKenzie struck out swinging.
2 out
Mario Trivella singled to left field, advanced to second on an error by lf, RBI. Dylan Bowen advanced to second, advanced to third on the error. Clayton Hodges scored.
JQuann Smith walked, RBI. Nelson Taylor advanced to second. Mario Trivella advanced to third. Dylan Bowen scored, unearned.
Mario Trivella out at home c to p.
3 out
Top 4th
Lake Fisher replaces Jeremy Weaver at pitcher.
Andrew Leinenbach walked.
Andrew Leinenbach advanced to second on an error by p.
Andrew Leinenbach advanced to third on a balk.
Michael Furry struck out looking.
1 out
Joseph Massa grounded out to ss, RBI. Andrew Leinenbach scored, unearned.
2 out
Drew Stubbs flied out to lf.
3 out
Bottom 4th
Connor Hujsak struck out swinging.
1 out
Nicholas Collins flied out to 1b.
2 out
Brayden Woodburn struck out swinging.
3 out
Top 5th
Ethan Diaz replaces Lake Fisher at pitcher.
Gabriel Santiago flied out to ss.
1 out
Tyler Gerteisen grounded out to p, SAC, bunt. Riley Fitzgerald advanced to second.
2 out
Logan Chapman struck out looking.
3 out
Bottom 5th
Jace Trautner replaces Danny Rodriguez at pitcher.
Jaiden Warde replaces Stewart Puckett at pinch hitter.
Jaiden Warde doubled to left field.
Clayton Hodges doubled to center field, RBI. Jaiden Warde scored.
Dylan Bowen grounded out to 3b. Clayton Hodges advanced to third.
1 out
Jacob McKenzie doubled to right field, RBI. Clayton Hodges scored.
Mario Trivella struck out swinging.
2 out
Jacob McKenzie advanced to third on a wild pitch.
Jacob McKenzie scored on a wild pitch.
Nelson Taylor grounded out to 1b unassisted.
3 out
Top 6th
Jaiden Warde replaces at third base.
Maika Niu struck out swinging.
1 out
Cade Sadler singled to shortstop.
Andrew Leinenbach struck out looking.
2 out
Michael Furry fouled out to 1b.
3 out
Bottom 6th
Blake Tipmore replaces Jace Trautner at pitcher.
JQuann Smith struck out swinging.
1 out
Connor Hujsak homered to left field, RBI.
Nicholas Collins grounded out to ss.
2 out
Brayden Woodburn struck out looking.
3 out
Top 7th
Ronnie Shamus replaces Brayden Woodburn at third base.
Jaiden Warde replaces at second base.
Cole Russo replaces Jacob McKenzie at catcher.
Drew Stubbs reached on a fielder's choice to third base. Joseph Massa advanced to second on an error by 3b.
Riley Fitzgerald reached on a fielder's choice to second base. Drew Stubbs out at second 2b to ss. Joseph Massa advanced to third.
1 out
Gabriel Santiago singled to third base, RBI. Riley Fitzgerald advanced to second. Joseph Massa scored.
Tyler Gerteisen singled to left field. Gabriel Santiago advanced to second. Riley Fitzgerald advanced to third.
Logan Chapman singled to right field, RBI. Tyler Gerteisen advanced to second. Gabriel Santiago advanced to third. Riley Fitzgerald scored.
Maika Niu grounded into double play ss to 2b to 1b. Logan Chapman out on the play.
3 out
Bottom 7th
Jaiden Warde doubled to right field.
Clayton Hodges flied out to rf.
1 out
Dylan Bowen singled to left field, RBI. Jaiden Warde scored.
Game called for run rule.
3 out
