Leesburg baseball: Lightning's season ends with loss in championship series

Tom Cavanaugh
·2 min read

SANFORD — The Leesburg Lightning ended their season with a heartbreaking 11-3 eight-inning mercy rule loss to the Winter Park Diamond Dawgs in a deciding Game 3 of the FCSL Championship Series.

Winter Park led the entire game Sunday night as they took an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. After a five-run fourth inning, the Dawgs led 7-0 and coasted to victory, capturing their sixth FCSL championship.

In the eighth inning, Winter Park would score another four runs to extend their lead to eight runs, sealing the run-rule victory as Leesburg failed to record an out in the inning. It was an absolute downpour of offense as the Dawgs put together 11 runs on 14 hits.

The Lightning showed a bit of fight in the top of the seventh inning as center fielder Austin Brinling (North Florida) pulled a ball down the right field line with a pair of runners on base for a two-run triple to put Leesburg on the board. The very next batter, second baseman Gabriel Santiago (Coker) drove in the third run with an infield hit.

Eight different pitchers would throw for Leesburg in the loss as left-hander Matt Dadlani (College of Central Florida) made the start and was given the loss as he allowed two runs on four hits through two and a third innings.

The Leesburg Lightning and Winter Park Diamond Dawgs shake hands for the last time after the Dawgs win the FCSL Championship at Sanford Memorial Stadium on July 31, 2022. The Diamond Dawgs won 11-3.
The Leesburg Lightning and Winter Park Diamond Dawgs shake hands for the last time after the Dawgs win the FCSL Championship at Sanford Memorial Stadium on July 31, 2022. The Diamond Dawgs won 11-3.

Tanner Walker (St. Johns River), Amir Asghar (Bethune Cookman), Justin Gay (Pasco Hernando), Ivan VanBeverhoudt Jr. (Anderson), Mason Morello (West Point/Army), Casey Daiss (Pasco Hernando) and Connor Gleeson (Gardner Webb) would all pitch in the contest.

Gay went the longest of any reliever, hurling two and a third innings, allowing just two hits and striking out five. He finishes the season as the winningest pitcher in the Florida League with a 6-1 overall record.

The Bolts complete their summer with a 26-13 record and finish second overall in the regular season and runner-up in the FCSL Championship. This playoff run marks the third-straight championship series for Leesburg.

It was another successful season for the coaching staff — Rich Billings, Rich Billings Sr., Matthew Coles and Jarrett Backus. Leesburg will return bigger and better in 2023 for another championship run.  

This article originally appeared on Daily Commercial: Leesburg Lightning baseball team ends season one win shy of FCSL title