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DELAND, Fla.- The Winter Garden Squeeze scored three in the first and then added five more runs in the third, and never looked back to hand the DeLand Suns their second straight loss. 

Tobey McDonough (Brown) started for DeLand, and gave up back-to-back singles to Jeissy De La Cruz (New Orleans) and Edgar Alvarez (Seminole State) in the top of the first. Bryce Jackson (Frostburg State) struck out swinging for the second out, but Dale Thomas (Coastal Carolina) smoked a ground rule double into left to plate De La Cruz. Jacob Nemith (West Alabama) then attacked the first pitch he saw from McDonough and drove home two more runs, advancing to second on the throw home.

Ethan Brown (USF) got the ball for the Squeeze, and he walked the bases loaded, then walked Tim Dixon (Arkansas-Little Rock) to bring home a run. Brown was able to strike out Sean McArdle (Daytona State) to leave the bases loaded in the bottom of the first.

McDonough worked a 1-2-3 second, then DeLand made it a 3-2 game thanks to a fielder’s choice off the bat of Ray Sass (Brown) to bring in Dominic Scavone (Stetson). 

The top half of the third proved to be the big inning for Winter Garden.

Hudson Hartsfield (Troy) ripped a first-pitch double, swiped third, then scored on a De La Cruz single. Alvarez reached on an error, and Bryce Jackson then made DeLand pay with a 2 RBI double to score De La Cruz and Alvarez. 

Dale Thomas reached on another error, and Jacob Nemith followed him with a single to load the bases. McDonough struck out Kaden Luttermoser (U of West Florida) for the first out of the inning. JC Peacher (Georgia Southern) hit into a fielder's choice to bring in Bryce Jackson, and Dale Thomas also came home on an error. Noah Hughes punched a single into right field with two on and two out, but Evan St. Claire (Siena) gunned down JC Peacher at the plate to end the inning with DeLand down 8-2.

Pitching coach John Fulgham noted after the game that McDonough’s extended first inning got him worn down early. 
“The second time around is when fatigue usually is an issue, especially when you haven’t pitched a lot all year which none of the Ivy League kids did at all.” Fulgham said.

DeLand made three errors in that five run third inning, and four total in the game.

Head coach Mike Powers summed it up succinctly after the game, stating “You can’t put four errors on the board and win. We’ve got to play better defense.”

The Suns got a run back in the bottom of the fourth, when Trevor Sheehan (Undecided) ripped a double down the left field line to bring in Bryce Mordecki (Siena) from first.

The two bullpens traded zeroes from the fifth through the seventh innings. DeLand got two scoreless frames from Evan Mastromauro (Stetson) and Drew Leinenbach (UNF), both of whom were making their pitching debuts in the Florida League.

Mastromauro followed up McDonough and allowed two hits but no runs, striking out a pair of hitters along the way. Leinenbach came on after him, and struck out three in two no-hit innings.

“They did a really good job...you gotta give them props,” Fulgham said about the two incoming freshmen. 

Fulgham added that the key for the freshmen in having success in their first time facing college bats was simple.

“They were able to breathe,” Fulgham explained with a laugh. “It’s 50 percent adrenaline, 50 percent nerves, so if I can get them to throw without holding their breath, we win.”

For Winter Garden, the Squeeze turned the ball over to Joshua Finn (Daytona State) who held the Suns bats in check over three innings, allowing just a pair of hits.

Both teams scored in the eighth inning. The Squeeze’s Kaden Luttermoser got on first on an error, then stole second. JC Peacher walked behind him, then both men moved up a base on a wild pitch.

Noah Hughes hit a soft one-hopper to Ray Sass who went to second to try and start a double play, but Hughes hustled down the line and beat out the return throw while Luttermoser scored to make it 9-3 Squeeze.

Jordan Winston (Lynn) came on out of the bullpen in the bottom half of the eighth, and walked Sass to start the inning. Sass stole second then moved to third on an overthrow. Kruzinski brought Sass home with a single through the right side, and Winston’s night ended after he walked Evan St. Claire.

Colby Masters (Wallace State) got the ball from head coachTerry Abbott to face Burke. DeLand dialed up the double steal with Kruzinski and St. Claire to get them to second and third, then Burke grounded out to short to score Kruzinski on the fielder's choice 

Logan Griffith (NC A&T) struck out two of three in the top of the ninth, but Masters did the same in the bottom half of the inning to secure the Winter Garden win. Joshua Finn earned the win on his record, while Tobey McDonough took the loss. 

Both teams are back in action on Friday in DeLand, although it will be a home game for Winter Garden. First pitch is at 7pm.

Ben Carlton (Ithaca College)