Snaps Slam First Two Homers of the Season in First Win
ORLANDO, Fla—The Orlando Snappers (1-5) finally got into the win column. The team hit their first two homeruns of the season in the same game. Defeating the DeLand Suns (2-3) 5-3 at Lake Highland Prep.
Tyler McKenna (New Orleans) drove in four runs on one hit and a fielders choice. That one hit was a three-run bomb over the right field wall in the first inning. “I’ve been struggling a little bit so when I saw that fastball middle in, I wasn’t going to miss it”. McKenna got things started on the right foot for the Snappers.
11 punchouts, just five walks for Orlando in this game. A far cry from the team numbers from previous games this season. “Our pitchers gave us a chance to win”. Head Coach Terry Abbott has said all season that they haven’t been playing winning baseball. Tuesday night was a different story.
Juan Mercado (Vassar) completed a six out save throwing two shutout innings. Mercado had appeared in two games prior to Tuesday night. Both of which were games that the Snappers were down by four or more runs. “I wasn’t looking at the scoreboard I was just looking at how he was pitching. I thought he pitched well so I gave it to him again”. Abbott has been putting trust in his staff to work through big moments all year.
Five players in this lineup had multi-hit games on Tuesday night. One of which was Jeissy De La Cruz (New Orleans). A college teammate of McKenna who hit the first homerun of the day. De La Cruz hit a solo shot in the 5th inning to go up by three runs. He finished the day 3-4 with three runs scored and an RBI.
The Snaps hold the highest batting average and have the most total bases in the league. Positive regression in the win department should be right around the corner for Orlando.
The Snappers get a much-needed rest day after playing six straight days. Their next game is scheduled for Thursday June 8th. They’ll go on the road to take on the Winter Garden Squeeze (4-1). They defeated the Leesburg Lightning (2-3) 7-2 Tuesday night. Orlando @ Winter Garden will take place at 11 AM EST.
Jackson Faulknor (Full Sail University)
