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LEESBURG, Fla. - For the Sanford River Rats, Friday night’s loss to the Leesburg Lightning is one that they will want to put behind them for good.  After an 8-6 defeat at home on Opening Day, the Rats headed to Leesburg, dropping the second game of the season by a final score of 25-3.  The game was called after seven innings due to the run rule put into effect by the FCSL.

Across the entire game, one common theme seemed to plague to the Rats pitchers in Friday’s contest: erratic control.  The Sanford staff gave up a total of 17 walks across the seven innings, and Leesburg made the Rats pay for all of the free passes.  Combined with four hit batters and eight wild pitches, it simply was not Sanford’s night, regardless of who Rats manager Jesse Litsch put on the mound.

The lone runs from the River Rats all came in the fourth inning, the first of which came as a result of a long solo home run to right field by Jalen Hairston (Kentucky).  Xavier Lopez (Daytona State) would later score on a fielder’s choice, and Anthony Cole (Pasco Hernando State) crossed the plate after a wild pitch.

As for the Lightning, they plated six runs during the second inning, but by far their best inning was the fifth, where they batted through the lineup twice and drove in 14.  That tally broke the record for the most runs scored in a single inning in Lightning history.  Leesburg also set a new record for runs in a single game with their total of 25.

The Rats return to Pat Thomas Stadium in Leesburg for the series finale Saturday night at 7 p.m.  Left-hander Austin Waring (USF) gets the nod for Sanford, while the Lightning starter has yet to be determined.

Noah Chavez (Arizona State)