News

 

SANFORD, Fla. - Even though Mother Nature did not cooperate on Thursday night, Friday was a beautiful day for baseball as the Sanford River Rats played host to the Orlando Snappers in a doubleheader.  Because of the changes in scheduling, both games on Friday were shortened to seven innings each, rather than the usual nine.  Sanford, after earning a comeback win in their previous game against Winter Park, kept their momentum rolling as they earned the doubleheader sweep.  The Rats were able to win via the FCSL run rule, 10-1, in Game 1, while a more closely contested Game 2 also went the way of Sanford, with the Rats coming out on top, 3-2.

 

Game 1 - After getting the Opening Day nod for the Rats against Leesburg last week, Corey Peters (Lake Sumter State) took the mound for his second appearance of the season, and he did not disappoint.  Peters was incredibly efficient in his five innings of work, carry a no-hitter through the first four frames, while also striking out five.

 

As for Orlando, they countered with Nicholas Schinina (Middle Georgia State), but things were not as smooth for the Snappers starter.  In the first inning, the Rats put up two runs, courtesy of a Matt Rose (USF) RBI triple and a Stewart Puckett (USF) sacrifice fly.  The Rats added on to their lead two innings later, as Jalen Hairston (Kentucky) would drive in a run with a sacrifice fly of his own to make it 3-0.

 

Things would continue to go Sanford’s way in the fourth, as they sent 13 hitters to the plate in what would turn out to be a seven run inning for the Rats.  Xavier Lopez (Daytona State) tallied two hits, and Rose collected two more RBIs with a single, as Orlando relievers Nathan Tinder (Rollins College) and Braden Rapp (Northwest Florida State) struggled.  In that inning alone, Sanford batters forced the two pitchers to throw 52 pitches, drawing four walks in the process, along with five hits.

 

With the lead greater than eight and the game headed into the fifth, the FCSL run rule was now just three outs away from coming into effect, so Jesse Litsch sent Peters back out to the mound to try and finish the game.  Although he would allow a run to come across, Peters was able to toss the complete game, going the full five innings, and helping Sanford come out victorious 10-1.

 

Game 2 - Following a 40 minute break after the conclusion of Game 1, Game 2 began, with the Snappers serving as the designated home team this time around.  Brett Dennis (Undecided) got the start for Orlando, and Brady Burgess (East Georgia College) countered for Sanford.

 

While the first two innings were mostly uneventful on both sides, the bottom of the third provided the first runs of the game, with Kevin Smith (Louisville) driving in a pair of runners on an RBI triple, giving the Snappers a 2-0 lead.  The Rats fought back in the fourth, however, as a Stweart Puckett double put Matt Rose in scoring position at third, and he would eventually come around to score and cut the deficit to 2-1.

 

Sebastian Martinez (Young Harris) and Luis Prieto (Undecided) would each toss scoreless outings over the next few innings, holding things down until Sanford finally broke through for more runs in the sixth.  A pair of walks, along with a few wild pitches and stolen bases, would allow two Rats to score in the inning, and give them the lead for the first time in Game 2.  Now, in a familiar situation with just a one-run lead, the Rats decided to make the same move they did in Tuesday’s game, turning to Andrew Lepine (Stetson) to close the game out.

 

Orlando wasted no time in trying to get to Lepine, but the Sanford closer recorded two quick outs on his first two pitches of the outing.  Titus Woods (Hillsborough CC) would be the last chance for the Snappers, but Lepine was able to retire him as well, needing just eight pitches to record his second save of the week.

 

Speaking with River Rats head coach Jesse Litsch after the two wins, he praised his team’s performance, admiring their ability to bounce back over the past week and play well in all three phases of the game.  Looking ahead to Saturday’s game, Litsch expects more of the same from the pitching staff, expecting the Sanford hurlers to pound the strike zone and trusts that his defense will continue to make plays.

 

“We have a bunch of guys that are ready to play,” said Litsch.  “They’re out here, grinding, and winning is always fun, but it’s all about doing it the right way and having fun.”

 

As for who will get the start Saturday, Austin Waring (USF) is scheduled to take the ball for the River Rats, while Anthony DeVita (Rollins College) will oppose for the Snappers.  First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. from Historic Sanford Memorial Stadium.

 

Noah Chavez (Arizona State)