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WINTER PARK, Fla – The Sanford River Rats picked up a 10-8 win against the Winter Park Diamond Dawgs on Tuesday night, forcing a decisive game three in their FCSL semi-final series.

Sanford jumped out to an early lead as Jeff Liquori (Florida Southern) scored on a wild pitch in the second inning.

Demetrious Vizcarra (Pasco Hernando) threw two scoreless innings in his start before giving way to the bullpen. Vizcarra worked out of a bases loaded jam in the first, inducing a comebacker from Brody Drost (LSU) to end the inning. Drost was ahead in the count 3-0 before Vizcarra was able to bounce back, working his way to a full count to escape the inning unscathed.

Winter Park took their first lead of the game in the bottom of the fifth, as three runs came across to score on a pair of hits. Payton Carr (High Point) delivered with a two-run single to left to put the Dawgs ahead.

The Rats answered back in the top of the sixth, scoring four runs and taking a 5-3 lead as Garett Wallace (East Tennessee) blasted a three-run homer over the left field fence. The Dawgs would tie the game at 5-5 in the bottom of the inning, as Grant Berman (NYU) drove in two runs on a single to center field.

Sanford took the lead for good in the seventh, as Brennan Holt (LSU) came through with a two-run single into left center. Holt had the go-ahead sacrifice fly on July 19 in the Rats previous game at Bishop Moore.

A two-run homer by Alex Milazzo (LSU) in the eighth would end up being the difference in the game, as the catcher went 3-3 at the plate with a walk.

“I just really simplified everything at the plate, started getting my pitch and started laying off the bad pitches,” Milazzo said.

In total, Sanford pitchers would strand 16 runners on the bases, their highest total of the season.

“The biggest thing is limiting the walks… getting the leadoff guys out… really fill up the zone and our pitchers did a really great job of that tonight,” Milazzo added.

Both staffs would pitch under pressure throughout the entire game as 48 total runners would reach base safely. The Rats would account for 21 of those runners while 27 Dawgs reached base. Winter Park stranded the bases loaded in the first and fourth innings. The only clean half inning of the game came in the top of the ninth as Jackson Mills (Rollins) worked through a 1-2-3 inning.

Alex Goff earned the win for the Rats, throwing 2.1 innings of relief without allowing an earned run. Goff now leads the Rats with four wins over the course of the regular season and playoff run. Sanford improved to 4-0 at Bishop Moore this summer with their win on Tuesday.

The decisive final game of the best of three series will take place Wednesday night at Historic Sanford Memorial Stadium with first pitch set for 7:00. The winner will move on to the finals to take on the Leesburg Lightning who swept their semifinal series against the DeLand Suns.

Andrew Pawling (Florida Southern)