Lightning Pitching Shines in 10-4 Win

SANFORD, Fla. – Behind a dominant pitching performance that produced 15 strikeouts, the Leesburg Lightning pulled away late for a 10-4 victory over the Sanford River Rats on Thursday night at Sanford Memorial Stadium.

After falling behind 1-0 in the first inning, Leesburg answered in the third. The Lightning capitalized on Sanford miscues and aggressive baserunning to score three runs and take a 3-1 lead. From there, the pitching staff took control, holding the River Rats largely in check through the middle innings.

Starter Bryan Burtoft struck out six batters over three innings while allowing one run on three hits. Gavin Dicks followed with an impressive debut, matching Burtoft with six strikeouts across three innings and earning the victory. Andre Bilbao Jr. added two scoreless innings out of the bullpen before Austin MacCardle closed out the win.

Leading 3-2 entering the seventh inning, Leesburg created separation with a two-run frame before adding two more runs in the eighth and three in the ninth. The Lightning scored seven of their 10 runs over the final three innings to put the game out of reach.

Cory Banasiak paced the offense with two hits and two RBIs. Dylan Green added an RBI, while Marcello Cortale contributed a sacrifice fly. Gabe Campos scored twice and continued to wreak havoc on the bases with four stolen bases, while KT Thompson swiped two bags of his own. As a team, the Lightning stole eight bases and drew six walks.

Although Leesburg collected just eight hits, the offense consistently pressured Sanford's defense, which committed seven errors. Turner Gross, Jack Waddingham, Campos, Green, Thompson and Charlie Keller all scored runs for the Lightning.

The pitching staff combined for 15 strikeouts and limited Sanford to four runs, setting the tone for Leesburg's fifth win of the season.

With the victory, the Lightning improved to 5-1 and will face the River Rats again Friday at 7 p.m. at Pat Thomas Stadium.

Adam Rothschild (Susquehanna University)