Lightning Bounce Back with 8-2 Win Over DeLand

DELAND, Fla. – One night after being shut out, the Leesburg Lightning responded in a big way, scoring six runs over the final three innings to pull away for an 8-2 victory over the DeLand Suns on Friday night.

Leesburg struck first in the second inning, taking advantage of wild pitching and timely baserunning to build a 2-0 lead. DeLand answered in the third with RBI singles from Akhil Nimmala and Joshua Vinciguerra to even the score at 2-2.

The game remained tied until the seventh inning, when the Lightning offense finally broke through. Ledger Pleasant delivered a two-run single to put Leesburg back in front, and Andon Gray followed with an RBI single to extend the lead to 5-2.

The Lightning continued to add on in the eighth. Hudson Reed drove in a run with a single before Cory Banasiak brought home another to make it 7-2. Reed capped the scoring in the ninth, launching a solo home run to left field for his first long ball of the summer and an 8-2 advantage.

Pleasant finished with two hits and two RBIs, while Banasiak collected two hits, scored twice, and drove in a run. Reed scored once, drove in two, and provided the game's lone home run. Gabe Campos added a hit and scored twice, while Gray contributed an RBI and a stolen base.

On the mound, Brandon Reiter gave the Lightning a solid start, allowing two runs on three hits while striking out six over 4.2 innings. Carson Henrikson was dominant in relief, retiring all seven batters he faced and striking out four across 2.1 perfect innings to earn the win.

Miguel Figueroa and Ethon Tesmer combined to close out the final two innings as the Lightning pitching staff recorded 12 strikeouts and limited DeLand to five hits.

The Lightning improved to 10-2 and will face the DeLand Suns again on Saturday, June 13, at 7 p.m. at Conrad Park in DeLand.

Adam Rothschild (Susquehanna University)