Hit Batters Haunt Dawgs in Tight 2-1 Defeat

WINTER GARDEN, Fla. — The Winter Park Diamond Dawgs came up just short Tuesday night, falling 2-1 to the Winter Garden Squeeze in a game where free passes proved costly.

The Dawgs managed six hits and received a solid effort from their pitching staff, but five hit batters and missed opportunities at the plate ultimately led to the loss.

The Winter Park Diamond Dawgs struck first in the second inning when Evan Taveras ripped an RBI double down the left-field line to score Daniel Irizarry and give Winter Park a 1-0 lead. Taveras finished 2-for-3 and drove in the Dawgs' lone run.

Winter Garden answered in the bottom half of the inning before taking the lead for good in the third. A hit batter with the bases loaded forced home the go-ahead run, highlighting a frustrating night on the mound for the Dawgs.

Starter Knute Rockey was charged with the loss after allowing two runs over three innings and hitting five batters. Despite surrendering only two hits, the additional baserunners proved decisive.

Nick Burgos kept the Dawgs within striking distance, tossing three scoreless innings in relief while allowing four hits. The defense turned two double plays and did not commit an error, but the offense could not find the timely hit needed to erase the deficit.

Winter Park collected six hits from six different players, including Carson Balls, Daniel Irizarry, Skyler Jersey, Justus Mike and Taveras. However, the Dawgs were held scoreless over the final five innings as Winter Garden's bullpen shut the door.

In a tightly contested game, the difference came down to the extra baserunners. The Dawgs limited the Squeeze to six hits, but five hit batters helped create scoring opportunities that Winter Garden capitalized on in the 2-1 victory.

Winter Park has Wednesday off before returning to action Thursday against the Sanford River Rats. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at Sanford Memorial Stadium.

Justin Baltes (University of Central Florida)