Snappers Split Series with Lightning Despite Lopsided Loss

ORLANDO, Fla. - The Orlando Snappers split their midweek series with the Leesburg Lightning despite a forgettable blowout loss Tuesday night.

Leesburg run-ruled Orlando 12-1 in seven innings, continuing a season-long trend for the Snappers: losing by wide margins and winning close games.

Orlando now sits at 8-5-1 and remains the only team in the Florida Collegiate Summer League with a winning record besides the 11-4 Lightning. The Snappers' five losses have come by margins of seven, five, 11, seven and 11 runs.

While those defeats have been lopsided, they have also limited the usage of Orlando's high-leverage relievers. It is hardly an intentional strategy, but it has helped preserve the bullpen over the course of the season.

The Snappers are 5-0 in games decided by two runs or fewer, a testament to timely hitting, strong late-game execution and steady leadership from the coaching staff.

Tuesday, however, was largely forgettable.

Leesburg entered the game looking for revenge after Monday night's walk-off balk loss and took control from the outset. The game was blown open in the fifth inning when Turner Gross launched a grand slam to cap a seven-run frame.

The Snappers' first hitter of the night, Roy Rodriguez, lined a single to left field and eventually came around to score. That proved to be the entirety of Orlando's offensive production. From there, the game steadily slipped away before reaching a point where the run rule felt inevitable.

The Snappers return to action Thursday when they begin a three-game series against the DeLand Suns. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Conrad Park.

Theo Shernoff (Michigan)