River Rats Hold Off Late Suns Rally for 13-11 Victory

SANFORD, Fla. — The Sanford River Rats earned back-to-back wins for the first time this season Thursday night, building an early lead and surviving a late comeback attempt from the DeLand Suns to secure a 13-11 victory.

Sanford wasted no time jumping ahead, erupting for five runs in the first inning. John Dobkowski got the scoring started with an RBI double before Tyler Meyer launched a two-run home run to left field, extending the lead to 3-0. Miguel Gonzalez later added an RBI single, and Adonys Velez capped the inning with a sacrifice fly to put the River Rats ahead 5-0.

The River Rats continued to add on in the second when Dobkowski delivered his second RBI double of the game, scoring Michael Thomas and stretching the lead to 6-0.

DeLand chipped away in the third inning, taking advantage of a throwing error and a wild pitch before Shane Thomas lined an RBI double down the left-field line to cut the deficit to 6-3.

Sanford responded immediately. Nick Upperman drove in Cooper Pitman with an RBI single in the fourth before Velez added a two-run single in the fifth, pushing the River Rats' advantage to 9-3.

Meyer continued his big night in the sixth inning with an RBI single, then struck again in the eighth with a two-run base hit that gave Sanford a seemingly comfortable 12-4 lead.

The Suns, however, refused to go away.

DeLand exploded for seven runs in the eighth inning, highlighted by RBI hits from Bryce Pasternack, Devon Crown and Nathan Ricko. By the end of the frame, Sanford's eight-run advantage had been trimmed to just one run at 12-11.

The River Rats found a crucial insurance run in the ninth when Velez collected his third RBI hit of the night, bringing home Gonzalez to make it 13-11.

That run proved to be the difference as Tyler Garcia shut the door in the final inning to record the save and preserve the victory.

Broch Bracher (1-3) earned the win for Sanford after turning in one of his strongest outings of the season. The right-hander worked five innings, allowing four hits and two earned runs while striking out seven.

With the victory, the River Rats secured consecutive wins for the first time in 2026 and will look to carry that momentum into their next series against the Winter Park Diamond Dawgs.

Alejandro Landers (Elon University)