Diamond Dawgs Rally Falls Short in 6-5 Loss to River Rats

WINTER PARK, Fla. — The Winter Park Diamond Dawgs nearly erased a late deficit Friday night but came up just short in a 6-5 loss to the Sanford River Rats at Alfond Stadium.

Winter Park struck first in the opening inning when Osmin Melendez scored on an RBI single by Skyler Jersey. The Diamond Dawgs held the lead until the fourth, when Sanford pushed across two runs to take a 2-1 advantage.

The River Rats extended their lead in the sixth inning with a two-run home run by Jake Schincariol and another run that scored on a balk, making it 5-1. Winter Park responded immediately as Jersey delivered an RBI double and Ethan Koller followed with an RBI single to cut the deficit to 5-3.

Sanford added what proved to be a crucial insurance run in the seventh inning, but the Diamond Dawgs refused to go away. In the eighth, Melendez ripped an RBI double before Jake Biaggi drove in another run with a single, trimming the margin to one.

Melendez led the offense with a 3-for-4 performance, scoring three runs and driving in one. Jersey added two hits and two RBIs, while Daniel Irizarry collected two hits.

Despite being outhit 11-9, Winter Park mounted a late charge and brought the tying run to the plate. The comeback effort ultimately fell short as the Diamond Dawgs dropped to 7-9-1 on the season.

Winter Park returns to action Saturday against Sanford at Sanford Memorial Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

Justin Baltes (University of Central Florida)