Lightning Punch Ticket to Championship Series

WINTER PARK, Fla. – The Leesburg Lightning punched their ticket to the Florida Collegiate Summer League Championship Series with a 13-2 victory over the Winter Park Diamond Dawgs on Wednesday night, completing a two-game sweep in the semifinal series.

Leesburg jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning and steadily added to its advantage, scoring in the first, fourth, sixth, eighth and ninth innings while finishing with 13 runs on 13 hits.

Marcello Cortale paced the Lightning offense, going 4-for-4 with a home run, a double, four RBIs and two runs scored. Andon Gray also drove in four runs while collecting two hits, Dylan Green finished 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI, and Daniel Despaine scored three runs, added two hits and drove in another.

The Lightning broke the game open with a five-run ninth inning. Green started the rally with an RBI double before Despaine followed with an RBI single. Cortale added a two-run double, and Gray capped the scoring with a sacrifice fly to make it 13-2.

Bryce Gluckman turned in a dominant performance on the mound, tossing seven scoreless innings while allowing four hits and striking out seven. Miguel Figueroa and Cole Jones each worked a scoreless inning in relief to close out the victory.

The win sends Leesburg to the FCSL Championship Series, where the Lightning will face the Sanford River Rats. Sanford advanced by defeating the Winter Garden Squeeze in the semifinal round, setting up a matchup between the league's top two seeds.

Game 1 of the FCSL Championship Series is scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday, July 25, at Pat Thomas Stadium in Leesburg. The Lightning will be seeking the sixth league championship in franchise history.

Adam Rothschild (Susquehanna University)