Dawgs back on track

Daniel Sweet’s double put the Diamond Dawgs in the lead, and Joshua Glick’s wicked sidearm kept things that way as the Dawgs beat the DeLand Suns 3-2 in a tense game June 28.

With the help of some heads-up play by Michael Danner and aggressive running by Orlando Rivera, the Dawgs came back after being tied by the Suns. After their go-ahead run, Glick struck out two in 1.1 innings in a combined nine-strikeout effort by the Dawgs’ pitching staff.

Winter Park slipped a bit in the past week, but with the win narrowly avoided being caught up in a three-way tie in the middle of the Florida Collegiate Summer League ladder with the Leesburg Lightning (10-8) and Sanford River Rats.

The River Rats (10-9) have had their ups and downs the last few games, blowing out College Park 15-3 and 7-1 in back to back games, but falling to the Orlando Monarchs 3-1 on June 28.

The big blowout game was actually a 4-3 nailbiter until the top of the eighth, when the Rats’ bats suddenly went red hot and they scored 11 runs in the final two innings. First baseman Rock Rucker blasted two two-run homers in the game to help give the Rats a boost. Matt Dearden got an unusual save, coming in during the seventh inning to hold on to a one-run lead, only to watch the game quickly go way beyond needing a save. He closed it out on the mound with a 2.1 inning, three-strikeout performance.

Winter Park (10-8) will try to keep things going after a game at press time. They take on Sanford at 7 p.m. on July 3 at Alfond Stadium in Winter Park. For some old fashioned ballpark fun on July 4 they’ll play the College Park Freedom at 1 p.m. at Bishop Moore High School.