Dawgs dominate FCSL

After a long season when the bats came out to play, it was a pitcher's night underneath the lights of Tropicana Field, with Winter Park's Nick Goody throwing a 1-0 masterpiece on the big stage Aug. 5.

The Florida Collegiate Summer League Championship has frequently been a moment for the league to go into upheaval, with regular season champions frequently falling in the playoffs.

Not this time. The Diamond Dawgs' hurler established his dominance from the start, sending the first three Leesburg Lightning batters back to the dugout in a dominant three-strikeout first inning.

Seven innings later, Goody had nine strikeouts and had ceded only two hits to the Lightning.

Things weren't so sunny for the Lightning's Kyle Wahl, who despite a brilliant six-strikeout, four-hit performance in 6.2 innings ended up with a loss, giving up the one run that made all the difference. Scrappy play by left fielder Spencer Theisen in the seventh inning manufactured a run for the Dawgs, as he turned a walk into a stolen base, then touched home after catcher Chase Okey smacked a single down the right foul line.

The next inning Leesburg struck back with a one man rally courtesy of shortstop Nick DelGuidice, who doubled to the left field wall and then raced to third base on a fielder's choice. With only 90 feet to go, DelGuidice watched as third baseman Matt Pierpont fouled off two straight pitches before grounding to second to end the threat.

With no run support, Wahl would go on to take the loss in one of his greatest pitching performances of the season.

For Goody, a stellar season comes to an end with 49 strikeouts in just 41.1 innings, along with a 1.52 ERA.

An optimistic coach Clint Chrysler, still elated after the win, said he's proud of his team.

"It was a great season," he said.