Orlando, Fla. - The Winter Garden Squeeze did not get their second series of 2025 against the Orlando Snappers started on the right note after a 5-3 loss on the road on Thursday.

Early scoring defined another contest for the Squeeze. In the top of the second inning, Gabriel Rodriguez (Warner) hit a sacrifice fly into center field to score Braeden Weckman (2025 Snead State) and take a 1-0 lead.

However, in similar fashion to many of their previous contests, the opposition answered back in a big way. The Snappers put all five of their runs on their board across the second, third and fourth frames.

It began in the second when college teammates Mario Trivella and Hayden Gustavson (State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota) hit RBI singles to flip the score around and make it 2-1 in favor of the hosts.

Mathew Farner (Northwest Florida State College) tacked on two more when he lined a two run home run over the left field  wall in a hurry in the third.

Then, in the bottom of the fourth, Gustavson batted another run in to score Grant Comeaux (Louisiana Tech) and extend the lead to 5-1 for Orlando.

Winter Garden was not completely out of it. In the fifth, Javier Calzadilla (University of North Florida) sacrificed a fly ball into center and Rodriguez crossed home plate to cut the deficit to three with four innings remaining.

In the final inning, Derek Lopez (2025 Daytona State) got an RBI single of his own to allow Drew Pynes (St Petersburg) to round the bases and make it a 5-3 ballgame.

Lopez was the best bat of the night for the Squeeze, going 3-4 at the plate with three hits and an RBI.

Unfortunately for the Squeeze once again, the early flurry of offense coupled with early pitching struggles were not enough to take down the Snappers and end their losing streak.

Winter Garden continues this three game set against Orlando on June 27 on the road at The First Academy at 7:00 p.m.

Rickie Potts II (Syracuse University)