WINTER PARK, Fla. - The DeLand Suns fall to 6-15 as the Winter Park Diamond Dawgs claim their third win of the season in a 10-9 comeback win. 

The matchup was a back-and-forth slugfest, with both teams notching 25 total hits, but the Dawgs shut down the DeLand offense and dug themselves out of a 9-5 deficit. 

The defeat marked DeLand’s 14th loss in 15 games, Coach Cameron Jergens called a team meeting after the game and discussed the following:

“You can just really relate it to life. You’re gonna face struggles but can you still show up the next day and get after it and have belief that that’s the day you’re gonna turn it? We keep showing it regardless of the win-loss. We still show up and we play hard.” - Coach Jergens

The Suns scored early. In the first Eli Tidwell (New Orleans) led off with a double and scored off an Aris Rivera (Portal) single for the first run of the ball game. In the bottom half of the frame, Winter Park answered back, scoring four runs in as many hits to propel themselves to a three run lead. DeLand, however, answered back the very next frame. Following a two-out, double steal by Kevin Brunet (Polk State) and Gavin Thomas (Davidson), Osmin Melendez (Undecided) scored both with a no-man's-land double to center field. 

The Suns took the lead in the third, scoring two more off a Jesus Rodriguez RBI single. Going into the fourth, DeLand attempted to pull away. Thomas mashed a leadoff, first-pitch homer over the left field wall to increase the lead to two. Following suit, the Suns manufactured a two out rally, loading the bases. Shane Thomas (Eastern Florida State) worked a bases loaded walk for an RBI. Jesus Rodriguez (Undecided) followed with a two-RBI single, putting the Suns at a comfortable 9-5 lead in the fourth. 

The Dawgs bit back however, scoring four of their own in the fourth. Harrison Miller (St. Leo) proceeded to pitch three innings of shutout baseball, only allowing two hits to opposing batters. In that three inning span, Winter Park scored one in the sixth and eighth, retaking the lead. Going into the ninth with a tight lead, the Dawgs looked to Matthew Demetree (Thomas U) for the save. Besides a two-out single, Demetree extinguished all hope for the Suns and secured the victory for Winter Park. 

“The offense was good, we just stalled out. We had chances in the later innings but were just unable to push them across.” Coach Jergens

DeLand will be back in action on Friday, June 27, at 6 p.m. at Rollins.

Adrian Delgado (Central Florida)

Cover Photo by Nick Porcelli