Suns, River Rats miss FCSL finals

BEACON PHOTO/ROGER GILMORE
Fifth in FCSL — Derek Luciano (12) of the DeLand Suns is shown in recent action here on Melching Field at Conrad Park during the Florida Collegiate Summer League (wooden bats) season. He finished the year batting .299, and tied for fifth in the league. The Brandon resident, who plays for the State College of Florida, played in 36 games, with 40 hits, 23 runs scored and 30 runs batted-in, along with three home runs, three triples and seven doubles, while drawing 23 bases on balls.

BEACON PHOTO/ROGER GILMORE
Quick chat — DeLand Suns Assistant Coach Arthur McConnehead (23) coaches at first base recently on Melching Field at Conrad Park, as Taylor Hashman (22) strokes a run-batted-in single. Here, they chat about the next action.

By Roger Gilmore
BEACON SPORTS WRITER

posted Aug 6, 2009 - 1:01:01pm

It wasn’t what this corner had expected (and I probably wasn’t alone), when thinking about the Florida Collegiate Summer League (wooden bats) championship game Monday night at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg.

This corner thought the No. 1 DeLand Suns and No. 2 Sanford River Rats would be taking the field. However, the Leesburg Lightning and the Clermont Mavericks had other ideas, and they punched their tickets to the title game.

Game one

Friday, things started on the wrong foot for the Suns here on Melching Field at Conrad Park, as the Mavericks bested the Suns, 9-1, and Matt Goodyear limited the locals to four hits over seven innings, with a run and five strikeouts, and a like number of walks. He squared his record at 2-2.

Jimmy Nelson towed the rubber for the Suns, but was tagged for seven hits and runs in five-and-a-third innings, with seven strikeouts and two walks, as he dropped to 4-4. Reid Terry and Eric Swegman closed out.

Jonathan Griffin singled twice in the loss. William Gordon doubled, with singles by Brandt Hendricks and Jabari Blash. Evan Stermer doubled and singled twice to key the 10-hit Mavs’ attack.

Good one

Saturday night, the Suns played errorless ball at

Clermont, and squared their best-of-three series, with the Mavericks with a 6-3 triumph, improving to 25-12 on the year.

Josh Strawn (3-0) worked six-and-two-thirds innings, scattering five hits and allowing a run, while notching six strikeouts, with two walks. Johnie Slack, DeBary’s Chris Anselmo and Tyler White finished the game, with the latter credited with his seventh save.

Peter O’Brien, by way of Bethune-Cookman University, enjoyed a banner night, as he crashed his fourth and fifth home runs of the season, and doubled to chase home four runs. Derek Luciano also powered his third four-bagger of the season, with singles by Hendricks, Blash and Taylor Wrenn.

Over and out

That was the story here Sunday for the Suns. They scored twice in the first inning, and held the 2-0 lead going into the fifth, as starter Eric Holmes had limited the Mavs to four hits, with a strikeout and a walk.

Jamaine Cotton (1-4) took over in the sixth, with the Mavs scoring four times on just two hits, with three of the runs being unearned. Slack and Swegman closed out.

Mavs’ starter Ryan Bouton notched his first win of the league, going five innings. Stetson’s Will Dorsey hurled three solid frames, giving up just two hits and a pair of strikeouts. Charley Short worked the ninth.

Wrenn and Blash each poked a pair of singles, while Luciano, Austin Chubb, Emmanual Castro and Taylor Hashman added one-baggers.

— info@beacononlinenews.com

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