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THE VILLAGES, Fla. (June 22, 2011) – The Sanford River Rats earned their first win over the DeLand Suns in an 8-3 game at The Villages Wednesday night.
Sanford starting pitcher Ryan Heinz (George Washington) took the mound after missing two starts due to back tightness and pitched into the sixth inning, striking out four and walking just one. Heinz allowed two Suns runs in the first inning and one in the sixth.
“The first inning started out a little rough but you settle in out there,” Heinz said. “I just wanted to come in today and find the strike zone. I threw a lot of fastballs, not too many off-speed pitches, and hit the zone. Command is everything.”
“Ryan did a great job tonight,” River Rats Head Coach Stephen Piercefield said. “Ryan said his back was bothering him so we gave him time to recover. He was able to take the ball and attack hitters. After the first inning he settled down, got ahead of guys, got the leadoff hitter out, and really kept us in the game.”
The Rats’ bats helped, too. Johnny Mazur (Florida Tech) led the second inning off with a double, followed by a Kyle Foti (Flagler) double to score Mazur, the first of six runs the Rats would score that inning.
“Johnny has been a spark plug for us the whole year,” Piercefield said. “He’s able to lay down a drag bunt, but also has enough to hit doubles. He really keeps our lineup energized.”
Tyler Doughty (South Florida) singled and Blake Boyd (Nova Southeastern) walked to load the bases.
Alex Mendez (South Florida) and TJ Gavlik (North Florida) then took RBI walks to make it 4-2 for Sanford. Pat Fortunato (Rhode Island) hit a single to score Mendez, and Gavlik was able to score on a wild pitch to make it 6-2.
“Offensively, the guys are starting to figure out what kind of players they are and putting together great approaches,” Piercefield said. “In that second inning, we were able to find a bunch of holes.”
Sanford (6-8-1) and DeLand (7-7) both scored in the sixth. Boyd scored a second run on a Fortunato double for Sanford, while Kevin Lindheim (Stetson) scored for DeLand on a Brad Carlton (Stetson) sacrifice fly to make the score 7-3.
Sanford’s final run of the game came in the seventh when Mazur, after stealing second, was plated by a Doughty double.
“We had a great turnout tonight and it was a great experience. DeLand’s a quality team, and anytime you’re able to go out and get a win on the road, it’s a good night,” Piercefield said.
Sanford’s next game is against the Orlando Freedom (3-12) at Orel Hershiser Field at The First Academy Thursday (June 23) night. First pitch is slated for 7 p.m. Brandon Cowan (Lincoln Memorial) is the probable starter for Sanford.
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