FSN 65

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Volume 2 • Issue 65

June12 - June 27 2018

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Summer League Baseball In Full Swing

Page 2 Florida Sporting News • 6/12/18 - 6/27/18

Elicier Two-Run Homer not Enough to Shift Squeez’s Momentum WINTER GARDEN, Fla (June 12, 2018) – The Winter Garden Squeeze let up too soon, and the Sanford River Rats were able to crawl back to win Tuesday’s game, 8-3. Andrew Rolfsen (Anderson) started off strong for the Squeeze and things seemed to rolling for Winter Garden. One of the five newcomers, Reeder Smith (Dyersburg State) hit an RBI double which scored Marcus Begg (Webber) in the top of the second.

Jonathan Elicier (Newberry) hit a two-run home run that brought Aaron Anderson (Flagler) back to home plate, and made the score 3-0 after the top of the third.

The momentum started to shift in favor of Winter Garden, or so it seemed. In the top of the fourth, Winter Garden had bases loaded and were unable to bring runners in to home. Sanford responded to holding Winter Garden from scoring and scored four runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning. Jack Schmidt (Dartmouth) took the field in relief of Rolfsen, where Sanford executed

their offense and scored two more runs, including a home run by Sanford DH, Bubba Sangster (St. Johns River State) making the score 6-3 at the end of the fifth. Pitchers Nick Niarchos (High Point University) and Will Carnley (Troy) also made appearances for the Squeeze.

The sixth inning was where the Squeeze struggled to seize the opportunities of runners they had on

base, where bases were loaded not once, but twice. The Squeeze were unable to cut the deficit, as the River Rats stopped them in their tracks and made a run for the win, finishing 8-3. Winter Garden will again face off Sanford on Wednesday (June 13) for a doubleheader at Heller Brothers Ballpark at West Orange High School.

5/29/18 - 6/12/18 • Florida Sporting News

Page 3

DeTringo Leads Suns in Second Season DELAND, Fla.- On Opening Night for the DeLand Suns, fans of the team were getting their first glance of a new-look Suns roster. But on that warm night at Pat Thomas Stadium in Leesburg, it was a familiar face that provided one of the league's best offensive performances ever. Nick DeTringo, a second year member of the Suns, drove in eight runs in DeLand's 17-11 win over the Lightning, and entered the second week of play with a league-high ten runs batted in. "I looked for my pitches a lot, and I got them most of the time," DeTringo said of his Opening Night outing. The historic performance, which ranks among the most explosive performances in the storied history of the Florida League, was powered by a grand slam from the Ruskin, Florida native. DeTringo launched the first home run of the season for the Suns in the top of the fifth inning, part of an eight run frame that proved to be the difference in the six run win. Before the at-bat, I said I was going to stay back and try to hit the ball up the middle," DeTringo said about the grand slam. "The pitcher ended up bringing it middle in and it was up, and I just tried to see it and hit it." Since his outburst on the first night of the season, DeTringo has been an everday starter in head coach Rick Hall's lineup. He has recorded three multi-hit games on the season, and has reached base in five consecutive games as of press time, including a 3-for-3 performance with two runs scored against the Winter Garden Squeeze on June 9. The everyday shortstop for the Suns rejoined the team from the University of Tampa, where he had a standout season. The junior hit .348 with nine home runs and 35 RBIs, and helped the Spartans to a 42-11 record, a conference championship, and a berth in the NCAA Division II Tournament. For his efforts, DeTringo was named a First Team All-Sunshine State Conference selection, marking him as one of the most successful players in one of the nation's best D2 conferences. The ten RBIs that DeTringo has posted through eight games is equal to his total in 19 games during the 2017 Florida League season. A year after hitting .257 in the FCSL, DeTringo has proven early in the season that he should be regarded as one of the most dangerous hitters in the Florida League.

Page 4 Florida Sporting News • 6/12/18 - 6/27/18

Winter Park Dawgs Win Over DeLand DELAND, Fla (June 11, 2018) – The Winter Park Diamond Dawgs snapped a three game losing streak with a 4-3 victory against the DeLand Suns on Monday night. Winter Park only was able to earn three base hits, but got the victory thanks to some great pitching. "Things move in rhythm, and we needed this victory to get our mojo back," said Schall, "Our team needed some energy, and when you're winning that comes." The Diamond Dawgs once again started the scoring early, putting up a run in the top of the first inning. Robert Scott (Lake Sumter) hit a double down the left field line, his fourth of the season. He eventually came around to score on a wild pitch, which would be a theme throughout the night.

Scott had seven doubles in 44 games at Lake Sumter in his freshman year, but he is already up to four in just eight games with the Diamond Dawgs. "I've been finding more barrel lately and my speed helps," said Scott," I've been working out and getting stronger over the summer so far and I'm seeing the results."

DeLand answered back in the bottom of the second as third basemen Brayden Sisson (Kentucky Wesleyan) hit a double of his own and later came around to score on a passed ball. The score would stay even at 1-1 until the top of the fourth inning. Austin Wood (Stetson) had a phenomenal start to the game for Deland. Through just three innings, he had struck out six batters. However, with one out in the top of the fourth, Christian Snow (Mobile) singled and then stole a base to move into scoring position to get something going for Winter Park. Wood would walk the next two batters to load the bases. Two of those runners would come around to score on wild pitches to make the game 3-1. Alex Jackson (Wichita State) would drive a single into right field to register the only RBI of the game for the Diamond Dawgs to push the lead to 4-1. That was the end of the night for Winter Park offensively, as they did not register another hit after Jackson’s.The Suns began to chip away as their pitching continued to shut down the Diamond Dawgs. DeLand scored one run in the fifth and then pulled within one run in the eighth inning with a solo home run from Joe Burke (Kentucky Wesleyan).

Burke was the first batter reliever JP Williams (Undecided) faced and was only one of two Suns to find success against him. In the bottom of the ninth, DeLand would get the tying run all the way to third base, but Williams got the hitter to roll over on one to the first baseman to end the game in a 4-3 victory. Pitching Coach Jim Newlin liked what he saw from Williams who picked up the save.

5/29/18 - 6/12/18 • Florida Sporting News

Page 5

Rats Erase Early Deficit and Cruise to Victory On a soggy Tuesday night in Sanford, the River Rats erased a three-run deficit and came from behind to defeat the Winter Garden Squeeze 8-3 under the lights at Memorial Stadium. Winter Garden jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, but the Rats’ offense clicked and exploded for eight runs on just seven hits.

The Rats have now rattled off five wins in their last six contests and sit at 5-4 on the year. The Squeeze dropped to 1-7. On the mound, three Sanford arms combined for the effort. Montgomery Smith (Texas A&M) made his first appearance in a River Rat uniform and earned the win, tossing three no-hit innings.Offensively, it was a productive day for the four and five slots in the Sanford lineup. Miles Simington (Heartland) and Andrew Labosky (Nova Southeastern) accounted for 71 percent of the Rats’ hits on the evening.

Simington turned in another impressive day at the plate, finishing 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a home run. Labosky got things going at the dish, finishing 2-for-2, reaching safely in all four plate appearances, and scoring three runs. “The ball was a watermelon today,” Labosky said. “I was seeing a lot of strikes and it was just easier to hit things.”After the first three innings of the game, Winter Garden led 3-0. Then, the Rats clicked into gear. Labosky ripped a one-out single to start a rally in the fourth. Simington, the next batter, then tattooed a ball out of the park to right-center field. It was a two-run home run, his first of

the summer, and cut the lead to one, 3-2. “We’re just playing really good ball as a team,” Labosky said. “We’ve come together and we’re super close as a group and it’s showing.”Later in the half-inning, Cole Warken (Undecided) and Jackson Muldowney (Indian River State College) drew back-to-back walks.

The next batter, Garret Sheffield (Santa Fe), smoked a two-RBI double down the alley in left-center field, putting the Rats on top 4-3. Sanford added to its lead with another pair of runs in the fifth inning. With one out, Bubba Sangster (St. Johns River) launched a towering solo home run to left field. It was his league-high fourth long ball of the season and boosted the team tally to a league-high nine home runs. Then, Labosky walked and advanced over to third a few pitches later after a single from Simington. The duo executed a double steal and Labosky came home to give the Rats a 6-3 advantage. The Rats scored again in the seventh on the same exact play. Labosky was hit by a pitch and moved over to third on a Simington single. Another double steal brought home the seventh run to make it a 7-3 lead. Labosky and Simington finished with three and two stolen bases, respectively.The final run of the game came in the eighth when Muldowney walked, advanced to second on a passed ball,

and then consecutively stole third and home.

Sanford’s five run, 8-3, cushion proved to be enough to seal the victory. The two teams are back in action Wednesday at West Orange High School in Winter Garden for a doubleheader. First pitch of the 14-inning day is slated for 3:30 p.m. at Heller Bros Ballpark.

Page 6 Florida Sporting News • 6/12/18 - 6/27/18

CFOA Football New Officials Training Classes 2018 The CFOA New Officials Training Classes will be held at Lake Highland Prep School.

Do you have what it takes to be a football official? You will be surprised what you can do with the right training. The CFOA offers FREE Football Officiating training to anyone who wants to learn. The class and hands-on instruction is very valuable to anyone wanted to learn the rules of High School Football. Once you pass the test and complete the training, you could be assigned to many local high schools here in Orange County.

Although classes have started, it’s NOT TOO LATE to join us. If you have question you can contact me at mfazzio20@ gmail.com or call 407-7568323. Lake Highland Preparato-

ry School901 N. Lake Highland Ave. Orlando, FL 32803 The Classes will start Monday, June 4th and meet each Monday and Thursday through Julyfrom 6 – 8 pm. We will utilize both Classroom Rules study and OnField Mechanics training. The class is open to new, transfer and CFOA members with 1 to

3 years of football experience.

Please wear or bring workout clothing for each class.

Remember we are on a high school campus so wear appropriate clothing; shirt, shorts &

shoes. You will be required to have the following equipment for the class; Officials Hat (black with white stripes), Lanyard (black) & Black Fox 40 Whistle, Flag with black ball on the end, Black Bean Bag and Down Counter. You will able to order this from PurchaseOfficials.com. Fred from Purchase Officials will know what you need.

We will give you additional information at the classes as to uniform requirements and other information about registration. Do not try and register with the FHSAA at this time.If you have question you can contact me at mfazzio20@ gmail.com or call 407-7568323.

5/29/18 - 6/12/18 • Florida Sporting News

Page 7

Moclair Brothers Finding Their Way Through Baseball It was in 2016 when Mark Moclair made his FCSL debut. On the mound against the Sanford River Rats, Mark threw five innings of outstanding baseball, giving up only three hits and striking out the same amount of batters. He was gifted a start in the playoffs as well, nearly throwing a complete game against the Deland Suns and guiding the Boom to a 2-0 victory in the heat of August. By the time the season was finished, Mark went on to have one of the best years in the league, going 3-0 with a 1.81 ERA in seven starts and helping the team toward the team’s first championship in it’s short history.Just last week, Mark was drafted by the Houston Astros in the 12th round of the MLB Draft after an exceptional year at the University of Tampa.Now, his brother Matt is trying to follow his brother down a similar path. Matt -- a catcher for the Scorpions and former player for the College of Central Florida baseball team -- wants to hear his name in the next draft. He wants to feel the same joy his brother felt when his name was called by the Astros. He wants the dream. And to get to that dream, a summer in the Florida League is where Matt is putting in work to get closer to that feat.The west coast of Florida, specifically the town of Seffner. That’s where the Moclair brothers grew up. From young ages, both Matt and Mark would spend hours playing baseball with each other. “We were both 4 or 5 years old when we started playing t-ball,” Mark said. “We would always play catch in the yard growing up all the way through high school.”They built their own pitcher’s mound in the backyard to practice on. The brothers would always rotate between catcher and pitcher, taking turns on a mound of dirt behind their house. When they got older, they would go to the cages together to practice hitting. Mark believes the time they spent together helped their game.“It was really convenient for our development to be able to train with one another,” Mark said. “It helped that we both enjoyed playing ball as much as we did.” Eventually, they would both realize what their true baseball callings were.“We got older, and after a while I realized I wasn’t going to pitch, I’d rather just catch,” Moclair said. “And Matt hated catching, so he’d rather just pitch.”In high school, the two went to Strawberry Crest High School in Dover, Florida, just a quick 20 minute drive from downtown Tampa. Matt remembers the intersquad games getting pretty intense between the two. When their coach split up the teams, he said they would always yell at each other from the mound. But the bickering didn’t get in the way of the bond created by the sport they love.“Baseball has really helped our relationship,” Matt said. “We both want each other to be as good as we can be.”The two helped Strawberry Crest to a 16-11 record in Mark’s final season of high school ball. One of the pairs favorite moments together came during a tournament in Hillsborough County when Mark threw a no-hitter against a rival high school.

Page 8 Florida Sporting News • 6/12/18 - 6/27/18

Lightning Shock Scorpions 7-6 witb Walk-Off Win Leesburg, FL – Bit by bit, run by run, inning by inning the Lightning fought back. Six runs down after one inning, Leesburg used every out they had before winning in dramatic fashion on a Sean Mootrey (Georgia Gwinnett) walk-off single. “We preach ‘play hard no matter what’, it’s really pretty simple and they seem to have bought into that so far. I think they know that if they choose not to they have somebody waiting that’s going to take their spot,” Lightning head coach Rich Billings said about his team’s resilience and never say die attitude. “I think it speaks volumes for our guys and the way they approach the game and the way they believe in themselves and each other, that’s a hard thing to have on a summer baseball team.”Seminole County took advantage of two Leesburg errors in the very first inning, putting up six runs on four hits, all of which went down as unearned.

Lightning starting pitcher Hunter Caudelle (Georgia Gwinnett) walked lead-off batter Trace Thornal (Valdosta State) to start the game, and it was all downhill from there in the inning.

Kerry Carpenter (Virginia Tech) doubled to score Thornal two batters later, and a pair of errors by shortstop Harrison Schnurbusch (Central Missouri) led to a couple more runs for the Scorpions in the inning. Trace Thornal, batting for the second time in the inning, hit a twoRBI single to right field with two outs to boost the away team’s lead to 6-0.The Lightning, who had only trailed for one inning during the first six games of their now seven-game win streak, responded quickly, putting up two runs of their own in the bottom of the second. Javeon Cody (Alvin CC) led off the inning with a single and then a steal to put him in scoring position. Two batters later, Tanner May (North Florida) sent a single to shallow center field just far enough to score Cody from second. May advanced to second on a wild pitch and then to third on a balk before scoring on yet another wild pitch from Seminole County starting pitcher Cameron Sereda (St Johns River State), which cut the Scorpions lead to 6-2.“I told the guys at

the beginning of the season, I don’t really care about batting average, I don’t really care about home runs, hits, all that stuff. I care about figuring out a way to get on base and score runs and we have a lot of guys who can run and a lot of guys who know what they are and know what they aren’t,” coach Billings said, describing the way his team has found ways other than long balls to put up runs. “For the most part, we have 15 hitters that know they’re not going to hit 12 home runs this summer so they stay within themselves, give us good atbats and get on base anyway they can.”Leesburg struck again in the bottom of the fifth, adding one run on a Jose Crisostomo (Miami Dade) bloop single that Seminole County second baseman Fausto Lopez (Pensacola State) barely missed coming down with in shallow center field. That closed the gap to 6-3, but Crisostomo was caught stealing for the third out of the inning to end the rally. The home team appeared poised to close the gap even more or possibly take the lead when they loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the sixth.

The home crowd roared as Tucker Rayburn (Florida A&M) stepped into the batter’s box but were disappointed after hestruck out looking and Tanner Clark (North Florida) followed that up with an infield pop-up to end the threat.

Both head coach Rich Billings and game hero Sean Mootrey lauded their team’s will to win after the game. “It always helps to have a team of guys who just put it all out on the field and go hard,” Mootrey said.

“I think that’s really important, not just having the athletes to do it but having the will to go out there and play hard every day.”The bottom of the seventh was déjà vu for Leesburg after Jose Crisostomo and Wes Weeks

(North Florida) both had infield hits with two outs in the inning, and Javeon Cody earned a walk after being down in the count 0-2 to load the bases. It was Jay Prather’s (North Florida) turn to take a crack at a bases-loaded hit, but he lined out to center field to end the frame.

The Lightning finally broke through again in the eighth inning, adding one run to bring them within two runs heading into the final inning.

It was the scenario that every kid dreams of in their backyard when they’re growing up. Bottom of the ninth, two outs, down one run with two runners on base. Sean Mootrey showed he wasn’t afraid of the big moment, delivering the winning single to score Wes Weeks and Tanner May and give the Lightning their seventh straight win. “When you get up and you’ve been having this kind of year you just have to forget about it,”Mootrey, who was 0-14 for the season prior to his game-winning hit. “Easy swings, just trying to help my team out, that’s all it is.”Leesburg and Seminole County will be back in action for a double-header on June 13th. First pitch for game one is set for 4:30 p.m.

SERVING ALL OF HURRICANE IRMA RELIEF FAMILIES FOR THE LOCAL ORLANDO AREA

5/29/18 - 6/12/18 • Florida Sporting News

Page 9

Florida Summer League in Full Swing After the first two weeks of the season, the Leesburg Lightning hold a two-game lead over the DeLand Suns for first-place in the standings. After losing 17-11 in a shootout with DeLand on opening night, the Lightning have been electric at the plate. The Leesburg offense has been phenomenal thus far, leading the league in runs (63), hits (65), triples (3), extra-base hits (18), RBI (48), total bases (92), steals (23), OBP (.418), SLG (.397) and average (.280). During the streak, they have outscored their opponents 52-22.

The middle of the standings is extremely tight, with a single game separating second and fifth place. The DeLand Suns have been trading wins and losses all week, and sit in second place. Sanford started 0-3, but had a strong finish to the week to creep back up to .500. The Scorpions are the opposite, having started string and faltered a bit near the end. Winter Park only managed one win last week. The Winter Garden Squeeze, losers of six straight, find themselves five games back of Leesburg.

Leesburg 6-1 DeLand 4-3 2 GB Sanford 4-4 2.5 GB Seminole 4-4 2.5 GB Winter Park 3-4 3 GB Winter Garden 1-6 5 GB There were a number of impressive individual performances both at the plate and on the mound this week. However, Leesburg's Javeon Cody stood out among the rest. The sophomore outfielder from Alvin Community College (TX) was a tough out all week long. In four of the five games played last week, Cody recorded multiple hits. His best outing came on Tuesday against Winter Garden when he went 4-4 with three doubles, two runs and two RBI. In the one game that he did not record a hit, he still managed to walk twice and score both times. Cody has reached base at least two times in all seven games played this year.

June 4-10 5 games, 10-17 (.524 avg), 7 R, 3 2B, 1 3B, 5 RBI, 2 SB, .650 OBP, .892 SLG Others receiving votes: None The voting for pitcher of the week was tough with four candidates receiving votes. In the end, it was Sanford's Devin Meyer who took home the honor.

The righty from Nova Southeastern was strong in his start against the Seminole County Scorpions on Friday. Meyer threw all six innings of the game, allowing two singles and zero walks. Two times the Scorpions managed to put a runner on third base, but Meyer was able to escape both jams with an inning-ending strikeout. He tallied six punch outs on the day.

Upcoming Schedule Thursday June 14 7 PM: DeLand at Seminole County 7 PM: Sanford at Leesburg 7 PM: Winter Garden at Winter Park Friday June 15 6 PM: Winter Park at Winter Garden 7 PM: Leesburg at Sanford 7 PM: Seminole County at DeLand Saturday June 16 7 PM: Leesburg at Sanford 7 PM: Seminole County at DeLand

7 PM: Winter Garden at Winter Park

Page 10 Florida Sporting News • 6/12/18 - 6/27/18

DeLand Diamond Dawgs Slide by Winter Garden 6-5

WINTER GARDEN 3310 Daniels Rd Winter Garden, FL

407-877-3744

WINTER PARK, Fla (June 12, 2018) – The Diamond Dawgs won another one run game, making it back to back wins against the Deland Suns as Winter Park won 6-5. Brooks Brophy (Alabama Huntsville) picked up his first win on the season while Turner Scruggs (Winthrop) earned the save. Winter Park enjoys scoring runs early. Coming into tonight’s matchup, the Diamond Dawgs had scored 10 runs in the first inning combined through their first eight games while opponents score six. Both of those first inning totals were inflated, as the Suns put up a run in the top of the first. Their leadoff man got on base and ended up scoring on three passed balls. Winter Park would answer in the bottom half of the inning with a two-run home run off the bat of Jacob Teter (Florida Southern), the first homer of the year for the Diamond Dawgs. “A big thing for me is when we have the lead early,” said Brophy, “It’s easy to pitch with a lead. I can just fill up the zone and make them beat me.”The scoring would continue for Winter Park. They put up one run in the second inning to push the lead to 3-1. Alex Jackson (Wichita State) drove in his second run as a Diamond Dawg in just his third game. Brian Ellis (FGCU) drove in two runners with his second double of the night to push the lead to 5-1 in the fourth inning. In the bottom of the sixth, he would add a sacrifice fly to deep center field to give him a three RBI night. “I was seeing the ball really well tonight,” said Ellis, “I was just hunting fastballs up there.”Deland was able to strike for a run in the top of the seventh, and then made things interesting by hitting a three-run homerun in the top of the ninth to pull within a run. Turner Scruggs was able to make sure nobody else crossed home to hang on for the 6-5 victory. Starter Brooks Brophy was fantastic for Winter Park again, as he went five innings and struck out five. “Tonight I was just throwing a lot of fastballs and cutters,” said Brophy. “I was able to get a lot of swings and misses off the cutter to their righties.”Scruggs registered a save on the night. He came in with a 6-1 lead, but because he finished the game with over three innings pitched, that made him eligible for a save despite the score.

The Suns only put position players on the mound to face Winter Park’s lineup as four different players got to try their hand on the hill. After Teter’s homerun in the first inning, it was almost as if the energy was sucked out of the entire Deland team.

It remained that way as the Diamond Dawgs climbed to a 6-1 lead and never looked back.

5/29/18 - 6/12/18 • Florida Sporting News

Page 11

Late-Game Heroics from Leesburg Drops Scorpions in Ninth Inning With a crowd of around 500 people, the Leesburg faithful began it’s rally call. With two runners on and two outs, the Lightning broke through with a single up the middle.The base hit by Sean Mootrey (Georgia Gwinnett College) scored both runners and gave Leesburg its seventh win in a row on Tuesday night as they bested the Seminole County Scorpions at Pat Thomas Field.

Scorps on the HillFor the Scorpions, Cameron Sereda (St. Johns River) got the nod from coach Steve Stowell on Tuesday night. Sereda was solid once again in his third start of the season, pitching three innings of two-run ball while striking out three.Kyle Brana (Undecided) came in relief of Sereda, producing two solid innings, while Cade Davenport (Wallace State CC) and Chris Campbell (McNeese State) finished the game off for Seminole County for the final two innings.“I liked how our pitchers kept us in the ballgame the whole time,” Stowell said. “I like how they kept battling the strike zone and throwing strikes.”Big First InningSix runs in the top half of the first seemed like enough to get the Scorps through the rest of the ballgame.It started off with an RBI double from Kerry Carpenter (Virginia Tech), scoring Trace Thornal (Valdosta State) from second base for the contest’s first run.

After Carpenter’s hit, the rest of the Scorpions runs came with two outs during the inning. An error on the Leesburg infield allowed the next run for the Scorpions to cross home, giving them a 2-0 advantage. Following the error, Fausto Lopez (Pensacola State) singled home a run, followed directly by an RBI single from Trey Bowden (Northern Kentucky). To end the inning, Thornal singled home the fifth and sixth runs of the contest by sending a rope out to right-center field.But after the outburst in the first, the Scorpions failed to score again.“We came in the first inning and took advantage of some of their mistakes,” Stowell said. “It’s upsetting the end result was a loss but overall we played okay.”What’s next?On Wednesday, June 13th the Scorpions will host two games of seven-inning baseball against the Leesburg Lightning in the Scorps second doubleheader of the season.On Thursday, Seminole County will host the Deland Suns for the first time this year.

Page 12 Florida Sporting News • 6/12/18 - 6/27/18