SANFORD — The Florida League Playoffs began Monday night with the Winter Park Diamond Dawgs easing past the DeLand Suns, 13-0 in 7-inning, Run Rule victory, in the Old Card, Play-In Game at Rollins College/Alfond Stadium on Harper Shepherd Field, thereby earning the No. 4 seed.
With the blowout, the Final 4 (Best-of-3 Semifinals) is set with the No. 2 seeded Winter Garden Squeeze facing the No. 3 seeded Sanford River Rats and Winter Park challenging the Regular Season Champion and No. 1 seeded Leesburg Lightning.
The winners will advance to the Best-of-3 Championship Series scheduled to start on Saturday at the home of the highest remaining seeded team.
Here is the results for the final week of the regular season and the Postseason Schedule:
Tuesday, July 14
* Winter Park Diamond Dawgs 4, Leesburg Lightning 3, 7-innings.
* Orlando Snappers 8, Sanford River Rats 0.
* Winter Garden Squeeze vs. DeLand Suns, cancelled.
Wednesday, July 15
* Winter Garden Squeeze 18, Orlando Snappers 13.
* DeLand Suns 5, Orlando Snappers 0.
Thursday, July 16
* Winter Garden Squeeze 12, Winter Park Diamond Dawgs 7.
* Sanford River Rats 8, DeLand Suns 4.
* Leesburg Lightning 5, Orlando Snappers 4.
Friday, July 17
* Winter Garden Squeeze 8, Winter Park Diamond Dawgs 7.
* Sanford River Rats 6, DeLand Suns 5.
* Leesburg Lightning 9, Orlando Snappers 8.
Saturday, July 18
* Winter Park Diamond Dawgs 12, Winter Garden Squeeze 7.
* Orlando Snappers 6, Leesburg Lightning 0.
* Sanford River Rats 8, DeLand Suns 3.
Sunday, July 19
No games scheduled.
PLAYOFFS
Play-In Game:
Monday, July 20
* (4) Winter Park Diamond Dawgs 13, (5) DeLand Suns 0, 7-innings.
Semifinals
Best-of-3
Tuesday, July 21
(4) Winter Park Diamond Dawgs vs. (1) Leesburg Lightning on Buddy Lowe Field at Pat Thomas Stadium, 7 p.m.; (3) Sanford River Rats vs. (2) Winter Garden Squeeze at Horizon High School, 6 p.m.
Wednesday, July 22
(1) Leesburg Lightning vs. (4) Winter Park Diamond Dawgs at Rollins College/Alfond Stadium at Harper Shepherd Field, 6 p.m.; (2) Winter Garden Squeeze vs. (3) Sanford River Rats at Historic Sanford Memorial Stadium, 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, July 23
If Necessary
(4) Winter Park Diamond Dawgs vs. (1) Leesburg Lightning on Buddy Lowe Field at Pat Thomas Stadium, 7 p.m.; (3) Sanford River Rats vs. (2) Winter Garden Squeeze at Horizon High School, 6 p.m.
Friday, July 24
Make-Up Day.
Championship Series
Best-of-3
Saturday, July 25
At home of Higher Seed.
Sunday, July 26
At home of Lower Seed.
Monday, July 27
If necessary: at home of High Seed.
Tuesday, July 28
Make-Up Day.
Wednesday, July 29
Make-Up Day.
Here's an inside look at the race for the Whiting Cup.
Florida League Semifinals (Best of 3):
#2 Winter Garden vs. #3 Sanford
Tuesday, July 21
Game 1 _ (3) Sanford River Rats vs. (2) Winter Garden Squeeze at Horizon High School, 6 p.m.
Wednesday, July 22
Game 2 _ (2) Winter Garden Squeeze vs. (3) Sanford River Rats at Historic Sanford Memorial Stadium, 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, July 23
If Necessary
Game 3 _ (3) Sanford River Rats vs. (2) Winter Garden Squeeze at Horizon High School, 6 p.m.
Winter Garden is in search of their second trip to the Florida League Championship Series, as the Squeeze came up one game short of the title in 2023. Sanford, which qualified for the playoffs for the 23rd time, has unfinished business from a year ago, when the River Rats had the best regular season record in league history only to flame out in a 2-0 Florida League Championship Series sweep.
Sanford and Winter Garden last met in the playoffs in 2023, when the third-seeded Squeeze swept the second-seeded Rats in the FCSL Semifinals, sending Winter Garden to the Florida League Championship Series for the first time.
#1 Leesburg vs. #4 Winter Park Diamond Dawgs
Tuesday, July 21
Game 1 _ (4) Winter Park Diamond Dawgs vs. (1) Leesburg Lightning on Buddy Lowe Field at Pat Thomas Stadium, 7 p.m.
Wednesday, July 22
Game 2 _ (1) Leesburg Lightning vs. (4) Winter Park Diamond Dawgs at Rollins College/Alfond Stadium at Harper Shepherd Field, 6 p.m.
Thursday, July 23
If Necessary
Game 3 _ (4) Winter Park Diamond Dawgs vs. (1) Leesburg Lightning on Buddy Lowe Field at Pat Thomas Stadium, 7 p.m.
The Leesburg Lightning are the playoffs' top seed for the third time in the last four years. The top seed in the playoffs has gotten to the Florida League Championship Series in each of the last four years, with Winter Park's upset of Sanford in 2021 the last major upset.
The Lightning last faced Winter Park in 2023, when Leesburg swept the Diamond Dawgs in the FCSL Semifinals.
Florida League Championship Series
Best-of-3
Saturday, July 25
Game 1 _ At home of Higher Seed, TBA.
Sunday, July 26
Game 2 _ At home of Lower Seed, TBA.
Monday, July 27
Game 3 _ If necessary: at home of High Seed, TBA.
The 2020s have belonged to the Leesburg Lightning, who have been in the championship series five times since 2020. Sanford (2020) and Winter Park (2022) also have titles this decade, with DeLand (2018) searching their first crown in almost a decade. The lone Florida League team without a franchise is Winter Garden, coming the closest in 2023. Who will claim the crown this year?
