Squirrels top Trenton

After three scoreless innings, the Squirrels got on the board first against Trenton left-hander Shaeffer Hall in the bottom of the fourth.  Daniel Mayora led off and laced a triple to dead-center field.  Tommy Joseph, playing his first game since May 13th, followed with an RBI double into the left-field corner for a 1-0 lead.  It was Joseph’s second hit of the night.  Chris Dominguez moved Joseph to third with an infield-single and Ehire Adrianza brought him in for a 2-0 advantage with a fielder’s choice groundout.

The Thunder plated their only run of the night against Westcott in the top of the fifth inning.  Jose Pirela started the inning with a double.  Westcott recorded the first two outs of the inning, but Abraham Almonte notched a two-out double to bring in Pirela.

Richmond got right back after Hall in the bottom of the fifth inning.  Hall started his own trouble with a lead-off walk issued to Ryan Cavan.  Jose Flores followed and cracked a hard-ground ball to third base.  Kevin Mahoney couldn’t handle it, and his error allowed Cavan to third and Flores to second.  After Hall hit Gary Brown, Nick Liles singled to center field to plate two runs, extending the Richmond lead to 4-1.

Westcott (4-4) completed six strong innings, finished his night at 100 pitches, and earned his fourth victory of the season.  The outing marked his fifth consecutive quality-start, as he allowed just a lone run on four hits, walked two and struck out one.

Hall (4-5) also departed after the sixth, doomed to his fifth loss of the season.  Hall was charged with four runs – three earned – on seven hits.  He walked one and struck out two.

Squirrels’ right-hander Austin Fleet followed Westcott and was the only reliever Richmond needed.  He conceded just one single over three scoreless innings. He earned his second save of the year and struck out four.  Fleet struck out the side in the ninth, as he turned in his longest outing of the season.

Trenton right-hander Preston Claiborne was also stout in relief of Hall, holding the Squirrels without a hit over two scoreless innings.

Game two of the four-game series is scheduled for 6:35 PM on Saturday night at The Diamond. The Squirrels have yet to announce a starter for game two of the series.  Trenton will start RHP Brett Marshall (4-2, 2.98).  Pregame coverage will begin at 6:05 PM on Sports Radio 910 and SportsRadio910.com.

P-Nats outslug ‘Cats The Potomac Nationals held onto a 11-8 win over the Lynchburg Hillcats Friday night at City Stadium.  Potomac used a five-run first to get their first win on the road over their last seven tries.

The Nationals scored five runs in the first inning to get off to a quick start against Lynchburg starter RHP Cody Martin.  The key play was a missed catch of a throw by first basemen Chris Garcia with two out which opened the flood gates to three unearned runs.  The big hits: an RBI double by David Freitas and a two-out two-run double by Kevin Keyes.  Potomac’s five runs in the first were equal to the total runs scored by the P-Nats in the last two series on the road (at Carolina and Wilmington) over six games.

Potomac added runs in the second and third innings on RBI singles. Ricky Hague scored Adrian Sanchez in the second and Randolph Oduber got an RBI single with two-outs in the third to extend the Potomac advantage to 7-0.  The seven run lead equaled the biggest lead of the season for Potomac which was their home opener against Lynchburg back on April 13th.  It was the first time Potomac has led by seven runs on the road in 2012.

But the Hillcats chipped away against Nationals starter RHP Trevor Holder. Lynchburg had two outs and no one on in the fourth but scored three in the inning with Mycal Jones two-run triple being the key hit.  An RBI single from Nick Ahmed that scored Jones chased Holder from the game as he tossed three and two-thirds innings giving up three runs.

Paul Applebee came in for Holder and struggled himself.  Matt Weaver knocked an RBI single in the fifth off of Applebee to cut the Potomac lead to just 7-4.

The Nationals appeared to put the game away in the top of the sixth inning.  The P-Nats scored four runs highlighted by Michael Taylor blasting a two-run double off the wall to extend the lead to 10-4.  It was the 18th two-bagger of the year for Taylor who leads the Carolina League in that category. Potomac added another run when Oduber singled in Taylor and it was a 11-4 Nationals led.

Lynchburg came back in the bottom half of the inning with four runs of their own all off of Applebee. The inning started with Kyle Rose looking like he grounded into a out but an errant throw from Hague put him on.  Tommy La Stella hit a two-run single to bring Lynchburg within 11-6.  La Stella has knocked 14 of his 31 RBI of the year against Potomac in just seven games.  Two more runs were added off of Applebee and Neil Holland came on to get the final out of the inning to keep Potomac up 11-8 after six innings.

Lynchburg would have three more threats in the final three frames but the door was shut by Holland who was able to toss two crucial scoreless innings.  Holland (3-1) earned the win. Cameron Selik came on for the last out of the eighth and tossed a scoreless ninth for his sixth save.

The loss went to Cody Martin (5-5) who yielded seven runs with just four being earned.

The slugfest featured just one “1-2-3″ inning: the top of the ninth for Potomac.  The teams combined to leave 23 players on base with only one half inning having none left on.  28 hits were belted between the two teams with none being homers.

The Potomac offense was led by a three hit day from Taylor who had three runs scored.  Hague and Freitas each reached base four times.  Nick Ahmed had five hits to lead the Lynchburg attack. Every player who started the game either had a hit or run scored.

Tomorrow the P-Nats look to win the series with RHP Matt Swynenberg (3-2, 4.57) taking the hill for the 6:05 start.  Potomac returns home on Memorial Day for a 6:05 contest with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans.  For tickets, please contact us at 703-590-2311 or for more information visit www.potomacnationals.com.

Salem routs Keys The Keys struck first, but a two-run first inning became a quick afterthought when Drake Britton bore down and the Red Sox offense erupted for a dominating 13-2 victory on Friday night at Harry Grove Stadium. Salem put together a five-run second and a four-run fourth to grasp a 9-2 lead, adding a pair each in the sixth and seventh to prevail by 11, the largest margin of victory for the Sox this season. Every single member of the lineup reached base and scored a run, while seven of the nine drove in a run in the laugher.

Xander Bogaerts and Michael Almanzar each belted homers, with Bogaerts’ solo shot in the second opening the floodgates of the scoring. At the time, Bogaerts’ one-out bomb cut a two-run deficit in half, but the Red Sox second-inning rally had just begun. Immediately after the homer, Christian Vazquez reached on a fielding error by Garabez Rosa. Carson Blair walked, preceding consecutive RBI singles from James Kang and Felix Sanchez. Kang scored on a wild pitch, while Sanchez crossed on a sacrifice fly from Jackie Bradley, Jr., giving the Sox a 5-2 lead.

Four of the first five Keys batters had reached against Britton in the first inning, but the Salem southpaw allowed just a two-run single from Michael Flacco before navigating out of the mess. After the first, Britton allowed just one hit and one walk over the final four innings of his outing. He tossed 46 of his 68 pitches for strikes over five innings, allowing just two runs on four hits while striking out three and walking one. Having previously gone winless in seven starts against Frederick, Britton finally tasted victory over the Keys on Friday night.

The Sox poured it on with a huge two-out rally in the fourth. With Bradley and Kang on first and second with two away, Matty Johnson laced a two-run double over the head of Johnny Ruettiger in right, giving the Sox a 7-2 lead. Drew Hedman followed with another RBI double, while Almanzar singled home Hedman to make it 9-2.

In the sixth, Almanzar’s two-run blast made it 11-2, while a bases loaded walk and hit-by-pitch forced two more runs across in the seventh. Kang led the Red Sox with three runs scored and was one of four Salem Sox with multiple hits. Johnson and Almanzar each drove in three runs. Ironically, Bradley, the league’s leading hitter, finished as the only Sock without a knock. However, Bradley walked three times and drove in two runs for Salem.

The Red Sox went 6-for-7 with runners in scoring position, capitalizing on almost every opportunity. Conversely, the Keys went just 1-for-6 in similar situations.

Salem (26-18) remains a half game ahead of Winston-Salem (26-19) in the Southern Division race.

On Saturday, the Red Sox and Keys will reunite at Harry Grove Stadium for a 6 PM start. Salem will send Brandon Workman to the mound, while Frederick counters with Dylan Bundy, the fourth overall pick in last June’s draft who was recently named the top overall prospect in all of minor league baseball. It will be Bundy’s Carolina League debut after making eight starts for Low-A Delmarva, striking out 40 and walking two without allowing an earned run in 30 innings on the mound.

The game was halted in the seventh inning because of the tournament’s 10-run mercy rule. The No. 4 seed in the tournament, Virginia (37-17-1) is now 1-1 in pool play.

UVa concludes pool play at 3 p.m. Saturday when it takes on top-seeded Florida State.

Colin Harrington (R-So., Johnstown, Pa.) tied a career high with three hits for the Cavaliers, while Derek Fisher (Fr., Rexmont, Pa.) and Branden Cogswell (Fr., Ballston Lake, N.Y.) each added a pair of hits. Zane Evans went 3-for-4 with six RBI to highlight a big offensive day for Georgia Tech (34-24).

UVa starting pitcher Scott Silverstein (R-Jr., Olney, Md.) took the loss for UVa and fell to 2-5 after allowing four earned runs, four hits and a walk in 2.1 innings. Cole Pitts (6-4) notched the win for Georgia Tech after allowing four runs (two earned) in five innings.

The Yellow Jackets’ 17-run performance easily marked the most runs allowed by Virginia this year. The Cavaliers surrendered 12 runs in a March 17 loss at Florida State. UVa had not allowed more than six runs in any of its previous 25 games.

Virginia bolted to an early 3-0 edge, with a pair of runs in the second and one in the third. In the second, Jared King (R-Jr., Radford, Va.) reached on a leadoff error. Harrington and Brandon Downes (Fr., South Plainfield, N.J.) hit back-to-back singles to bring in a run. After a sacrifice bunt by Nate Irving (Fr., Yonkers, N.Y.), Keith Werman (Sr., Vienna, Va.) laid down a squeeze bunt to bring Harrington home.

UVa added a run in the third. Fisher hit a leadoff single and stole second base. He scored on a one-out single to right by Harrington.

Georgia Tech sent 10 batters to the plate in a six-run third inning. Silverstein hit Connor Lynch with a pitch to start the inning, and Kyle Wren followed with a single. After a sacrifice bunt, Brandon Thomas singled to center to plate a pair of runs. Jake Davies doubled to knock Silverstein out, and Evans doubled against Nick Howard (Fr., Olney, Md.) to give the Yellow Jackets the lead. One out later Mott Hyde lined a home run to left field to push the Georgia Tech lead to 6-3.

The Yellow Jackets padded their lead in the fourth inning, scoring four times to move ahead 10-3. After Howard walked the first two batters, Wren and Sam Dove, Thomas lined a double down the right-field line to score a run. Howard intentionally walked Davies, and Austin Young (So., Mechanicsville, Va.) came on in relief. On Young’s first pitch, Evans hit a scorcher off the glove of a diving Stephen Bruno (R-So., Audubon, N.J.) at third base, and two runs scored on the single. One out later Hyde hit a sacrifice fly.

Virginia cut a run from the lead in the fifth inning, getting singles from Harrington and Irving before Werman hit a run-scoring grounder to second base. UVa chipped away with another tally in the sixth, as Cogswell led off with a single, stole second and scored on a Fisher single.

Georgia Tech got those runs back in its half of the sixth when Evans went the opposite way for a two-run home to right field.

In the seventh inning Thomas Smith drew a leadoff walk and scored when Lynch doubled to left-center field. One out later Dove tripled to right-center to plate Lynch. After Thomas was hit by a pitch, Davies launched a three-run homer over the right-center field wall to trigger the mercy rule.

Salem drops duel

Matt Heidenreich tossed seven scoreless innings for Winston-Salem, allowing just four hits and one walk while striking out eight. Matt Barnes dealt five scoreless frames before giving up a run in the top of the sixth, and the lone Dash tally was enough to hand Salem the setback, its second 1-0 loss in the past five games.

Both pitchers were dominant early, as Barnes faced the minimum through three innings while Heidenreich retired 11 of the first 12 he faced. Each club mustered a pair of singles in the fourth, but the two righthanders escaped unscathed and the scoreless stalemate continued into the sixth.

The first two extra base hits of the night came consecutively in the top of the sixth, with Nick Ciolli and Juan Silverio pounding back-to-back doubles against Barnes to produce the game’s only run. The latter drove in the former and the Dash led 1-0. A failed suicide squeeze helped Barnes escape with just the one run allowed, and his outing concluded after six frames, tossing 64 pitches and 46 strikes. In six innings, Barnes allowed one run on five hits, striking out three (a career low) and walking none.

Twice in the final four innings, the Sox put a man in scoring position, but Salem never advanced a runner beyond second base. Drew Hedman recorded two of Salem’s four hits, including a sixth inning double, but the Sox went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and stranded six on base. Jackie Bradley, Jr. and Xander Bogaerts also mustered one hit apiece for Salem.

Heidenreich improved to 2-0 against Salem and 4-1 overall, while Barnes slipped to 2-1 in the Carolina League, 4-1 overall. While his three strikeouts were the fewest in any outing in his career, he still is among the leaders in the minors with 70 strikeouts and just six walks over nine starts.

The Red Sox (25-18) remain a half-game ahead of the Dash (25-19) as the two clubs go their separate ways for the weekend, with Salem heading to Frederick and Winston journeying to Carolina. The Sox and Dash, battling for the first-half Southern Division crown, will meet four more times in the half in a series at LewisGale Field from June 4 through June 7.

Salem proceeds to Frederick for a three-game weekend set at Harry Grove Stadium beginning Friday night at 7:00. The pitching matchup is slated to feature Drake Britton against Trent Howard in the series opener.

‘Cats brawl, fall 8-6 A chippy game saw two ejections, benches clear and the Pelicans come away with 8-6 victory in the series finale against the Hillcats. It was a tough day for Aaron Northcraft on the hill, while Pelican’s starter fanned a nine for the third time this season.

It seemed the Hillcats would be off to a hot start in the muggy series finale in Myrtle Beach, the Hillcats scored a run in the top of the first thanks to an RBI double from Adam Milligan. However, it quickly became a Pelicans’ show.

Aaron Northcraft was on the hill for the ‘Cats when the Pelicans offense showed its first signs of life in the series. Odubel Herrera started with his first triple of the day, then Vinny DiFazio grounded out to shortstop Nick Ahmed, but Herrera scored to tie the game at 1-1.

The bottom of the third wasn’t as clean as the previous frame for the Pelicans’ offense. It started with Tomas Telis walking, followed by Jared Hoying hitting a sharp hopper to first baseman Chris Garcia. It seemed like Garcia should have made the play, however the official scorer ruled it a hit for Hoying. Christian Villanueva added an RBI single that scored Telis. Northcraft would fall behind 2-0 to Herrera, so the Hillcats intentionally walked him to load the bases. DiFazio would make them pay with a two-RBI double that scored Hoying and Villanueva to make it a 4-1 game. Jake Skole would mimic DiFazio and add a two-RBI double of his own. Herrera and DiFazio scored to extend the lead to 6-1.

Myrtle Beach added another run in the bottom of the fifth. Herrera’s second triple of the day preceded DiFazio’s second hit and fourth RBI of the day. The score was 7-1 and Northcraft’s day was over after allowing one more hit to Skole.Blaine Sims entered for Lynchburg and quickly enduced a double play to end the inning.

The sixth wasn’t as smooth for Sims. Telis hit a double down the left field line, before Hoying added his second infield single. It was Brett Nicholas getting in on the action with a fielder’s choice RBI ground out. Telis’ run would give the Pelicans a 8-1 lead.

Lynchburg fought back in the seventh starting with Matt Lipka’s single. Nick Ahmed would follow with a ground ball that had second baseman Santiago Chirino flip it to Herrera at short. A clean, hard slide broke up the play and knocked Herrera to the ground. Chirino took exception and exchanged words with Lipka; the players in each dugout began to walk on the field as Villanueva, Chirino and pitcher Randol Rojas circled Lipka. Umpire Aaron Larsen broke up the incident before it escalated. Tommy La Stella would extend his hit streak to 12 games with a single. Milligan reached base for the fourth time of the day with walk to load the bases. Garcia came through in the clutch with an RBI single to cut the lead to 8-2. Matt Weaver got his first hit of the day after Garcia, an RBI single to make it 8-3. Then, Robby Hefflinger worked a walk to get an easy RBI off Rojas and make it 8-4. The day would end for Rojas and Ben Henry would enter to face Chad Comer. With the bases loaded, Comer was retired. It was the third time on the day that Comer would end the inning with the bases loaded.

Things got chippy in the top half of the eighth. Lipka worked a walk and this time on the Ahmed grounder, it was a Herrera-to-Chirino flip that saw Lipka slide in hard and take out Chirino. Again, it was a clean slide that Chirino took exception to and this time Chirino popped up and got in the face of Lipka. A few words were exchanged before Chirino shoved Lipka, who responded by going chest-to-chest with the second baseman. The benches and bullpens cleared and the players were separated. Chirino was tossed and Manager Jason Wood was as well after a heated exchange with Larsen.

In the top of the ninth the Hillcats added another pair of runs. Edward Salcedo walked to start the inning, steal second and take third on a passed ball. An RBI ground out from Garcia cut the lead to 8-5. Weaver would walk and that ended the day for Ben Henry. Weaver took second on fielder’s indifference. Randy Henry entered and gave up a single to Comer and Weaver scored to cut it to 8-6. A long loud out off the bat off Lipka would end the game.

Getting the win was Roman Mendez (3-3). He went 5.2 innings, scattering six hits that led to one run. He also walked two and tied a season-high with nine “Ks”. Aaron Northcraft got the loss. He went 4.1 innings, was roughed up for seven runs on 10 hits. He walked three and fanned five.

The Hillcats return home for a weekend series with the Potomac Nationals. First pitch is set for 6:05 pm. Please join us at Calvin Falwell Field at Lynchburg City Stadium when gates open at 5:00 pm. Cody Martin (5-4, 3.28) will start for the Hillcats. Righty Trevor Holder (2-0, 6.00)  gets the nod for the P-Nats. If you can’t make it to the field, tune in and listen live to all the action on 105.5 FM KD Country and online at lynchburg-hillcats.com starting with the Hillcats On-Deck Show coming on the air at 5:40pm with Erik Wilson and Mike Viso.

Baysox salvage split The Bowie Baysox (19-27) walked off winners on Manny Machado’s single in the ninth inning, sinking the Richmond Flying Squirrels (22-25), 6-5.  Machado’s single plated pinch-runner Josh Barfield and allowed the Baysox to salvage a split in the four-game series.

After the Squirrels had tied the ballgame in the top of the ninth inning, right-hander Daryl Maday came on to work the bottom of the ninth.  Jonathan Schoop singled back through the middle to start the inning, and was pinch-ran for by Barfield.  Buck Britton bunted Barfield to second and he advanced to third base on a fly out from L.J. Hoes.  Richmond elected to walk Robbie Widlansky to pitch to the right-handed batting Machado.  He sent a single on the ground into center field to plate Barfield and end the ballgame.  Maday (2-4) absorbed his second loss of the series.

For the fourth consecutive ballgame in the series, the Squirrels struck first.  They manufactured an unearned run in the top of the first inning off of Bowie right-hander Tim Bascom.  Gary Brown led off and singled on the infield to the second baseman Brian Roberts.  In an attempt to cut down Brown, Roberts skipped the throw into the Bowie dugout.  Brown took second on the error, advanced to third on a groundout and scored for a 1-0 lead when Daniel Mayora sent a sacrifice-fly to right field.

Zelous Wheeler tied the ballgame in the second when he decked an 0-2 pitch from Fitzgerald over the left-field wall.  Wheeler’s fifth home run of the season leveled the ballgame, 1-1.

Both starters settled in, but the Baysox broke in front against Fitzgerald in the bottom of the fifth inning.  Allan de San Miguel got Bowie started with a one-out single.  Schoop followed with a single and Buck Britton drove in de San Miguel with a double into the right-field corner.  Hoes made it 3-1 with an RBI groundout and the Baysox added an unearned run when Chris Dominguez couldn’t handle a groundball Widlansky.

The Squirrels pulled back within a run in the top of the sixth inning against Bascom.  Brown ignited Richmond when he led off with his second hit off of Bascom.  Nick Liles followed with a single and Mayora crunched a double into the alley in right-center field to bring in both runners.

Fitzgerald (3-3) left after five innings and endured his third loss of the season.  He surrendered four runs – three earned – on five hits.  He walked one and struck out three.

The Baysox tacked a run onto their lead against left-hander Ari Ronick in the sixth inning, but the Squirrels got it right back in the top of the seventh to stay down just a lone run.

Bascom (4-2) called it a night after six innings and didn’t factor in the decision.  He turned in a quality-start, allowing three earned runs on seven hits.  He walked none and struck out three.

Right-hander Greg Burke worked a scoreless eighth inning, but allowed the Squirrels to tie the game, 5-5, in the ninth.  Ryan Cavan led off with a single and the Squirrels sent in pinch-runner Juan Perez.  He stole second base and advanced to third when Ehire Adrianza bounced out to the right-side.  Flores knotted the ballgame when lifted a sacrifice-fly to left field.  Burke (1-0) blew the save, but turned into the winner after the Baysox rally in the bottom of the ninth.

The Squirrels return home to open a four-game series with the Trenton Thunder (New York Yankees) at The Diamond on Friday night.  The series opener features a first pitch of 6:35 PM.  Richmond right-hander Craig Westcott (3-4, 4.13) will make the start against Trenton LHP Shaeffer Hall (4-4, 3.51). Pregame coverage will begin at 6:05 PM on Sports Radio 910 and SportsRadio910.com.

The No. 4 seed in the tournament, Virginia next will play No. 8 seed Georgia Tech at 11 a.m. Friday in the pool-play format. The Cavaliers conclude pool play at 3 p.m. Saturday when they take on top-seeded Florida State. Clemson plays the Seminoles at 3 p.m. Friday.

Runs were tough to come by, despite both teams having plenty of opportunities. Clemson put runners on base in every inning and left 11 runners on the basepaths, while Virginia stranded a dozen baserunners.

Kyle Crockett (So., Poquoson, Va.) tossed 1.1 innings in earning the win and improving to 5-2. Justin Thompson (Sr., Danville, Va.) got a game-ending double-play ball to notch his 12th save. Mike Kent (1-2) gave up both runs in the eighth inning for Clemson and took the loss.

Both starting pitchers were excellent while receiving no decisions. UVa’s Branden Kline (Jr., Frederick, Md.) worked seven innings, giving up one earned runs, four hits and five walks while striking out five. Clemson’s Daniel Gossett pitched 6.2 innings, allowing an earned runs, four hits and six hits while fanning six.

Virginia struck for the game’s first run in the third inning. With one out Branden Cogswell (Fr., Ballston Lake, N.Y.) was hit by a pitch. He advanced on a wild pitch as Stephen Bruno (R-So., Audubon, N.J.) struck out. After Derek Fisher (Fr., Rexmont, Pa.) walked, Jared King (R-Jr., Radford, Va.) singled to left field on an 0-2 pitch to plate Cogswell and give UVa a 1-0 edge.

Clemson tied the game in the sixth inning when Jon McGibbon crushed a solo home run to right field with one out.

The Tigers took advantage of Virginia miscues to take the lead in the eighth. On a swinging third strike to start the inning, Brad Felder reached base on a passed ball by Nate Irving (Fr., Yonkers, N.Y.). With one out Felder stole second base, and he scored when McGibbon’s grounder to shortstop went through the legs of Chris Taylor (Jr., Virginia Beach, Va.), giving Clemson a 2-1 lead.

Virginia countered with a two-out rally to take the lead in its half of the ninth. Brandon Downes (Fr., South Plainfield, N.J.) singled to left against Kent and was replaced by pinch runner Mitchell Shifflett (So., Midlothian, Va.). Irving was hit by a pitch, and pinch hitter Kenny Towns (Fr., Burke, Va.) walked to load the bases. Taylor then was hit by a pitch to force in Shifflett. Reliever Scott Firth entered the game and walked Cogswell on five pitches to bring in Irving with the go-ahead run.

The Indianapolis 500 gets your day at the track started at 11 a.m. on ABC. After 500 miles, a drink of milk and a kiss of the bricks (thanks for the idea, NASCAR guys), then it’s off to the longest race of the NASCAR schedule. The flag drops on the Coca-Cola 600 in the early evening, with coverage starting at 5:30 p.m. on FOX.

The Nationwide racers hit the track Saturday at 2:30 p.m. on ABC.

The NBA Conference finals start Sunday, with Oklahoma City heading to San Antonio at 8:30 p.m. on TNT. Game 6 of the Heat’s series with Indiana is Thursday at 8 p.m. on ESPN, with the Game 7 if necessary Saturday. The Celtics and 76ers will decide their series Saturday on ABC, time to be determined.

The Stanley Cup Final will start May 30, and the winner of Rangers-Devils will be hosting the first two contests. They have Game 6 Friday at 8 p.m. on NBC Sports network, and Game 7 will be Sunday if necessary. The L.A. Kings, winners against the three Western division champs, await the victor.

The Nationals visit Atlanta on MASN Friday and Saturday, then play the Sunday night game on ESPN. The Royals come to Baltimore to meet the Orioles on MASN2 (Sunday afternoon on MASN).

Fox offers five choices for their game Saturday night – Tampa Bay at Boston and Angels-Mariners in the American League along with Cubs-Pirates, Rockies against Reds and Phillies at Cardinals.

Sunday on TBS, the Red Sox meet the Rays at 1:35 p.m.

The PGA tour stays in Texas, for the Crowne Plaza Invitational Saturday and Sunday on CBS. Coverage both days start at 3 p.m.

The top NCAA lacrosse teams meet in their Final Four Saturday on ESPN2. Notre Dame plays top-seed Loyola at 2:30 p.m., then it’s an ACC battle between Maryland and Duke at 5 p.m. The champion will be crowned Monday.

The French Open begins play Sunday at 5 a.m. on ESPN2.

Comcast offers three games Thursday from the ACC baseball tournament, starting at 11 a.m. with Virginia facing Clemson. There’s three more games beginning Friday at 11 a.m., and Saturday’s play starts at 3 p.m. The Sun Belt conference championship will be decided Sunday at 2 p.m.

ESPN2 brings the ACC baseball championship Sunday at noon, then the SEC title tilt goes at 3:30 p.m.

ESPN and ESPN2 show NCAA softball super regionals throughout the weekend. ESPN2 starts the action Thursday at 8 p.m. with Michigan-Alabama, followed by Louisiana-Lafayette meeting Arizona State. ESPN has a regional third game, if needed, Friday at 7 p.m., then Oregon faces Texas.

Oklahoma faces Arizona Saturday at noon on ESPN, with a deciding game following. The second game between Texas and Oregon is Saturday at 5 p.m., with an extra game following if necessary. Sunday, Tennessee plays Georgia at 1 p.m.

California and Washington play Saturday at 10 p.m. on ESPN2, with game 2 Sunday at 7 p.m.

There’s two MLS games on NBC Sports network this weekend – Galaxy against the Dynamo in a rematch of last year’s championship Saturday at 2:30 p.m. before San Jose visits Kansas City Sunday at 4:30 p.m.

More at http://WeekendWatchdog.wordpress.com.

P-Nats shut out in Wilmington

Potomac had chances early against winless Wilmington starter Tyler Sample.  They put runners on base in five of the six innings against Sample but couldn’t get a runner to third totaling just two hits against the Rocks starter.

The Blue Rocks scored their first run in the fourth inning against P-Nat starter Matt Grace.  Brett Eibner walked to open the inning.  He advanced to second then third on a pair of groundouts.  Jose Bonilla just beat out an infield single to the hole at short to score Eibner giving the Blue Rocks a 1-0 lead.

Wilmington added insurance in the eighth with two runs.  Eibner knocked a single scoring Whit Merrifield to increase the lead to 2-0.  Cheslor Cuthbert knocked a double that easily scored Eibner from first and opened the Wilmington advantage to 3-0.

Sam Runion came on and tossed a scoreless ninth to seal the 3-0 win for Wilmington.  It was the first save in the first chance of the year for Runion.

Sample (1-5) got his first win of the year striking out six over five-plus innings.  Grace (2-6) took the loss tossing a career-high seven and a third innings.  Grace has earned a decision in all eight of his starts.

In the series, the Potomac offense was anemic.  The Nationals scored just two runs on twelve hits being shut out twice.  They did not hit a home run.  Today, they failed to move a runner to third after sending just one runner to third in game one of the series on Monday.

After a day off tomorrow, Potomac starts a three-game series in Lynchburg on Friday night.  Trevor Holder (2-0, 6.00) makes his second spot start for the Nationals with first pitch at 6:05 PM.  The P-Nats return home on Monday to face Myrtle Beach at 7:05 PM.  For tickets, call 703-590-2311.

Graham win pitchers’ duel A battle of top pitching prospects was everything it was billed to be and more. J.R. Graham and Cody Buckel went toe-to-toe in the Hillcats 2-1 win. It was a Adam Milligan homer and Nick Ahmed RBI single that were the difference in a tight ball game.

The Hillcats struck first in the top of second inning much to the crowd’s surprise. It was the first pitch of the frame and Adam Milligan wasted no time with a blast over the right-center field wall to give the ‘Cats the early 1-0 lead.

J.R. Graham’s first hiccup was in the fourth. Two consecutive singles by Tomas Telis and Jared Hoying had runners at the corners for Brett Nicholas. With a 1-0 count, Nicholas ripped a fastball back towards the second baseman Tommy La Stella, but Base Umpire Aaron Larsen couldn’t move in time and took one off the left shoulder. The ruling is a dead ball and each runner advances only if necessary. Although the Pelicans would have scored a run, shortstop  Nich Ahmed would have got the runner at second. However, the run was discounted and the runner Hoying was awarded second. With the bases loaded, Graham would walk Odubel Herrera to score Telis and tie the game at 1-1. Graham would buckle down and not allow another run.

With each pitcher cruising, neither would bend let alone break. It wasn’t until the top of the eighth that the Hillcats could deliver another blow. Robby Hefflinger started the inning off with a double to right-center; Kyle Rose would pitch-run. Then, Buckel was his own worst enemy with consecutive walks to Chad Comer and Matt Lipka to load the bases. The walk to Lipka was the last batter of the day for Buckel, he was replaced by Zach Osborne. Ahmed was the first batter to face Osborne and Ahmed made him pay with a flair single to center to break the 1-1 tie. Rose would score and each runner advanced. However, the Hillcats were put on lock by Osborne who didn’t allow another run. The run would be added to the line of Buckel because he allowed the hit to Hefflinger.

Graham would come back for more in the eighth as well. He would give up a hit to Santiago Chirino, who would be pitch ran for by Josh Richmond. Cafe Martinez would be the last batter Graham would face. Graham got Martinez to fly out to the second baseman La Stella. Chasen Shreve would come in for Graham after 7.2 innings. Shreve–the league leader in holds–threw one pitch and got out of the inning.

Shreve was given the opportunity to get his first save of the season, but after getting Hoying out, he walked Nicholas and was quickly replaced by Juan Jamie for Christian Villanueva’s plate appearance. Jamie would deal heat and fan Villanueva. Herrera would single to put runners at the corner’s. But Jamie was throwing too much gas for Vinny DiFazio to handle and he was set down with three straight fastballs to end the game.

J.R. Graham (5-0) stayed perfect on the season. He went 7.2 innings, gave up one run on eight hits,  while walking one and fanning two. The tough luck loss went to Cody Buckel (3-2). He went 7.0+ innings, allowing two runs on seven hits. He walked two and sat down five.

The series finale is scheduled for 7:05pm tomorrow.  Aaron Northcraft (4-2, 2.82) will look to continue the solid starting pitching run for the Hillcats. Roman Mendez (2-3, 4.43) toe the rubber for the Pelicans. Tune in and listen live to all the action on 105.5 FM KD Country and online at lynchburg-hillcats.com starting with the Hillcats On-Deck Show coming on the air at 6:40pm with Erik Wilson and Mike Viso.

After two scoreless innings, the Squirrels broke through first against Bowie right-hander Zach Clark in the third inning.  Wendell Fairley sparked Richmond with a one-out single.  Gary Brown followed with a single and Ryan Cavan gave the Squirrels a 1-0 lead when he slapped a single back through the middle.

Bowie hurriedly tied the ballgame with their own run in the third against left-hander Mike Kickham.  Kickham walked rehabbing Orioles’ second baseman Brian Roberts for the second time in the ballgame to start the inning.  Buck Britton followed and rifled a double into the right-field corner.  Roberts raced around from first to score and tie the game, 1-1.

Richmond broke back on top in the sixth inning, notching two runs off of Clark.  The rally came with two outs and was sparked by a bunt-single from Ehire Adrianza.  Jose Flores followed and sent a hard-groundball to first base.  Robbie Widlansky couldn’t handle it, and the ball ricocheted off his wrist into foul-territory.  Adrianza scampered to third base, while Flore took second on the error.  Fairley then looped a two-run single just fair inside the left-field foul line for a 3-1 lead.  Both runs were unearned against Clark.

Kickham (3-4) technically departed with the lead after the fifth inning and earned his third win of the season.  He was charged with just a lone run on three hits, walked three and struck out seven.  Kickham struck out five of the final seven batters that he faced.

Clark (3-4) left after his trouble in the sixth inning and was doomed to the loss.  He was charged with three runs – one earned – on eight hits.  He walked two, struck out five and turned in his seventh consecutive quality start.

The Baysox got an unearned run off of right-hander Jake Dunning in the seventh inning, closing to one run.  However, Dunning escaped further trouble and ultimately turned in three strong innings of relief.

The Squirrels put the game out of reach with three runs against right-hander Sean Gleason.  They scored one in the eighth when Fairley sent a sacrifice-fly to left field to plate Juan Perez. In the ninth inning, Daniel Mayora belted his first home run of the season to left-center field.  Johnny Monell added an RBI double to cap the scoring, 6-2.  Fairley finished the ballgame 3-for-3 with three RBIs.

Right-hander Brett Bochy nailed down the win in a non-save situation, posting a perfect ninth inning.

The series finale is scheduled for 7:05 PM on Thursday night at Prince George’s Stadium. Richmond RHP Justin Fitzgerald (3-2, 4.44) will make the start against Bowie RHP Tim Bascom (3-2, 4.38). Pregame coverage will begin at 6:35 PM on Sports Radio 910 and SportsRadio910.com.

The victory guarantees Salem a series victory and creates some breathing room in the Southern Division, lifting the Sox a game and a half ahead of Winston-Salem heading into Thursday’s series finale. Ryan Pressly did not match his most recent performance of seven scoreless innings, but the righthander battled and completed five innings to earn the win, allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits. Ruben Flores allowed one run in relief, but Pete Ruiz continued his dominating season with three shutout frames to earn his first save of the year.

After the Dash scored a run in the top of the first, Salem quickly countered with a pair in the home half. Jackie Bradley, Jr. led off with a double, advanced to third on Sean Coyle’s groundout, and scored on Travis Shaw’s game-tying RBI single. After Xander Bogaerts doubled to move Shaw to third, Hedman drove in the first of his three runs with a sac fly to center, lifting the Sox to a 2-1 lead.

Winston retaliated with an unearned run in the top of the second, taking advantage of Coyle’s error, and Juan Silverio singled to drive in Brady Shoemaker to even the count at two. Things remained even into the fourth, when the Dash scored twice on an RBI double from Nick Ciolli and another clutch hit from Silverio. The Dash led 4-2, but just like the first inning, the advantage would be short lived.

Winston starter Ryan Buch did himself no favors when he walked the first two Sox hitters in the last of the fourth, and Michael Almanzar punished Buch by crushing a two-run, game-tying double to even the score at four and knock him out of the game. After Carson Blair’s single moved Almanzar to third, Felix Sanchez bounced into a 6-3 double play, but Almanzar scored from third to put the Sox ahead 5-4.

Salem would not trail again, swiping an unearned run in the fifth to lead 6-4 when Bogaerts reached on an error and Hedman singled him home. The Dash chopped the deficit back to one with a Daniel Wagner RBI single in the sixth, but Hedman launched his second homer of the year in the seventh, a two-out solo shot to right, lifting the Sox to the 7-5 score that would eventually be the final.

Hedman complemented his two hits with a sac fly and a walk, delivering four productive plate appearances to the Sox on Wednesday afternoon.  Shannon Wilkerson went 2-for-3 with a walk, while Almanzar finished 2-for-4 with two RBI. At the bottom of the Dash lineup, Silverio led the way with three hits  in four at-bats with two RBI.

The Salem Sox will send Matt Barnes to the mound on Thursday evening in search of a series sweep. After making seven straight starts on the road, Thursday will be Barnes’ first start at LewisGale Field. Winston will counter with Matt Heidenreich, and the first pitch is scheduled for 7:05.

Squirrels get W to break losing skid

Richmond prevailed, 3-1, over the Bowie Baysox (18-26) as Heston took over the league ERA lead, departing with a mark of just 0.61.  Heston has not allowed an earned run in the month of May, and has allowed just one over his last six starts.

For the second straight night, the Squirrels got out to a fast start in the first inning.  Gary Brown led off against Bowie right-hander Oliver Drake and sent a routine groundball to the shortstop Manny Machado.  Machado fumbled the ball, allowing Brown to reach.  Ryan Cavan immediately made the error sting, doubling down the left-field line to plate Brown for a 1-0 lead.  Daniel Mayora followed with a single and Chris Dominguez grounded out to bring in Cavan for a 2-0 advantage.  One of the two runs charged to Drake was unearned due to the Machado error.

The Baysox cut the Squirrels lead in half in the second with their own unearned run against Heston.  Machado singled on the infield with one out.  Heston struck out Caleb Joseph for the second out and then fanned Zelous Wheeler.  However, strike three eluded Richmond catcher Johnny Monell to the backstop.  The passed ball allowed Wheeler to reach and Machado take third base.  Kipp Schutz followed and cracked a single into center field.  Machado scored the unearned run, bringing Bowie to within a run, 2-1.

Richmond got the run back in the fourth with a quick two-out uprising against Drake.  Ehire Adrianza got it started with a single back through the middle.  He promptly stole second and scored for a 3-1 cushion when Joel Weeks sent a carbon-copy single to center.

Drake (0-1) called it a night after six innings, having conceded three runs – two earned – on five hits.  He walked one, struck out six and took the loss despite turning in a quality-start.

Heston (4-2) allowed one run – unearned – over eight innings.  He conceded six hits, all singles, walked none and matched his career-high with nine strikeouts.

Right-hander Brett Bochy nailed down the win and earned his fifth save with a perfect ninth.  The Bowie bullpen turned in three scoreless innings in defeat.

Game three of the four-game series is scheduled for 7:05 PM on Tuesday night at Prince George’s Stadium. Richmond LHP Mike Kickham (2-4, 4.04) will make the start against Bowie RHP Zach Clark (3-3, 3.55). Pregame coverage will begin at 6:35 PM on Sports Radio 910 and SportsRadio910.com.

‘Cats win nailbiter Clutch hitting and fantastic pitching led the Hillcats to their second consecutive win, 3-2. It was a combined effort with Nick Ahmed and Chris Garcia leading the offense, while Dimasther Delgado led the pitching staff in a close game.

The Latino swag was in full swing as Dimasther Delgado and Wilmer Font went pitch-for-pitch in the series opener. Font was the leader in the clubhouse in dazzling fashion. He went 5.0+ innings of no-hit ball. He mixed in his plus fastball with a devastating slider for six strikeouts through those five innings.

Dimasther Delgado was clutch in his first four innings of work. He mixed a fastball and a solid curveball to keep the Pelicans off-balance at the plate and induce several grounders, including two double play ground balls.

It wasn’t until the fifth inning that a run would be scored. Vinny DiFazio lined a double down the left field line to start the inning. Odubel Herrera hit a low liner to shortstop Nick Ahmed, it seemed like an easy play for Ahmed, but he picked his head up and the ball went off his glove. Runners would be safe at the corners with no outs. It would be Santiago Chirino coming through with a long fly out to left that Mycal Jones caught on the run. Tagging and scoring was DiFazio for the first run of the game. The Pelicans offense would stall afterwards.

The Hillcats would answer back immediately. Robby Hefflinger walked his second walk of the day off of Font to start the top of the sixth. Chad Comer came to the plate for the first time after he replaced an injured Braeden Schlehuber, who was hit by a Font fastball in the third. Comer worked a full count but went down swinging, however, Hefflinger stole second on the play to trade a base for the out. Matt Lipka would line a single between the first and second basemen for his first hit of the day; Hefflinger was stopped a third. With Nick Ahmed at the plate, Font threw a sharp splitter that went off and under the glove of Tomas Telis behind the plate. Hefflinger wouldn’t chance the play at the plate, but Lipka would scamper to second. Then, with two strikes on him, Ahmed came up with the clutch hit to left-center. Hefflinger and Lipka scored to give the ‘Cats the 2-1 lead. The hit would end Font’s day.

The scoring didn’t stop for the Pelicans, but it would start with two outs in the bottom of the sixth. Christian Villanueva got his second hit of the day by lining a ball in nearly the same spot as DiFazio an inning earlier. Then, Brett Nicholas would hit a fastball back up the middle, Lipka threw home from center, but it was not in time. The score was 2-2.

The top of the seventh would belong to the Hillcats and Chris Garcia. With two outs, Garcia would unload on a Joe Van Meter pitch that cut through the thick air on a rainy night a ricochet off the scoreboard. That would be all the Hillcats would need.

The bullpen would come through for Dimasther Delgado (2-1) and preserve the win. He went 6.0 innings, struck out three and didn’t walk a batter while spraying seven hits. Joe Van Meter (1-3) would pick up the loss thanks to the solo blast off Garcia’s bat. Juan Jamie got his seventh save of the season.

Game two is set for 7:05pm tomorrow. J.R. Graham (4-0, 2.50) will try to stay perfect for the Hillcats. Cody Buckel (3-1, 1.14) look to continue to dominate the Carolina League for the Pelicans.. Tune in and listen live to all the action on 105.5 FM KD Country and online at lynchburg-hillcats.com starting with the Hillcats On-Deck Show coming on the air at 6:40pm with Erik Wilson and Mike Viso.

Salem takes over first Three Salem pitchers combined to hold Winston’s top-ranked offense to just three hits and every member of the Sox lineup reached base at least once as the Red Sox rose into first place with a 3-1 victory on Tuesday night at LewisGale Field. Miguel Celestino limited the Dash to one run on three hits over six innings, preceding Salem’s perfect pen duo of Jeremiah Bayer and Mike Olmstead. The trio united to set down the final 13 Dash batters, preventing Winston from having a baserunner after the fifth inning.

Offensively, the Sox overcame an early 1-0 deficit, discovering the equalizer in the fourth before scoring a pair in the last of the seventh. Travis Shaw led off the last of the fourth with his 50th hit of the season, a bullet blasted down the right field line for his 15th double. A grounder from Xander Bogaerts moved Shaw to third, and Christian Vazquez singled him home to even the score at one.

Three innings later, a leadoff double sparked the game-winning rally, with Michael Almanzar reaching second on his liner to left-center. A sacrifice bunt from Adalberto Ibarra moved Almanzar to third, and Felix Sanchez’ slow chopper to short brought him home to give the Sox a 2-1 lead. Although the bases were empty with two outs, the Sox were not done, as Jackie Bradley, Jr. worked his third walk of the night to prolong the frame for Sean Coyle. Despite falling behind in the count 0-2, Coyle fouled off numerous two-strike tosses before smashing a deep liner off the fence in left. Bradley scored from first on Coyle’s first Carolina League triple, lifting the Sox to a 3-1 advantage.

The cushion was more than enough for the Red Sox relievers, as Jeremiah Bayer, after striking out the side in the seventh, induced three consecutive ground outs in the eighth. Olmsted arrived for the ninth to set down the Dash in order, punching out the final two batters of the game to complete the victory.

Bogaerts and Vazquez each had two hits to lead the Sox, who outhit the Dash 8-3. The victory moved the Red Sox 24-17, a half-game ahead of the Dash, who fell to 24-18.

Salem and Winston will reunite on Wednesday at 11 AM for some brunch baseball with a pair of righthanded guys named Ryan on the mound. Ryan Pressly will take the ball for the Sox opposite Ryan Buch for the Dash, with first place on the line again.

Eberly, also an alumnus and former women’s basketball coach, will head both the men’s and women’s golf teams at EMU, both of which will be a varsity sport for the first time this fall.

He recently retired from a position with Rockingham County, spending more than 30 years with the county’s recreation department, including the last 28 as director.  Eberly coached the boy’s golf team at Eastern Mennonite High School this past year and also works at Heritage Oaks Golf Course in Harrisonburg, which will be the home course for the Royals.

Further building on the connection with the city-owned course, David Johns, the head professional at Heritage Oaks, will provide additional instruction for the EMU golfers.

Eastern Mennonite University Director of Athletics Dave King feels the combination of the two men will be perfect for the start up of the program.

“Wendell brings a familiarity with the university, the Harrisonburg community and Heritage Oaks that will help him fit into the collegiate coaching role and get the golf program up and running,” King explained.  “David’s familiarity of golf programs, including his collegiate playing days at James Madison University, will help in establishing the golf program.  The combination of Wendell’s administrative experience and David’s teaching expertise and experience provides the foundation for a great start to our golf teams.  That combination will also be an attraction to recruits who want to improve their game.  The availability of both Wendell and David at the golf course will greatly benefit the players during their practice sessions.”

Eberly was pleased to see EMU add the sport on the varsity level.

“The more I started talking about this opportunity the more exited I got,” he said.  “I love golf and it’s a great program for EMU to get involved with as it provides a lifetime activity for the student-athletes.”

Immediately after graduating from Eastern Mennonite in 1975, Eberly coached the women’s basketball team to three winning seasons on an interim basis preceding Hall of Honor coach Sandy Brownscombe.  He now brings his involvement with his alma mater full circle.

“I’ve been involved with EMU for many years,” said Eberly.  “I graduated from here, my wife graduated from here and we’ve had two daughters graduate from here.  So I’ve been involved with the community for many years and stayed up on their sports activities.  It’s a good institution and I’m excited to be a part of it.”

The collegiate golf season spans all year, with events in both the fall and spring leading up to the ODAC Championship in April.  King knows that with the timing of the hiring, the majority of EMU’s first team members might already be on campus.

“While we are really late in the recruiting process, we are hopeful that as Wendell gets started this week, we can still find a few student-athletes that would like to be a part of this new program,” King said.  “We have a lot to learn about the golf program, but having Wendell and David working together, I believe that we can make up for lost time.  We are grateful to the Loyal Royals who have provided funding so Wendell can begin working immediately.”

Eberly begins his work as EMU’s first golf coach this week.  He and his wife Carol live in Harrisonburg.  They have two grown daughters that live in the area along with two grandchildren.

The 2012-13 schedule will be released later this summer.