P-Nats clinch second half
The Potomac Nationals used a six-run eighth inning to defeat the Kinston Indians 8-4 and secure a tie for the second half title in the Carolina League’s Northern Division in Monday’s regular season finale. The Nationals wrapped up the second half with a 39-31 record and will face the Frederick Keys in the Divisional Playoffs beginning Wednesday at Harry Grove Stadium.
Season finales will often feature some bizarre sights, and the Labor Day contest at Pfitzner Stadium was no different. Relief pitcher Cody Allen drove in the go-ahead run in the sixth inning with his first professional hit and scored later in the inning to put Kinston ahead 4-2.
But a key error by Jose Flores – making his first appearance since returning from the disabled list – in the eighth inning led to six unearned Potomac runs that put the game away. After a leadoff double by Cutter Dykstra, Flores walked Francisco Soriano. Jeff Kobernus then sacrificed back to the mound; Flores bobbled, Kobernus was safe and the Nationals were in business. Destin Hood then hit a bullet to third that was caught by Adam Abraham, who doubled off Dykstra at third. Without the error, the inning would have been over.
But five straight hits, including three two-out doubles, plated six runs for Potomac and set the table for the series-salvaging win.
Kinston took a brief lead in the first inning. Bo Greenwell and Abraham singled with one out, and Jeremie Tice scored Greenwell with a sacrifice fly to right.
The Nats took the lead back in their half of the first. Brian Peaock’s single scored Jeff Kobernus, who had singled and stolen his 53rd base. Peacock then stole second base, and Roberto Perez’s throw sailed into center field to score Hood and put Potomac ahead.
Casey Frawley was removed from the game in the second inning. Abraham – the designated hitter – was moved to third, Tyler Cannon took over at second, and the Indians forfeited their D.H. spot.
Allen came on in relief of Mike Rayl in the fourth inning and overpowered Potomac on the mound. In three runs he allowed just one hit – and then did some damage with the bat. In the sixth, Tice doubled with one and moved to third on Cannon’s single.
Allen then came to the plate with two on and one out. Tice scored on a wild pitch to tie the game, and Allen’s single to center past a drawn-in infield pushed Kinston ahead. They held the lead until the fateful eighth.
Hector Nelo got the final three outs of the game to close down the regular season in front of 2,209 hearty fans at Pfitzner Stadium, who withstood sporadic drizzle throughout the ballgame.
On Wednesday, the P-Nats begin their quest to repeat as Mills Cup Champions in Frederick. Game One at Harry Grove Stadium begins at 7:05 P.M. The pregame show for the broadcast can be heard beginning at 6:20.
Back-to-back jacks win it for ‘Cats
In a pitchers duel, sometimes it comes down to a couple of hits in the game. For the Hillcats, the couple of hits came in the seventh inning, as Barrett Kleinknecht and Geraldo Rodriguez hit back-to-back home runs to lead Lynchburg to a 3-2 win over the Kinston Indians Sunday night.
The Hillcats took the lead in the bottom of the second. Barrett Kleinknecht led off the inning with a double. Two batters later, Marcus Lemon laced a double down the left field line, scoring Kleinknecht and giving the Hillcats an early 1-0 lead.
The Indians only managed two hits against against Hillcats starter Gary Moran, but made them count, with both coming in the top of the third. Delvi Cid started it off with a bouncer to the hole between short and third. Andrelton Simmons was able to field it deep in the hole, but had no play to first, so Cid reached with an infield single. He stole second, and Tyler Holt dropped a bunt down the third base line. He just beat the throw to first from Joe Leonard, and with two infield hits, runners were at the corners with no outs. Jordan Casas grounded into a 4-6-3 double play, but Cid scored to tie the game at one.
Jeremy Haynes entered the game in the seventh inning and ran into some trouble, he gave up a hit and walked two batters before a sacrifice fly before Doug Pickens hit a sacrifice fly to center to break the tie and put Kinston ahead 2-1. Haynes (2-1) was able to get out of the inning without any more damage.
Kinston went to the bullpen as well in the seventh inning. After Francisco Jimenez allowed just four hits, he left and Kyle Landis (8-2) entered the game. The leadoff batter, Kleinknecht, hit a shot to left that cleared the wall for his second home run in as many nights. Right after him, Geraldo Rodriguez hit a line drive that just hooked inside the foul pole for back-to-back home runs and gave the Hillcats the 3-2 lead.
Andrew Wilson worked a perfect eighth in his return to Lynchburg and Eliecer Cardenas pitched a perfect ninth to earn his seventh save of the year.
The Hillcats improved to 28-33. The Indians fell to 32-29.
Lynchburg continues their season-ending homestand on Tuesday as the Potomac Nationals come into town for a four-game series. Chris Masters (9-5) will take the mound for the Hillcats and face Evan Bronson (5-4) for the Nationals. First pitch is at 7:05 pm and gates will open at 6.
The Hillcats On-Deck Show presented by Honda/Suzuki of Lynchburg will go on the air at 6:40 pm. Tune in to 105.5 KD Country or go to lynchburg-hillcats.com to listen live to all the action.
‘Cats unable to weather storm
After Hurricane Irenetore through North Carolina, the series between Indians and Hillcatswas moved to Lynchburg. In the first game on Sunday night Kinston won 9-2 over Lynchburg.
Hillcats pitcher Caleb Brewer had a rough start to the game. He walked the first three batters he faced, then gave up a grand slam to Jeremie Tice. He walked two more batters in the inning, but was able to get out of the inning with Kinston leading 4-0.
Barrett Kleinknecht stepped up to the plate with two outs in the bottom of the second. He swung on the first pitch he saw, launching it over the left field wall for a solo home run to cut the lead to 4-1.
Over the next three innings, the Indians score four unanswered, all off of singles. One run scored in each of the third and fourth, and then Adam Abraham hit a two-run single in the fifth to put the Indians up 8-1.
The Hillcats got one back in the bottom of the eighth. With Todd Cunningham on first base, Christian Bethancourt doubled to center, scoring Cunningham and making the score 8-2.
Kinston scored one more in the ninth, to give the Indians a 9-2 victory over Lynchburg.
Brewer (1-1) took the loss, only pitching two and two-thirds innings and giving up five runs. The winning pitcher was Clayton Cook (8-8).
The Hillcats fell to 27-33 in the second half. The Indians improved to 32-28.
The final game this season between the Hillcats and Indians will be played Monday at 5:00 pm at CityStadium. Gary Moran (1-1) will pitch for the Hillcats and Francisco Jimenez (3-3) will take the mound for the Indians. Gates will open at 4 pm and admission will be free for all fans.
The Hillcats On-Deck Show presented byHonda/Suzuki of Lynchburg will go on the air at 4:40 pm. Tune in to105.5 KD Country or go to lynchburg-hillcats.comto listen live to all the action.
P-Nats win wacky one in Kinston
With two outs and Sandy Leon at second base in the top of the 11th inning on Tuesday night in Kinston, Francisco hit a harmless popup behind the pitchers’ mound. The Indians’ entire infield converged on the ball but let it fall to the grass, allowing Leon to score the eventual winning run in a Nationals 6-3 win at Grainger Stadium. It wwas just their third win in nine tries at the venerable ballpark. The good fortune helped erase what would have been another discouraging defeat at the home of the Indians, in which the P-Nats will play their final game ever on Wednesday night.
Potomac was two outs from victory in the ninth. With a 3-1 lead, Hector Nelo allowed consecutive singles to Tyler Cannon and Casey Frawley. Jeremie Tice then pinch hit for Justin Toole and delivered with a single to left field that pulled the Indians within a run. With runners at second and third and one out, Roberto Perez hit a ball to shortstop. It scored Frawley, but Zach Walters threw out Tice at third for the second out. Nelo got Argenis Martinez to ground out to send the game to extra innings.
The Nationals, who entered the game one for their previous 30 with runners in scoring position, broke through with four hits in clutch spots. Only two of them were conventional. Eury Perez got the Nats on the board with a two-out single in the fifth, after Jose Lozada doubled. Francisco Soriano then reached on an error by Clayton Cook to put runners at the corners. Jeff Kobernus then laid down the first of his two RBI safety squeeze bunts to make it 2-0 Potomac.
A pair of walks by Nats starter Erik Davis proved costly and led to the only damage done against him. Jordan Casas scored Perez to pull the Tribe within a run.
Kobernus’s second safety squeeze in the seventh scored Eury Perez and made it 3-1 Nats.
After Soriano’s popup fell safely in the 11th, Kobernus continued the Nationals’ good fortune. He hit a blooper just inside the right field line off the glove of Martinez that scored Soriano. Destin Hood then hit a double to the wall in left to score Kobernus and push Potomac ahead 6-3.
Josh Smoker pitched a pair of scoreless innings to earn his fifth win and level the three-game series. The clubs play the rubber match Wednesday at 6:30 P.M. Evan Bronson takes the mound for Potomac.
P-Nats K 18 times in loss to Kinston
The Potomac Nationals’ trouble making contact with runners in scoring position continued on Monday night in Kinston, as the Nationals went 0-for 11 with men at second or third in a 2-0 loss to the Indians. Potomac was struck out 18 times, including seven punchouts in clutch situations. Kinston, meantime, had just four chances with runners in scoring position, but the Indians got a pair of consecutive two-out singles in the third inning to score the game’s only runs.
Potomac had a bevy of chances early against Kinston starter Mike Rayl. The Nationals had a runner at second or third base with fewer than two outs in each of the first three innings – and failed to score.
In the first, Potomac got a one-out double from Jose Lozada. But a pair of strikeouts got Rayl out of trouble. Rayl, who tied a career high with 11 strikeouts, got more punchouts to escape another jam in the second. After Steven Souza walked to open the inning, Sandy Leon singled to right field. Cutter Dykstra then hit a ball right back to Rayl, who bobbled and could only make the throw to first. But Sean Nicol and Eury Perez fanned to end the threat.
The third inning was a frustrating microcosm of the last three games for Potomac. Potomac – who was 1-for-19 with me in scoring position in the final two games against Myrtle Beach – loaded the bases with no outs. Brian Peacock struck out for the inning’s first out. Then, ahead with a 2-0 count, Souza popped out in foul ground to first base. Francisco Soriano inexplicably tried to tag up from third base and was out by ten feet to end the inning.
From that point on, the Nationals got individual hits in every inning except the fourth and ninth. Their best chance came in the eighth, when they chased Toru Murata – who relieved Rayl and struck out five Nationals – with a one-out single by Brian Peacock. Souza then doubled to right field to put two more in scoring position. Preston Guilmet, the Indians closer, came on to face Sandy Leon. Leon hit a sharp line drive to right field that was caught by Doug Pickens to end the inning.
Nationals starter Adam Olbrychowski walked his third batter with one out in the third inning, and a wild pitch moved Argenis Martinez to second. Justin Toole grounded out to third for the second out, but consecutive RBI singles by Jordan Casas and Adam Abraham did all the damage the Indians would need.
Guilmet retired the Nats in order in the ninth for his 31st save.
Potomac and Kinston resume the series Tuesday evening at Grainger Stadium. Erik Davis will make his third start for the Nationals at 6:30 P.M.
Salem rolls in finale
Stolmy Pimentel continued his resurgence with six dominant innings, setting the tone to Salem’s 10-3 win on Sunday afternoon at LewisGale Field, halting the Red Sox losing streak at four games. Pimentel allowed just one hit, a third-inning bloop single by Doug Pickens, in his near flawless performance, while the Sox sticks supported him with 10 runs on 14 hits. Over his last five starts, Pimentel has permitted just three earned runs in 24 innings, an ERA of 1.13 for the 21-year old Dominican righthander.
Every member of the Red Sox lineup mustered at least one hit, and Salem wasted little time assuming an early advantage. After Kinston starter T.J. House walked Derrik Gibson on five pitches to begin the bottom of the first, Heiker Meneses tripled into the right-center field gap, bringing Gibson across to surge on top 1-0. Meneses scored easily on Jorge Padron’s ground-out to second, and the Sox held a 2-0 edge after one.
The lead increased thanks to David Mailman’s two-out RBI double in the second, driving in Josue Peley from second base. Up 3-0, the Red Sox had multiple baserunners in the third, fourth, and fifth, but could not score again against House, who left after surrendering three runs on eight hits and four walks over five frames.
While House wiggled his way out of jams, Pimentel avoided them completely. He retired the final 11 men he faced in his virtuoso performance, in which no Indian reached second base. Pimentel struck out five, including the final man he faced to complete his six shutout innings on the mound. The win improved him to 3-3 with Salem and shrunk his ERA to 3.81.
After Pimentel finished the top of the sixth, the Sox offense broke it open. Salem scored four times on two hits and three walks against Indians reliever Trey Haley, with Miles Head and Shannon Wilkerson each connecting for RBI singles that helped the Sox capitalize on Haley’s erraticness. With a 7-0 lead, Salem’s quest for a shutout was abruptly halted in the top of the seventh when the K-Tribe plated a pair against reliever Tom Ebert. But Salem added one more in the seventh and two more in the eighth, surging to a 10-2 lead into the ninth. And unlike Saturday night, Casey Frawley’s ninth-inning solo homer did little more that narrowly alter the final tally.
Salem was led offensively by Wilkerson, who recorded a team-high three hits. Meneses finished 2-2 with two walks and a sac fly, while Peley went 2-3 with a walk and a sac fly. Meneses has hit in all six games since joining Salem, while Peley extended his hitting streak to seven games. Bryce Brentz also contributed a multi-hit performance, singling and scoring twice from the cleanup spot. The Red Sox have pounded double-digit hits in five of the last six games, despite managing just a 2-4 record in that stretch.
With Kinston leaving town, the Sox welcome Myrtle Beach to the Roanoke Valley for the next three nights. Ryan Pressly is set to start the Monday night opener against Myrtle, while the Pelicans will counter with Chad Bell. First pitch is slated for 7:05.
Salem blows late lead, loses in extras
After twice being down to their final strike in the top of the ninth, the Indians rallied from four runs down to send the game into extras, prevailing 9-7 in 13 innings over the Red Sox on Saturday night at LewisGale Field. Casey Frawley’s pinch-hit double off Will Latimer plated two to even the score at seven, and the Sox squandered a glorious opportunity in the last of the ninth, losing a runner at home and then coming up empty with the bases loaded and one out. Kinston managed just one baserunner in the first three extra innings, but loaded the bases in the 13th, and Jesus Aguilar crossed on a wild pitch to give the K-Tribe their first lead of the night. Moments later, Roberto Perez’ sac fly made it 9-7, and the Sox stranded a pair, two of their season-high 14 left on base, in the last of the 13th inning.
The improbable comeback prevented Salem starter Chris Hernandez from earning his 11th victory. The Sox southpaw permitted an unearned run in the first, then held the Indians scoreless until Jeremie Tice clobbered a two-run homer in the seventh. But even after the dinger, Hernandez departed following six and a third excellent innings, surrendering just three runs (two earned), leaving with a 7-3 lead. The Salem bullpen could not hang on, however, as Michael Gleason was charged with three runs, Will Latimer allowed the game-tying double and was charged with one run, and newcomer T.J Hose took the loss, giving up the game-winning runs in the 13th, his second inning of work in his Red Sox debut.
The remarkable turnaround for the K-Tribe also muddied a worthy offensive performance for the Red Sox, who matched a season-high with 17 hits. Salem scored all seven of their runs in the first four innings, though, managing nothing over the final nine frames against a quintet of Kinston relievers. Toru Murata, Preston Guilmet, Jose Flores, and Kyle Landis each tossed two scoreless innings, with Landis earning the victory to improve his perfect record to 8-0.
Bryce Brentz and Miles Head delivered back-to-back homers for the Red Sox in a four-run first inning against Indians starter Marty Popham, in which six straight Salem batters recorded hits to begin the game. Popham lasted just two and a third, chased after another run crossed in the bottom of the third to give Salem a 5-1 lead. Nick Sarainades replaced Popham and the Sox bashed him for two more runs in the last of the fourth to obtain the 7-1 edge. But Sarainades dealt a scoreless fifth, starting a trend of shutdown innings for the Kinston pen.
Brentz finished 4-7 with three RBI, while Head and Peter Hissey each registered three-hit nights for the Red Sox. Four Indians managed two hit-games, including Frawley, who doubled as a pinch-hitter in the ninth and again in the 12th. Perez went 1-5 for Kinston, but led the Tribe with three RBI.
The 13-inning marathon matched Salem’s longest contest in terms of innings, equaling the July 16 loss to Myrtle Beach. The evening lasted four hours and 28 minutes from first pitch to final out, becoming Salem’s longest game of the season.
The Sox and Indians meet for the final time on Sunday afternoon at 4:05, with Ryan Pressly scheduled to face T.J. House in the series finale.
Salem falls to Kinston
Tyler Cannon’s three-run blast helped spoil Manny Rivera’s Carolina League debut, and the Kinston Indians won their third straight, downing the Salem Sox 6-2 to hand the Sox their third loss in a row. Rivera walked five Indians in four innings, surrendering eight hits and six runs in the process in his first Salem start. The Sox bullpen, highlighted by four spectacular frames from Chris Martin, dealt five scoreless innings, but Salem managed just five singles against a quartet of Kinston hurlers.
Rivera walked three of the first five batters in the ballgame, but escaped the first inning with just one run allowed thanks to a strikeout and a double play. In the second, Rivera walked the leadoff batter and yielded a single, but slithered out of the two-on, nobody-out predicament by retiring the next three. In the third, however, a leadoff single and a two-out walk set the table for Cannon, who crushed a mammoth three-run bomb to deep left-field, extending Kinston’s advantage to four. In Rivera’s final inning, he did not walk anybody, but the K-Tribe bashed four-hits off him, including a pair of doubles from Argenis Martinez and Tyler Holt and an RBI single for Jeremie Tice, surging the Indians to a 6-0 lead.
Salem’s offense contributed minimally through the first seven innings, connecting on just one hit and receiving three walks through seven, with no baserunner reaching second base in that time. In the last of the eighth, Shannon Wilkerson and Josue Peley both singled to put multiple runners aboard for the first time. A Derrik Gibson ground-out advanced the pair to second and third, and Heiker Meneses earned his first Carolina League RBI with a two-out single to center, trimming the deficit to 6-2.
Meneses led the Sox with two hits, while Wilkerson, Peley, and Miles Head each contributed singles as well. Kinston’s Tyler Holt and Roberto Perez each delivered two hits for the Indians, who out-hit the Sox 10-5 and won their sixth straight game at LewisGale Field.
Kinston starter Francisco Jimenez allowed just one hit and three walks in four and two-thirds innings but departed before recording the final out of the fifth. Hence, Chris Jones, who retired all seven men he faced over two and a third innings, earned the victory, improving to 6-1. Rivera fell to 0-1 in his first chance with Salem, while Martin dominated over four scoreless innings out of the Sox pen. Jeremiah Bayer retired the side 1-2-3 in his only frame on the bump.
Salem and Kinston continue their four-game weekend series on Saturday night at 6:05, with Chris Hernandez set to oppose Marty Popham. The famous San Diego Chicken will be in attendance at Salem Memorial Ballpark for his first appearance in the Roanoke Valley since 1993.
Sox rocked by Kinston
The Sox failed to capitalize on numerous opportunities throughout the ballgame, and the visiting Indians bombarded the Red Sox with a seven-run eighth-inning to break open an otherwise tight contest, surging Kinston to an 11-1 triumph on Thursday night at LewisGale Field. Clayton Cook pitched in and out of trouble through six and two-thirds innings, allowing just one run on nine hits to improve to 8-8 on the season, while Drake Britton’s early promise fizzled, walking five in four and a third after an efficient start to fall to 1-12 on the year.
Salem mustered baserunners in each of the first three innings, but the contest remained scoreless into the fourth. Kinston used a pair of walks and a single from Jesus Aguilar to load the bases against Britton, and Roberto Perez hammered a 1-2, two-out delivery into center to break the scoreless draw, vaulting the Tribe to a 2-0 lead. One inning later, Britton walked two of the first three batters and was given the hook. On a wild pitch tossed by reliever Pete Ruiz, Tyler Holt scurried home to give the Indians a 3-0 edge.
Salem scored its only tally in the last of the fifth, with Peter Hissey’s RBI single inching the Sox back within two. Kolbrin Vitek singled to load the bases with one out, but Bryce Brentz lined out and Jorge Padron grounded out softly to squander the opportunity.
The Indians added to their lead in the seventh with consecutive one-out doubles from Jeremie Tice and Aguilar making it 4-1. In the eighth, the Tribe broke it open, using seven hits and one hit-batter to score seven times. Jordan Casas and Adam Abraham each drove in two runs in the explosive inning, joining Aguilar and Perez with two RBI apiece on the night.
Salem managed ten hits, but left ten men on base, finishing 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Contrastingly, Kinston delivered 15 hits, received eight walks, left ten on base, but went 9-for-19 with runners in scoring position.
Down 4-1 in the last of the seventh, both Vitek and Brentz batted representing the tying run, but came up empty against the Cook and reliever Kyle Landis, who earned his second save of the year with two and a third scoreless out of the pen.
The Sox and Tribe meet again on Friday night, and Salem will send lefthander Manny Rivera to the mound for his Carolina League debut. The Indians will counter with Francisco Jimenez, with the first pitch slated for 7:05.
PROGRAMMING NOTE: Due to a conflict with Washington Redskins preseason football, Friday’s Salem Sox action will be heard exclusively on the web, streaming live for free at www.salemsox.com.
Lynchburg loses to walkoff
For the first time in nearly two months, the Hillcats had to go to extra innings to decide a game. Extra were unkind, as a solo home run in the bottom of the tenth sent Lynchburg to a 4-3 loss Wednesday night.
For the second straight night, the Hillcats jumped out in front over the Indians. Christian Bethancourt hit a one-out single. After a popout, Marcus Lemon dropped a bunt down the third base line. Lemon beat out the bunt to first, and Bethancourt advanced to second. On a 3-2 pitch and the runners going, L.V. Ware laced a single to left field that scored Bethancourt to put the Hillcats up 1-0.
The Indians took the lead in the top of the fourth. Jesus Aguilar led off with a single, and Jeremie Tice was hit by a breaking pitch that got away from David Hale. Tyler Cannon dropped a bunt straight back to David Hale. Hale wheeled towards third to try to get the lead runner, but threw the ball over third baseman Joe Leonard’s head. Aguilar scored, Tice reached third and Cannon got to second on the play. Tice scored on a sacrifice fly by Casey Frawley, and later in the inning Cannon scored on a wild pitch by Hale to make it 3-1.
Geraldo Rodriguez tied the game in the bottom of the inning. With one out and Joe Leonard on first, Rodriguez launched a fastball over the right-center field wall for his eighth home run of the season with Lynchburg to tie the game at three.
Both teams squandered chances over the next several innings. The Hillcats had a chance to win in the bottom of the ninth, with Marcus Lemon on second and one out. Todd Cunningham hit a grounder to the hole between third and short, but third baseman Justin Toole stretched out, stopped the ball, and threw a strike to first to retire Cunningham. The Indians intentionally walked Andrelton Simmons, and Phil Gosselin grounded out to third to end the inning.
One extra inning was all Kinston needed to win the game. With one out, Jesus Aguilar hit a fly ball to dead center field that hit the batter’s eye for his first home run with Kinston. Preston Guilmet came into the game in the bottom of the tenth and held the Hillcats scoreless to preserve the 4-3 Indians win.
Jose Flores (4-3) pitched the ninth inning to earn the win for Kinston. Ryan Buchter (1-5) pitched the tenth and gave up the game-winning home run to take the loss.
The Hillcats failed to win their fourth straight game to fall to 19-26, but did win their fourth straight series. Kinston improved to 23-21.
The Hillcats start a seven-day road trip on Thursday. Their first stop will be to Wilmington, where they play four games against the Blue Rocks. The first game will have lefty Dimasther Delgado (7-6) pitch against righty Elisaul Pimentel (5-6). First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 pm.
The Hillcats On-Deck Show presented by Honda/Suzuki of Lynchburg will go on the air at 6:40 pm. Tune in to 105.5 KD Country or go to lynchburg-hillcats.com to listen live to all the action.
Moran pitches eight shutout innings in Lynchburg win
The Hillcats offense exploded for nine runs against the Kinston Indians Tuesday night. However, the story of the night was Gary Moran, who pitched eight shutout innings and only allowed one hit in the 9-0 win.
For the first time in the homestand, the Hillcats scored first. Todd Cunningham led off with a walk. After Andrelton Simmons flew out to center, Cunningham stole second with Phil Gosselin at the plate. Gosselin rewarded the steal with a single, scoring Cunningham from second. Joey Terdoslavich followed with his 46th double of the season, scoring Gosselin. The hit gave him the record for most doubles in a season by a Lynchburg baseball player, topping Scott Cooper in 1988. Terdoslavich scored as well when Joe Leonard followed with a single, putting the Hillcats up 3-0.
They tacked on two more in the bottom of the second. With two outs and Cunningham on second base, Gosselin lifted a long fly ball that cleared the wall in left-center for his sixth home run of the year, and extended the lead to 5-0.
Gosselin picked up his fourth RBI of the game in the fourth inning. With runners on the corners and one out, Gosselin hit a slow grounder to first. Jesus Aguilar at first made the play, but L.V. Ware came in to score, and the Hillcats led 6-0.
The final blow for the Hillcats came from Ware. With two outs and two on, Ware hit a bomb to left field that for a three-run home run, his seventh of the season. It was his first home run that scored more than two runs this season, and gave the Hillcats a 9-0 lead.
While the offense was lighting up the board, Gary Moran was having a fantastic start in his second game with the Hillcats. Moran pitched eight shutout innings, striking out eight batters, including seven of nine at one point. He carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning, when a two out single by Jeremie Tice just bounced off the glove of a diving Andrelton Simmons at short. Moran (1-0) earned his first win in the Carolina League after being called up from Low-A Rome last week.
T.J. House took the loss for the Indians. House (6-10) pitched five innings, giving up nine runs on nine hits, and walking six batters.
The Hillcats won their sixth game out of the last seven, and are now 19-25 in the second half. Kinston fell to 22-21.
Lynchburg wraps up their six-game homestand Wednesday night against Kinston. Righty David Hale (3-4) will pitch for the Hillcats and he’ll face Indians lefty Mike Rayl (0-1). First pitch is at 7:05 pm and the gates will open at 6.
The Hillcats On-Deck Show presented by Honda/Suzuki of Lynchburg will go on the air at 6:40 pm. Tune in to 105.5 KD Country or go to lynchburg-hillcats.com to listen live to all the action.
Simmons knocks in seven to lead Lynchburg to victory
Andrelton Simmons had a career night, driving in seven RBIs, and led the Hillcats to an 11-6 win over the Kinston Indians Monday night. Lynchburg has now won five of their last six games as they begin the final month of the season.
The Indians scored first in the top of the second. Tyler Cannon and Casey Frawley singled to lead off the inning. Justin Toole dropped a bunt down the third base line. Pitcher Chris Masters fielded it and fired it to third, where Barrett Kleinknecht was scrambling over to the base to cover. Kleinknecht misplayed the ball as it hit his glove and it rolled into shallow left field. Cannon came around to score on the play. Later in the inning, Toole scored on an RBI single by Tyler Holt to make it 2-0 Kinston.
Lynchburg tied it in the bottom of the third. L.V. Ware led off the inning with a walk. Todd Cunningham followed with a double and Ware advanced to third on the hit. Andrelton Simmons hit a roller to short that was mishandled by the shortstop Casey Frawley. Ware scored and Cunningham advanced to third. Two batters later, Joey Terdoslavich hit a sacrifice fly to right to score Cunningham, and the game was tied at two.
Tyler Holt picked up another RBI in the fourth inning. With runners on first and second and two outs, Holt singled and Toole came in to score to give the Indians a 3-2 lead.
The Hillcats finally took the lead in the bottom of the fourth. Christian Bethancourt dropped a bunt down the third baseline and beat it out for a single. Marcus Lemon popped the ball up into shallow right-center. There was some miscommunication between the Indians fielders, and it dropped in for a single. Keenan Wiley dropped down a bunt of his own. The third baseman Cannon charged in, but slipped as he planted to grab the ball. Wiley was able to sprint down to first and the bases were loaded. L.V. Ware struck out looking for the first out of the inning.
Cunningham then grounded the ball to second and a wild play ensued. The second baseman, Argenis Martinez, picked the ball up and tried to tag Wiley as he ran from first to second. Wiley sidestepped to avoid the tag. Martinez, thinking that Wiley had been called out for leaving the baseline, threw to first to complete what he thought was a double play. Cunningham was out at first, but the base umpire, Kiff Kinkead, said that Wiley never left the base path. After the throw to first, he got up and made his way to second, and Bethancourt scored from third. Despite the protests of the fielders and Kinston manager Aaron Holbert, Kinkead stood by his call. Wiley and Lemon scored as Simmons came to the plate and singled for his second and third RBIs of the night to give the Hillcats a 5-3 lead.
Despite the disappointing play in the bottom of the fourth, the Indians came out strong in the fifth. The first three batters all reached base against starter Chris Masters. After the third batter of the inning singled, Masters left the game and Andrew Wilson came in. Despite retiring the first two batters he faced, all three inherited runners ended up coming in to score, and Kinston retook the lead, 6-5.
The Hillcats retook the lead, for good this time, in the sixth. Wiley hit a one-out single. On a hit-and-run, Ware grounded out to second, and Wiley advanced to second base. Todd Cunningham walked, and Simmons came to the plate. He laced a pitch out to left-center that rolled all the way to the wall. Wiley and Cunningham scored easily and Simmons dug for third. He slid in safely, and the relay throw from shortstop Casey Frawley got past Cannon at third. Simmons scrambled up and sprinted home, and the Hillcats went up 8-6.
The Hillcats scored three more runs in the seventh. Kleinknecht led off the inning with a bunt single, and the throw from Cannon went over the first baseman’s head, allowing him to reach second. Bethancourt followed with a single to score Kleinknecht. Lemon sacrificed Bethancourt to second, and Wiley walked. Ware struck out, but Cunningham walked as well, loading the bases for Simmons. Simmons knocked a single to left, scoring two runners, and picking up his sixth and seventh RBIs of the night. It put the Hillcats up 11-6, which held up for the rest of the game.
The seven RBIs were a career high for Simmons, shattering his previous high of two. It was the most for a Hillcat since June 13, 2009, when Pedro Alvarez drove home seven against Kinston.
Wilson (2-3) earned the win for the Hillcats. He pitched three innings and didn’t give up any runs after letting the inherited runners score in the fifth. Trey Haley (1-2) took the loss for Kinston.
The Hillcats won to improve to 18-25 in the second half, while the Indians fell to 22-20.
The teams meet up again on Tuesday night. Righty Gary Moran (0-0) will take the mound for the Hillcats, and will face southpaw T.J. House (6-9). First pitch is at 7:05 pm, and the gates will open at 6.
The Hillcats On-Deck Show presented by Honda/Suzuki of Lynchburg will go on the air at 6:40 pm. Tune in to 105.5 KD Country or go to lynchburg-hillcats.com to listen live to all the action.
