P-Nats complete sweep of ‘Cats
The Potomac Nationals lead the Carolina League in stolen bases, and it showed on Friday night as they swiped nine bags en route to a 7-3 win over the Hillcats at City Stadium.
The Nationals scored in the first inning. Jeff Kobernus had an infield single. He then stole second and third. When he stole third, catcher Shawn McGill’s throw went into left field, and Kobernus trotted home to give the Nationals the early lead.
Potomac scored more conventionally in the second inning. Zach Walters doubled out to left field, and Sandy Leon followed behind him a with a single to put the Nationals up 2-0.
The Hillcats struck back in the bottom of the second. Joe Leonard singled to lead off the inning. Keenan Wiley struck out, but Shawn McGill singled. Ryan Query knocked a single to right field to score Leonard and cut the lead to 2-1.
The Hillcats took their first lead since Tuesday in the fourth inning. With two outs, McGill hit a grounder to third. Jose Lozada threw the ball across the infield high, which pulled Steven Souza off the base. Query followed with a live drive down the right field line that rolled all the way to the corner. McGill came around to score on the hit, and Query slid into third with a triple. With L.V. Ware at the plate, Query was able to score on a wild pitch by Nationals starter Sammy Solis, and the Hillcats led 3-2.
Things went downhill for the Hillcats from there. The Nationals retook the lead in the top of the sixth inning. Jeff Kobernus walked, stole two bases, and scored on a wild pitch by Hillcats starter Corey Brewer to tie the game. Justin Bloxom also scored in the inning on an RBI single by Zach Walters, and the Nationals went ahead 4-3.
Reliever Jeremy Haynes gave up two unearned runs in the seventh inning, after he made an errant throw early in the inning. Two runs came across to score, and the Nationals led 6-3. They added one more in the eighth, and despite the Hillcats threatening in the ninth, held on to the 7-3 win.
The Hillcats gave up nine stolen bases in the game, and 21 in the series. It was the first time all season that Lynchburg had been swept in a four-game series.
Brewer (1-2) took the loss, and Solis (6-2) earned the win for the Nationals. The Hillcats dropped to 28-37 in the second half, while the Nationals improved to 38-28.
The final series of the season starts Saturday night as the Winston-Salem Dash come to Lynchburg. Gary Moran (1-1) will pitch for the Hillcats, while the Dash will send out Cameron Bayne (12-7). The first pitch is at 6:05 pm and the gates will open at 5.
The Hillcats On-Deck Show presented by Honda/Suzuki of Lynchburg will go on the air at 5:40 pm. Tune in to 105.5 KD Country or go to lynchburg-hillcats.com to listen live to all the action.
P-Nats roll in Lynchburg
The Potomac Nationals continued their winning ways on Thursday in Lynchburg. Led by an outstanding start by Paul Demny, the P-Nats surged to an early lead and never looked back, taking their third straight game over the Hillcats. With the win and Frederick’s loss in Kinston, the Nationals move within half a game of the Keys for the second half title in the Northern Division.
Destin Hood drove in Cutter Dykstra in the top of the first inning to stake the Nationals to a lead they would never relinquish. Dykstra singled to open the game, and in the same stadium where his father stole 103 bases in 1983, swiped a pair of bases to move to third base with one out before Hood knocked him in.
Demny encountered his only difficulty in the first. A pair of softly hit infield singles opened the inning against the righthander. But a made-to-order double play helped Demny escape unscathed. From there, he locked in and dominated. Over the next six innings, he allowed just three more hits, all of which were ground balls and only one of which left the infield. Demny struck out six and walked one to earn his tenth win.
Zach Walters continued his offensive surge with a double to lead off the second inning. Walters, who had three hits on the evening, scored the first of his two runs when Sean Nicol singled to left with two outs. Eury Perez then laced a single to center to push Potomac in front 3-0.
Potomac added single runs in the sixth and eighth innings. In the sixth, Brian Peacock singled and stole second base. He scored on Sandy Leon’s RBI single to right field. Leon struck again with a sacrifice fly in the eighth that scored Walters and made it 5-0.
On the night, Potomac stole a season high six bases to run their 2011 total to 199.
The Nationals were one out away from their fifth shutout of the season. But Shawn McGill hit a towering home run to left field to give Lynchburg its only run of the game with two outs in the ninth.
Potomac looks for a four-game sweep on Friday with Sammy Solis on the mound against Caleb Brewer at 7:05. The P-Nats return to Woodbridge on Saturday for the final regular season series of the year, a four-game set with the Kinston Indians. On Saturday the Nationals will raffle off a new car to a lucky fan and fire off the last Fireworks extravaganza of the year. Monday is Fan Appreciation Day, and the P-Nats will have exciting prizes and giveaways for all those in attendance. To get your tickets and to reserve your playoff package now, call the ticket office at 703-590-2311 or visit the club online at
P-Nats rally past ‘Cats
Despite Barrett Kleinknecht hitting a home run for the third time in the homestand, the Hillcats could not overcome four unearned runs in the eighth inning and fell 6-3 to the Potomac Nationals Wednesday night.
The Nationals got a spark with two outs in the third inning to score the first run. After starter David Hale pitched the first two and two-thirds innings without giving up a hit, he gave up three in a row, including an RBI single by Destin Hood, and Potomac took a 1-0 lead.
Barrett Kleinknecht continued his hot homestand in the third. With two outs, he hit a solo home run to left-center, tying the game at one. It was his third home run in four nights.
Starter David Hale pitched very well for the Hillcats. Hale pitched six innings, giving up just one run and striking out a career-high nine batters.
The pivotal play in the game came in the top of the eighth. With two outs and runners on second and third, Sean Nicol hit a grounder to Andrelton Simmons at short. Simmons made a short throw to first and Joey Terdoslavich was unable to handle the hop. Four runs went on to score in the inning, putting the Nationals ahead 5-1.
The Nationals added one more in the top of the ninth, and despite Joey Terdoslavich hitting a two-run home run, the Hillcats fell 6-3.
The win clinched a playoff birth for the Nationals, and in turn, eliminated the Hillcats from the playoff hunt.
Nationals starter Adam Olbrychowski (5-7) earned the win. Eliecer Cardenas (4-3) took the loss despite not giving up an earned run. Cameron Selik recorded the last out of the ninth inning to earn his first save of the season.
The Hillcats and Nationals continue their series Thursday night at City Stadium. Matt Crim (2-7) will pitch for the Hillcats and Paul Demny (9-10) will pitch for Potomac. First pitch will be 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.
Hillcats lose tempers, game
A collision at the plate and a retaliation hit-by-pitch caused the benches to clear in the fifth inning of a two-run ballgame Tuesday night. Three Hillcats were ejected after the altercation. Lynchburg came back to tie the game but fell 5-4 to the Potomac Nationals in 10 innings.
Each team scored in the first inning. Destin Hood hit a two-out solo home run in the top of the inning to give the Nationals the lead. The Hillcats responded by manufacturing a run. Todd Cunningham walked to lead off the inning. Lynchburg executed a perfect hit-and-run, with Andrelton Simmons singling out to right, sending Cunningham to third. Christian Bethancourt followed with a sacrifice fly to tie the game at one.
The Hillcats took advantage of a Potomac error in the third to take the lead. With Cunningham on second and one out, Bethancourt hit a grounder back to the pitcher, Evan Bronson. Bronson made a low throw to first, that rolled all the way to the Potomac bullpen. Cunningham came in to score and the Hillcats took a 2-1 lead.
The Nationals tied the game on in the fourth inning. With Zach Walters on first and Steven Souza on third, Chris Masters threw a pitch that hit the dirt. The ball skipped slightly away from Bethancourt, and Walters started to head towards second. Bethancourt quickly got to the ball and threw down to second, Walters stopped and Souza took off from third. The throw came back to the plate, and when Souza got there, he leveled Bethancourt, knocking him off his feet and knocking the ball out of his glove. Souza scored and Bethancourt, who didn’t move for nearly a minute, had to leave the game.
The game got wild in the fifth inning. The Nationals scored two runs to take a 4-2 lead, but the story was the action in between plays. Early in the inning, catcher Shawn McGill, who entered the game for Bethancourt, was hit in the head on an accidental backswing by hitter Francisco Soriano. McGill had to leave the game and the third catcher of game, Ryan Query had to come in.
Souza came to the plate with a runner on after the two runs came in. Masters threw a fastball that hit him, and Souza took a step towards Masters and said something. Masters started yelling back, walking off the mound towards the plate, and the benches and bullpens cleared. No punches were thrown, but several players had to be physically restrained. When players were finally separated, both Masters and Hillcats reliever Eliecer Cardenas were ejected from the game, and no Nationals players were ejected. After a long delay where all three Lynchburg coaches were arguing, reliever Ryan Buchter sprinted down from the bullpen and got in the face of home plate umpire John Bacon, and was ejected as well.
Despite the altercation, there was still a game to be played, and the Hillcats cut into the lead in the bottom of the fifth. Andrelton Simmons doubled, and then stole third. Query, making his first at-bat of the game, hit a sacrifice fly to center to cut the lead to 4-3.
Query again came through in the bottom of the seventh. He singled home Marcus Lemon to tie the game at four.
Both teams squandered chances until the top of the tenth, when Zach Walters singled home Brian Peacock, giving the Nationals a 5-4 lead. Hector Nelo came in to hold the Hillcats scoreless in the tenth, picking up his 18th save of the season and preserving the win for the Nationals.
Joe Testa (6-2) earned the win in relief for Potomac and Andrew Wilson (2-4) took the loss for Lynchburg.
The Hillcats fell to 28-34 in the second half. Potomac improved to 35-28 and their magic number to clinch a playoff birth dropped to one.
The series between these two teams continues Wednesday night. David Hale (3-6) will pitch for the Hillcats and Paul Demny (9-10) will pitch for the Nationals. 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.
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.
Walkoff walk dooms ‘Cats
It took a season-long for the Hillcats 12 innings but theirgame against the Pelicans finally ended on a walk-off walk, Myrtle Beachwinning 3-2. Joey Terdoslavich went 4-for-6 in the ball game, crushing his 50th double of the season in the third inning. He is now just one double away fromtying the all-time Carolina League single season record.
Lynchburg led early scoring two runs in the second. JoeLeonard reached on an error. Shawn McGill then drew a walk. With runners atfirst and second Marcus Lemon put down a sacrifice bunt to third base. JimmySwift fielded and threw the ball away at first, Leonard scored, McGill went tothird, and Lemon advanced to second. Barrett Kleinknecht drove in McGill with asacrifice fly to left field. The Hillcats without the benefit of a hit in theframe scored a pair and led 2-0.
Despite tallying 12 hits in the other 11 innings, the ‘Catswould not score the rest of the game. Even with three hits coming in the 10thinning alone, the Hillcats stranded the bases loaded and failed to score.
Meanwhile the Pelicans’ offense consisted of one man. MikeOlt went deep twice in the ball game. He hit a solo shot in the fourth inningand another in the seventh inning. Both came off starter David Hale.
Hale went eight innings, gave up just two runs on six hits,while striking out five but took a no-decision as the game went to extras tied2-2.
The 10th and 11th innings wentscoreless, as did the Lynchburg half of the 12th.
RHP Mark Lamm came back out to pitch the bottom of the 12thfor the Hillcats, looking to complete his fourth inning of relief. He struckout the first two batters but Santiago would not let Myrtle go quietly into the13th. He doubled with two outs, and that was the beginning of theend. Lamm then intentionally walked Travis Adair a left-handed batter to get tothe right-handed Jared Prince. Prince also drew a walk of the unintentionalvariety. That loaded the bases and Lamm left the game.
LHP Matt Crim entered to face left-handed batter AndrewClark. Clark worked the count full before taking a fastball in the dirt for ballfour and the Pelicans won 3-2. Lynchburg fell in the finale but took the series2-1.
Joseph Ortiz (5-5) earned the win with three scorelessinnings of relief. Lamm (1-2) suffered the loss for Lycnhburg.
The Hilcats are now 27-32 in the second half, still fivegames back of the Potomac Nationals for a playoff spot with just 10 games left.
Lynchburg travels to Kinston next to take on the Indians ina three-game set. Game one is scheduled for 6:30 pm Friday night. RHP CalebBrewer (1-0) will start for the Hillcats against RHP Clayton Cook (8-8) forKinston.
Lynchburg wins in extras
The Hillcats never led until the final inning Tuesday night.Tied 4-4 heading into the 11th, Lynchburg doubled their total withfour more runs. Joe Leonard delivered the go-ahead blow with a two-runground-rule double. The Hillcats went on to win 8-4.
The Pelicans started the scoring in the bottom of the first.Ryan Strausborger doubled to lead off the inning. Two batters later, JaredPrince drove him home with a sacrifice fly to center field. Myrtle Beach led1-0.
Lynchburg tied the game with three straight two-out singlesin the top of the second frame. Shawn McGill eventually scored on a GeraldoRodriguez single. The tie would be short lived as the Pelicans retook the leadin the bottom of the inning. Santiago Chirino singled home Jared Hoying puttingMyrtle Beach back up by one, 2-1.
Two more runs scored for the home team. One in the fourth ona Travis Adair RBI single, and another in the fifth when Vinny DiFazio hit asacrifice fly to center field.
The ‘Cats battled back with two runs in the sixth inning.McGill started the inning with a single. After Lemon walked, Rodriguez camethrough again with his second RBI single of the night. Two batters later,Keenan Wiley brought home Lemon with his second base hit of the night. TheHillcats still trailed 4-3.
That score held until the ninth inning. Andrelton Simmonsled off the inning with a single up the middle. He advanced to second base on awild pitch out. Todd Cunninghamthen grounded out to shortstop, moving Simmons to third. Joe Leonard hit asacrifice fly to center field and the game was tied 4-4.
Lynchburg nearly gave away the game in the bottom of theninth. RHP Jeremy Haynes retired the first batter but then walked the next two.LHP Ryan Buchter then came in form the bullpen. He struck out his first batterbefore walking Andrew Clark to load the bases with two outs. Mike Olt came upnext. He worked the count two and two before hitting a line shot to the rightside. Rodriguez dove to his right at first base to make the catch and save thegame for the Hillcats.
The game headed to extras tied 4-4. It stayed that way untilthe 11th inning.
RHP Ryan Rodebaugh entered the game for the Pelicans.Barrett Kleinknecht shot his first hit of the night into center field. Wileyfollowed with a walk, while trying to put down a sacrifice bunt. An errantpick-off attempt to second base went into center field while Simmons was at theplate and both runners advanced. Simmons then popped up to first base.Cunningham was then intentionally walked to load the bases for Leonard. Leonard’sground-rule double brought home two. Christian Bethancourt singled in a pairafter that. The Hillcats went up 8-4.
Buchter (2-5) held the Pelicans scoreless in the 11thand earned his second win of the season. Rodebaugh (1-1) took the loss.
The Hillcats improved to 26-31 with the win, while thePelicans fell to 27-30 with the loss.
The two teams meet again tomorrow night at 7:05 pm. LHPChrist Masters (9-6) will start for Lynchburg against RHP Kennil Gomez (4-2)for Myrtle Beach. Listen live to all the action starting with the HillcatsOn-Deck Show powered by Honda/Suzuki of Lynchburg on 105.5 KD Country andonline at lynchburg-hillcats.com
Emotional win for Lynchburg
A somber scene opened Sunday night’s game between the Hillcats and the Keys, as a moment of silence was held for Calvin Falwell, who passed away the previous night. Once the game started, the Hillcats dominated en route to a 12-1 win.
The Hillcats jumped out early against Keys starter Nathan Moreau. In the first inning, Andrelton Simmons got things started with a one-out double. Todd Cunningham singled to right, and Simmons made an aggressive turn around third and scored on the play. Joey Terdoslavich followed with a shot off the wall in left-center. Cunningham scored and Terdoslavich cruised into second with his 49th double of the season, two shy of the single-season Carolina League record. Joe Leonard grounded out, and then Christian Bethancourt singled home Terdoslavich to put the Hillcats up 3-0.
Lynchburg continued their hot-hitting in the second inning. Ryan Query led off the inning with a double, his first hit in the Carolina League. L.V. Ware sacrificed him over to third. Keenan Wiley hit a shallow fly ball to left that wasn’t far enough out to score Query. Simmons came through with a two-out single to score Query. Todd Cunningham followed with his fourth home run of the season, a long fly ball that just barely cleared the wall in left field, to make it 6-0.
Moreau got through the next three innings unscathed, and left the game after five innings. Justin Moore entered the game for the Keys. 11 batters came to the plate in the inning, and six runs scored on five hits. The Hillcats had only one extra-base hit in the inning, a double from Simmons, but when the dust cleared, the Hillcats led 12-0.
Caleb Brewer had a fantastic outing in his second start with the Hillcats. Brewer (1-0) pitched eight shutout innings, giving up just three hits. Mark Lamm came into the ninth inning and gave up a run, but the Hillcats won 12-1.
The 12 runs tied for the most scored by the Hillcats this season, and the 11-run margin of victory also tied for the season high. The Hillcats improved to 25-31 in the second half, and with a loss by Potomac, are only five games behind Potomac for the second-half playoff spot. Frederick fell to 34-22.
The Hillcats have an off-day Monday night before going out on the road for a six-game road trip. The first game will be played in Myrtle Beach at 7:05 pm Tuesday night.
Keys snap Lynchburg streak
The Hillcats gave up three home runs and were unable to take full advantage of four Keys errors to fall to Frederick 10-6 on Sunday night.
Frederick struck first in the top of the third. Andrelton Simmons committed an error that allowed Justin Dalles to score and Jonathan Schoop to reach first. Later in the inning,k Schoop scored on an RBI single by Manny Machado to give the Keys an early 2-0 lead.
The Keys broke the game open in the fourth. With two outs, five straight batters reached base, capped off by a three-run home run by Jonathan Schoop. Five runs scored on four hits in the inning, and the Keys led 7-0.
The Hillcats tried to claw their way back in the bottom of the inning. With one out, Joey Terdoslavich was hit on the foot by a pitch from Nick Haughian. He had started to swing, but according to the umpires, he was able to hold up. This brought out an outraged Orlando Gomez from the Keys dugout, and he was ejected by home plate umpire Aaron Roberts. Joe Leonard singled, and Shawn McGill walked to load the bases. Marcus Lemon fought to a full count and then drew a walk, scoring the first run of the game for the Hillcats. Geraldo Rodriguez struck out, and then Keenan Wiley hit a grounder to second baseman Jonathan Schoop. Schoop bobbled the ball, every runner advanced safely and Leonard came in to score. With Todd Cunningham at the plate, Haughian threw a breaking pitch that got past catcher Justin Dalles, allowing McGill to score from third. Cunningham grounded out, but the lead shrank to 7-3.
The Keys got some of those runs back quickly in the top of the fifth. After Kipp Schutz led off with a walk, Michael Flacco hit a titanic shot to left for a two-run home run, extending the lead to 9-3.
Lynchburg got one back in the bottom of the fifth. Barrett Kleinknecht swung at a pitch and caught a piece of Dalles’s glove, giving him first on catcher’s interference with one out. Terdoslavich singled, but back-to-back singles by Leonard and McGill drove in Kleinknecht to make the score 9-4.
The Hillcats took advantage of another Keys error to cut the lead even further in the sixth. Todd Cunningham was standing on second with two outs. Andrelton Simmons hit a grounder to Dale Mollenhauer at third. He made a low throw to first that Flacco couldn’t pick out of the dirt. Cunningham scored to make it 9-5 and Simmons ended up on second. It was the fourth error of the game for the Keys, and the tenth error of the series.
The two teams exchanged home runs in the eighth inning. Bobby Stevens hit his second home run in as many nights to lead off the eighth. In the bottom half of the inning, Geraldo Rodriguez hit his ninth home run of the season to make it 10-6, and despite the Hillcats threatening in the ninth, that was the final score as the Hillcats saw their four-game winning streak end.
Chris Petrini (2-1) earned the win for the Keys, pitching the fifth and sixth innings without giving up an earned run. Ashur Tolliver pitched the last three innings of the game to earn the save, his first with the Keys. David Hale (3-6) gave up nine runs, eight earned in four and one-third innings to take the loss.
The Hillcats dropped to 24-31, and the Keys improved to 34-21.
The Keys and Hillcats finish their four-game series Sunday night at City Stadium. Caleb Brewer (0-0) will pitch for the Hillcats and Lefty Nathan Moreau (11-9) will pitch for the Keys. First pitch is at 6:05 pm and the gates will open at 5.
The Hillcats On-Deck Show presented by Honda/Suzuki of Lynchburg will go on the air at 5:40 pm. Tune in to 105.5 KD Country or go to lynchburg-hillcats.com to listen live to all the action.
Lynchburg pounds Dash
The Hillcats scored four runs in the first inning Tuesday night, and led the whole way. Racking up 14 hits and 11 runs in an 11-5 victory, the ‘Cats snapped a seven-game drought at BB&T Ballpark in Winston-Salem where they had not won since May 5.The win also snapped a current three-game losing streak overall.
After retiring two batters to start the night, LHP Joe Serafin for the Dash found himself in trouble very quickly. Phil Gosselin dropped a bases empty, two-out bunt for a base hit down the third base line to start the first inning rally. A walk and a fielder’s choice that did not find an out loaded the bases for Lynchburg. Christian Bethancourt, Geraldo Rodriguez, and Keenan Wiley followed RBi singles, scoring four runs in the frame. The Hillcats led 4-0.
Serafin would only last three and two-thirds innings. He gave up two eight runs on nine hits, while walking two and striking out three. He left the game in the fourth inning after Joe Leonard drove in a pair with a two-out single. RHP Jimmy Ballinger entered the game and struck out Bethancourt to end the inning. Lynchburg went ahead 8-2 at that point.
Bethancourt called it a night after the strike out. He had taken a wild pitch off his left shoulder the inning and bent over in pain. Play stopped for a minute or two before he decided to stay in the game, but not for long. Shawn McGill came in behind the plate in the bottom of the fourth.
RHP Caleb Brewer started for the HIllcats in his Advanced-A debut. He went four and two-thirds innings. He allowed two runs in the second on a two-run single to Tyler Saladino and two more in the fourth. Mike Blanke hit a solo shot, and Saladino added another RBI single.
Brewer loaded the bases with two outs in the fifth inning, walking the last two batters he faced. RHP Eliecer Cardenas was then brought in from the bullpen.
Cardenas popped up Daniel Wagner to end the threat. After five innings the ‘Cats led 8-4.
Lynchburg capped off their offensive night with three runs in the sixth. Joey Terdoslavich hit his 47th double of the season, driving in two runs. He later scored on an RBI single for McGill, which put the Hillcats up 11-4.
Cardenas would go on to finish the game for Lynchburg. He tossed a season-high four and one-third innings. He held the Dash scoreless up until the ninth inning. Juan Silverio singled in Jared Mitchell with two outs. It was the first earned run Cardenas had allowed since June 23. He made 15 consecutive scoreless appearances, pitching 19.2 innings in that span.
Since Brewer didn’t finsish five innings, Cardenas (4-2) earned the win and Serafin (4-10) took the loss.
The Hillcats are now 21-30 in the second half, still six games back of the Potomac Nationals for a playoff spot.
Lynchburg wraps up their road trip tomorrow night at 7:00 pm against the Dash. LHP Dimasther Delgado (8-6) will start for the ‘Cats. Winston-Salem will counter with LHP Matt Wickswat (5-3). Listen live to all the action starting with the Hillcats On-Deck Show powered by Honda/Suzuki of Lynchburg on 105.5 KD Country and online at Lynchburg-hillcats.com
Late error dooms Lynchburg
Chris Masters took a no-hitter into the sixth inning Saturday night for the second time this season. Yem Prades broke up the no-no and the shutout with an RBI single that inning. Tied 2-2 in the bottom of the ninth, Ryan Stovall delivered the final blow grounding one under the glove of shortstop Andrelton Simmons which allowed Nick Van Stratten to score from third and the Blue Rocks won 3-2.
Masters and Wimington’s starter Justin Marks exchanged zeroes on the scoreboard through the first five and a half innings.
The Blue Rocks struck first in the bottom of the sixth inning. After Prades broke up the no-hitter and the shutout, Van Stratten singled in another run putting Wilmington up 2-0.
Marks came out in the seventh inning with the lead for the first time. He retired the first batter; making 18 consecutive Hillcats sat down since giving up a double to Simmons in the first inning. He then walked Phil Gosselin on a borderline outside fastball with a full count. Joey Terdoslavich and Joe Leonard followed the walk with back-to-back singles, Gosselin scoring on the latter. Then Christian Bethancourt hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game 2-2.
All tied heading into the bottom of the ninth, Cardenas entered the game for the Hillcats. He hadn’t allowed a run in 14 innings, but found himself in trouble right away. Van Stratten singled to lead off the inning. John Whittleman then ripped an inside fastball to right, moving Van Stratten to third base with nobody out. With the infield drawn in to cut down the game-winning run, Ryan Stovall hit a ground ball to the left of shortstop Andrelton Simmons. Simmons never got his glove down far enough and let the ball roll into to center field. The Blue Rocks won 3-2.
Bryan Paukovitz (2-2) earned the win in relief of Marks, tossing the final two outs of the eighth, through the ninth inning. Cardenas (3-2) took the loss allowing an unearned run in the final frame.
The Hillcats fall to 20-28 with the loss and now trail in the series 2-1. Their consecutive winning series streak will stop at four, but they will have a chance to split when the two teams meet one last time Sunday at 1:35 pm.
RHP Gary Moran (1-0) will start for Lynchburg against RHP Tim Melville (8-7) for Wilmington. Listen live to all the action starting with the Hillcats On-Deck Show powered by Honda/Suzuki of Lynchburg on 105.5 KD Country and online at lynchburg-hillcats.com
