Yu-Cheng Chang reached base three times and scored on each occasion, including a solo home run in the third, to help Lynchburg claim a 5-4 victory over Wilmington at City Stadium Tuesday night. Jodd Carter added a pair of doubles in his second game as a Hillcat.
Wilmington plated the first run of the game in the opening stanza with a string of three consecutive singles, beginning with Elier Hernandez. Hernandez scored two batters later on a bouncing ball off the bat of Samir Duenez that found its way through the right side of the infield.
Lynchburg answered in the bottom of the second with a three-run frame. Yu-Cheng Chang and Francisco Mejia opened the inning with base hits. Mejia’s line drive into right extended his hitting streak to 39 consecutive games since May 27. Sicnarf Loopstok tied the game with a sacrifice fly to right, and Paul Hendrix broke the tie with an RBI double to left-center field. The next batter, Jodd Carter, roped a double down the left-field line to give Lynchburg a 3-1 advantage.
Wilmington scored two in the top of the third, including one unearned run, to even the score at 3-all. However, Lynchburg answered immediately on a Chang solo homer in the home half. With the Hillcats on top, 4-3, the Blue Rocks knotted it again, 4-4, with another unearned run in the fifth.
Lynchburg claimed the lead for good in the bottom of the fifth when Chang drew a two-out walk, stole second base, and scored on an RBI single by Mejia to give Lynchburg the 5-4 lead it held onto until heavy rain in the bottom of the eighth forced the game to be called early.
Carolina League Pitcher of the Week Thomas Pannone went 4 2/3 innings in his second start with the Hillcats, surrendering four runs on seven hits, although two of the runs were unearned. Matt Whitehouse (2-3) entered for the final out of the fifth and pitched through the top of the eighth to earn the win. He retired 10 of the 11 batters he faced.
Lynchburg has homered in 62 of its 101 and has a record of 42-20 in those contests…The Hillcats are on pace for 134 homers this year, which would set a team record…Lynchburg has hit 25 homers in 15 games (1.67 per contest) against the Blue Rocks, which is its highest rate against any opponent this season.
Lynchburg closes out its three-game series with Wilmington Wednesday at City Stadium. Sean Brady (10-3, 4.24) will be on the mound for Lynchburg with first pitch scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Fans can listen to the action on 93.3 FM and 1320 AM as well as www.lynchburg-hillcats.com, beginning with the Hillcats On-Deck Show at 6:15 p.m.
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