Home Fayetteville defeats punchless Lynchburg Hillcats, 9-3
Sports

Fayetteville defeats punchless Lynchburg Hillcats, 9-3

Contributors

Lynchburg HillcatsAfter a comeback win on Friday night, the Lynchburg Hillcats didn’t quite have the offense to muster another on Saturday, falling to Fayetteville 9-3 in front a 3,001-person crowd.

The Woodpeckers (21-27) went 3-for-4 with runners in scoring position while Lynchburg (24-23) was just 1-for-8 with runners on second and third.

In the top of the second inning, Fayetteville right fielder Scott Schreiber reached base on an error by Hillcats first baseman Gavin Collins. An RBI single by Enmanuel Valdez pushed Schreiber across home plate to give the Woodpeckers a 1-0 lead.

Fayetteville added on to its lead in the third inning. Michael Papierski drew a walk and was followed by an Alfredo Angarita single. Jacob Meyers’ groundout allowed Papierski to score and Jonathan Arauz’s single scored Angarita to extend the Woodpeckers advantage to 3-0.

The Woodpeckers’ biggest inning came in the fourth. Jake Adams led off the frame with a single. Scott Manea was hit by a pitch to put two runners aboard, and Valdez scored them both with an RBI triple. A sacrifice fly by Papierski scored Valdez to push the Fayetteville lead to 6-0.

Lynchburg managed to get on the board in the fourth. Oscar Gonzalez hit a one-out single, and after a single from Wilbis Santiago, Collins’ groundout plated Gonzalez from third base.

Colton Shaver helped the Woodpeckers get that run back with a solo home run, the first long ball of the game. That gave Fayetteville a 6-1 lead.

The Hillcats showed some fight of their own in the fifth inning. Gabriel Mejia singled to reach base, and a throwing error allowed him to reach third base. Steven Kwan then ripped an RBI single to score Mejia. A sacrifice fly by Santiago plated Kwan to cut the Hillcats deficit to 7-3.

The bullpens settled in after that, throwing up zeroes on the board until the eighth inning. With Adams on first base for the Woodpeckers, Schreiber crushed a fly ball over the right field fence to score two more, padding the Fayetteville advantage to make it 9-3. The Woodpeckers would hold onto that lead for the rest of the game.

Jean Carlos Mejia (Loss, 2-1) lasted just 3.1 innings in the start for the Hillcats, giving up six runs (five earned) on five hits and two walks while striking out one. Anderson Polanco gave up three earned runs in 4.2 innings while striking out six. Jonathan Teaney fired a scoreless ninth inning.

Yohan Ramirez fired four innings of three-run baseball for Fayetteville. Leovanny Rodriguez (Win, 4-2) tossed three scoreless frames while Willy Collado blanked Lynchburg in two innings of work.

The Hillcats and Woodpeckers are back at it on Sunday in an early afternoon contest. Right-hander Shawn Dubin (0-3, 9.00) will toe the rubber for Fayetteville, looking for his first Carolina League win. The Hillcats will send left-handed starter Adam Scott (2-4, 2.86) to the mound. First pitch is set for 3 p.m.

Max Gun and Anders Jorstad will be on the air at 2:50 p.m. with the Hillcats pre-game show on TuneIn Radio and the Radio434 App.

Sunday’s game is a Sandlot Sunday, in which all kids in attendance will be able to run the bases following the conclusion of the game.

For tickets or more information, visit lynchburg-hillcats.com, call 434-528-1144, or visit the City Stadium box office.

Contributors

Contributors

Have a guest column, letter to the editor, story idea or a news tip? Email editor Chris Graham at [email protected]. Subscribe to AFP podcasts on Apple PodcastsSpotifyPandora and YouTube.