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Frederick tops Lynchburg in first-half finale

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lynchburg hillcatsFrederick scored in six of its eight turns at the plate, including four different multi-run innings to defeat Lynchburg, 12-6, to end the first half of the season Sunday afternoon at Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium. Sicnarf Loopstok tied a career high with three hits, and Mark Mathias hit a three-run homer in the loss.

Caleb Joseph, on an MLB rehab assignment from the Baltimore Orioles, hit a solo home run in the first inning, and Frederick added two more in the second to take a 3-0 lead early.

Lynchburg chipped away at the deficit with a two-run third inning. Greg Allen was hit by a pitch, and Claudio Bautista doubled to put two runners in scoring position. Anthony Santander came through with a two-run single to cut the margin to 3-2.

After Frederick tacked on another run in the bottom of the third, Yu-Cheng Chang opened the fourth with a base hit. Taylor Murphy reached on an error, and Mark Mathias followed with his third home run of the season over the left-field fence to put Lynchburg on top, 5-4. The Hillcats placed two more runners on base in the frame with back-to-back singles by Sicnarf Loopstok and David Armendariz, but Lynchburg stranded both men.

The Keys wasted no time in responding to the Hillcats big frame with one of their own. In the bottom of the fourth, Frederick scored three times to surge back in front, 7-5. Wynston Sawyer provided the big blow with a two-out, two-run base hits to give Frederick the lead. Conor Bierfeldt added another two-out RBI in the stanza to make it 7-5. The Key scored twice more in the seventh and three in the eighth to stretch it to 12-5.

In the ninth inning, Lynchburg tallied its final run when Santander hit a leadoff double and came home on a two-out single byMathias, who finished with a season-high four RBIs in the contest.

Mitch Brown (2-5) took the loss after giving up six runs, five earned, on four hits and four walks in 3 2/3 innings. The right-hander struck out seven. Trevor Belicek (1-2) earned the win for Frederick with four scoreless innings of relief in which he struck out six and walked two. Ivan Hernandez pitched the final 1 1/3 innings to earn his first save of the season.

Lynchburg’s 45 wins are the most for the Hillcats in a half since the 2009 team won 45 games in the first half of that year…The Hillcats finished the first half leading the Carolina League in a number of categories, including runs (385), total bases (949), home runs (62), and RBIs (343).

Lynchburg sends a league-high six players to the Carolina League/California League All-Star Game, which will be held June 21in Lake Elsinore, Calif. Greg Allen, Bobby Bradley, Yu-Cheng Chang, Julian Merryweather, Daniel Salters and Justus Sheffield all earned nods to participate in Tuesday’s event. The Hillcats begin the second half of the season Thursday at home against Potomac. It’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Night at City Stadium. Gates open at 5:30 p.m., and the game starts at 6:30.

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