Hillcats score early, hold off Dash late, in 4-2 win

The Lynchburg Hillcats got on the board early against the Winston-Salem Dash on Saturday night and never looked back, cruising to a 4-2 win.

Lynchburg (16-19, 48-54) got a solid performance from its pitching staff, which held the Dash (17-19, 55-45) batters to an 0-for-6 showing with runners in scoring position.

In the first inning, Steven Kwan drew a walk to work his way aboard. Mitch Reeves followed him up with a single to put two Hillcats on base. Gavin Collins came through with an RBI double, scoring Kwan to put Lynchburg in the driver’s seat right away. Oscar Gonzalez, coming off an 0-for-14 slump, ripped a single to plate Reeves and Collins, extending the Hillcats advantage to 3-0.

The lead would hold strong until the Dash got on the board in the sixth. Steele Walker drew a leadoff walk against Hillcats starter Juan Mota (Win, 2-0). Craig Dedelow followed up with a towering two-run shot to cut the Dash deficit to 3-2.

Late in the ballgame, Tyler Freeman led off the eighth inning with a triple. Collins’ single scored Freeman to give the Hillcats an insurance run at 4-2, but they wouldn’t need it as Yapson Gomez (Save, 5) slammed the door on a Hillcats victory.

Mota was strong for his second start in a row, allowing just two runs over six frames, striking out five Winston-Salem batters in the process. Felix Tati fired a scoreless inning while Gomez nailed down the save in two shutout frames.

Kade McClure (Loss, 2-2) coughed up three earned runs on five hits in six innings, getting the quality start for the Dash despite the loss. Kevin Escorcia tossed two innings of one-run baseball out of the Dash bullpen.

Lynchburg will look for the series win against the Dash in a Sunday matinée. The Dash will send left-hander Konnor Pilkington (2-7, 5.46) to the mound to square off against Hillcats lefty Juan Hillman (3-10, 3.99). 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, where all kids in attendance will be able to run the bases following the conclusion of the contest.

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