The Lynchburg Hillcats plated six runs in the first two innings and never looked back, cruising to an 8-1 win over the Myrtle Beach Pelicans on Easter Sunday.
With the win, the Hillcats (10-8) avoided the sweep at the hands of Myrtle Beach (6-12).
Adam Scott (Win, 2-1) drew the start for the Hillcats on Sunday, looking to rebound from an outing in which he allowed four runs over an inning and two thirds against the Potomac Nationals on April 16.
The Pelicans found some success against Scott in the early going. After getting two quick outs in the first frame, Scott gave up a double to Pelicans catcher Miguel Amaya. Cam Balego then singled Amaya in to give Myrtle beach a 1-0 lead in the first inning.
The Hillcats responded in the bottom of the first. A trio of singles from Steven Kwan, Dillon Persinger, and Nolan Jones immediately loaded the bases for Lynchburg. Oscar Gonzalez cleared the bases with a three-run triple to hand the Hillcats a 3-1 advantage. Gonzalez came around to score on a Gavin Collins RBI triple, completing the run-scoring for the Hillcats in the first with a 4-1 lead.
In the second inning, the Hillcats’ bats continued to shine. After running into two quick outs, Persinger got on board with a single. Jones followed him up with a single, and after a throwing error by Pelicans catcher Amaya, Persinger came around to score the fifth run of the game for Lynchburg. Gonzalez followed that up with a single to score Jones from third, advancing the Hillcats edge to 6-1.
Lynchburg struck again the fifth frame. Gonzalez led off the inning with a single. Collins followed that up with a walk, and Austen Wade then drove home Gonzalez with an RBI single. With Collins standing on third, Mike Rivera grounded into a double play which allowed Collins to trot home and add another run to the Hillcats’ ledger. Lynchburg led 8-1 at that point and never looked back, holding onto that lead until the end of the game.
Scott ended the game with a career-high 5.1 innings of work. He allowed one run on three hits while striking out a career-high eight batters. Robert Broom took over for Scott, tossing an inning and two thirds of scoreless baseball. Yapson Gomez thew a scoreless eighth inning while Kyle Nelson closed the door with a clean ninth.
Alex Lange (Loss, 0-3) threw four innings for Myrtle Beach while allowing eight runs (six earned) on 10 hits. Former Hillcats pitcher Luis Lugo went two scoreless frames, while Jesus Camargo and Ryan Kellogg each tossed a scoreless inning each.
The Hillcats have the day off on Monday before hitting the road to play the Down East Wood Ducks for the second time this season. Eli Morgan (2-0, 0.53) will take the bump for the Hillcats while Tyler Phillips (1-0, 0.00) will start for Down East. First pitch is slated for 7 p.m. from Kinston.
Max Gun will be on the air beginning at 6:50 p.m. on TuneIn Radio and Radio434.
The Hillcats will return home on Friday, April 26 to begin a three-game set against the Wilmington Blue Rocks. The Aloha Weekend series will feature post-game fireworks shows on Friday and Saturday. Saturday’s game is also Autism Awareness Night at City Stadium.
For tickets and more information, visit lynchburg-hillcats.com, the City Stadium box office, or call 434-528-1144.
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