The Lynchburg Hillcats couldn’t polish off a sweep of the Carolina Mudcats with a 6-1 loss Sunday at City Stadium. It’s the first time in seven games they have lost to the Mudcats this season and gives the Hillcats an even 3-3 record on the home stand. David Rohm had his 12-game hitting streak come to an end in the shutout. It was the longest hitting streak in the Carolina League this season.
The Hillcats (23-18) starting pitcher gave up at least a run in the first inning for the fourth consecutive game. After Jarett Miller struck out the leadoff hitter, Francisco Lindor singled and then came around to score on a triple when Hillcats LF David Rohm couldn’t come up with a diving catch on a fly ball from Jordan Smith. The next hitter Charlie Valerio hit a fly ball to center that was deep enough to plate Smith and make it 2-0 Mudcats (15-28) after one.
That score held until the sixth inning. Lindor led off with a double and Smith followed up with a single to right field. Lindor tried to score on the play but a perfect throw from RF Matt Weaver cut him down at the plate. Smith advanced to second on the throw, but that was turned moot when Tony Wolters hit a home run off the foul pole in right field. The two-run shot was his first home run of the season, coming in his first game since being called up from short-season and provided some insurance for the Mudcats.
Miller (3-2) gave up four runs on six hits and didn’t walk a batter while fanning five. He was bettered by Mudcats ace Cody Anderson. Anderson (5-2) went 6.1 scoreless innings, scattering four hits and a couple of walks while striking out seven. It was Anderson’s sixth straight outing to go at least six innings and his third consecutive Quality Start.
The Mudcats padded their lead with a two-run ninth inning. Three straight singles off Ryan Woolley pushed the runs across, a two-run knock from Yhoxian Medina brought both runs across to make it 6-0.
Both the Hillcats runs came in he ninth inning. Kyle Kubitza walked with one out in the inning and was able to score from first on an RBI-double from Shawn McGill, who drove in his first run of the season since joining the Hillcats earlier this week from Double-A Mississippi. After McGill tagged and advanced to third on an Elmer Reyes flyout, he scored on an infield single from Weaver. The next hitter Matt Lipka grounded out sharply to third to end the ballgame
The game was played after a 50-minute rain delay and was the final meeting between the two teams of the first half of the Carolina League season.
The Hillcats get an off day Monday before heading up to Wilmington, DE for a three-game midweek set with the Blue Rocks. The Hillcats send A.J. Holland (3-1, 3.00) to the mound. The Blue Rocks will throw right-hander Aaron Brooks (1-3, 4.82). First pitch is set for 6:35pm and you can join Erik Wilson for all the play-by-play action starting with the Hillcats On-Deck Show, powered by Honda/Suzuki of Lynchburg, going live at 6:10pm on 97.9 FM The Planet and lynchburg-hillcats.com.
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Chris Graham
