Dash race past Lynchburg

A close game between the Lynchburg Hillcats and Winston-Salem Dash Wednesday night was decided by a long shot off the bat of Ian Gac. The home run was all the Dash needed to take a 4-2 win over the Hillcats in the first game of a four-game set.

The Hillcats struck first. Andrelton Simmons led off the bottom of the third inning with a triple. Two batters later, Adam Milligan lifted a bloop single over a drawn-in infield to score Simmons and give the Hillcats a 1-0 lead.

The Dash immediately got the run back. In the top of the fourth inning, Ian Gac scored on a sacrifice fly by Austin Yount to tie the game. Even after the sacrifice fly, Hillcats starter Chris Masters was in a jam with a runner in scoring position, but was able to get out of it, getting a fly ball out from Daniel Wagner.

The game remained tied for a few more innings, until the top of the seventh. With two runners on, Gac hit a high blast that hugged the foul line in left field. It passed inside the foul pole, and Gac had his 22nd home run of the season to give the Dash a 4-1 lead.

The Hillcats put a scare into the Dash in the bottom of the eighth inning. Phil Gosselin led off with a walk. Milligan then struck out. Joey Terdoslavich hit a double, and Gosselin raced around the bases to score. Christian Bethancourt singled, and when the throw came into the plate to prevent Terdoslavich from going home, Bethancourt advanced to second. Ryan Kussmaul then came into the game. He struck out Joe Leonard and got Geraldo Rodriguez to pop out to preserve the Dash lead at 4-2.

Kussmaul pitched a perfect ninth, striking out the side to complete the five-out save. Stephen Sauer (1-0) pitched two scoreless innings in relief to earn the win, and Jeremy Haynes (1-1), who gave up the Gac home run, took the loss.

Lynchburg’s second half record fell to 6-13, while Winston-Salem improved to 9-10.

The Hillcats and Dash continue their four game series Thursday night. The Hillcats will send righty David Hale (1-3) to the mound, while lefty Matt Wickswat (1-1) will pitch for the Dash. First pitch is at 7:05 pm and gates will open at 6.

The Hillcats On-Deck Show presented by Honda/Suzuki of Lynchburg will go on the air at 6:40 pm. Tune in to 105.5 KD Country or go to lynchburg-hillcats.com to listen live to all the action.