The Lynchburg Hillcats used a 14-hit attack to beat the Winston-Salem Dash, 10-6, on Tuesday night at BB&T Ballpark.
Lynchburg (16-15) used a four-run fifth inning to claim the lead from Winston-Salem (16-14) and never looked back.
Down 3-2 entering the fifth, the Hillcats sent nine hitters to the plate. Steven Kwan reached on a fielder’s choice with one out, and moved to second base on a ground out. Nolan Jones ripped an RBI single to center field to score Kwan, tying the game at 3-3. Oscar Gonzalez kept the inning alive with a single, and Trenton Brooks followed with a two-run base hit, scoring both Jones and Gonzalez for a 5-3 Lynchburg Lead. After Jonathan Laureano singled, Wilbis Santiago drove him home with an RBI double to push the lead to 6-3.
The Hillcats tacked on another run in the sixth inning to go ahead 7-3. Kwan got aboard on a fielder’s choice and scored on an RBI double from Austen Wade.
The Dash trimmed the deficit to 7-4 in the sixth inning, when Craig Dedelow cranked a solo home run. In the seventh, it became a 7-5 contest when Nick Madrigal walked and eventually scored on a wild pitch by Robert Broom, who allowed his first earned run of the season.
In the eighth, Jones walked with two out and scored on an RBI double from Gonzalez to stretch Lynchburg’s lead to 8-5.
Madrigal delivered a run-scoring single in the bottom of the eighth to make it a two-run game again at 8-6, but Lynchburg would pull away with two more runs in the ninth inning. Laureano walked and Santiago reached on an error to put runners at the corners with nobody out. Mike Rivera hit an RBI double to score Laureano, and Kwan scored Santiago on a sacrifice fly to cap the scoring at 10-6.
Lynchburg jumped ahead for a 2-0 lead in the second inning. With two away, Laureano singled and came around to score when Santiago doubled. Rivera reached on an infield single and scored a batter later when Luke Wakamatsu hit an RBI double to right field.
Zach Remillard hit a solo home run in the second inning to trim the Hillcats’ early lead to 2-1.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Dash took a brief 3-2 lead. Jameson Fisher led off the inning with a double, and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly from Dedelow. Later in the frame, Carlos Perez singled and ultimately scored on an RBI hit from Yeyson Yrizarri.
Wade, Rivera, Gonzalez, Santiago and Laureano each picked up multi-hit games for the Hillcats. All nine starters reached base and eight batters registered a hit. Lynchburg scored seven of their ten runs with two out, and went 8-for-15 with runners in scoring position.
Justin Garza (Win, 3-3) went five innings, and allowed four earned runs on nine hits. Broom worked two innings and allowed a run, while Jared Robinson surrendered a run and struck out the side in the eighth inning. Jonathan Teaney worked a scoreless ninth.
Lincoln Henzman (Loss, 1-1) allowed six earned runs on 11 hits over five innings. The Dash bullpen combined to give up four runs over four innings.
Lynchburg and Winston-Salem will continue their series on Wednesday morning with the middle game of the three-game series. Right-hander Nick Gallagher (1-0, 2.38) will start for the Hillcats against Dash righty Zach Lewis (2-1, 5.18). First pitch is scheduled for 11 a.m. at BB&T ballpark.
Max Gun and Anders Jorstad will be on the air at 10:50 a.m. with the Hillcats pre-game show on TuneIn Radio and the Radio434 App.
The Hillcats return home on Friday, May 10 to begin a season-long ten game home stand. Highlights include Aloha Weekend with post-game fireworks shows on Friday and Saturday, Kids Eat Free Tuesday, Winning Wednesday, and Thirsty Thursday. Additionally, Hillcats vs. Cancer is on May 17, Pirates vs. Royalty Night is on May 18 and Cats Cares is on May 25, where all fans can enter the game for free but are asked to give a donation at the box office of their choice to a pre-selected charity.
For tickets or more information, visit lynchburg-hillcats.com, call 434-528-1144, or visit the City Stadium box office.
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