Luigi Rodriguez and Adam Plutko dominated the series opener and led the Hillcats to their first win since April 28. Lynchburg looked like a team that had won nine straight, as they cruised to a 6-0 win over Wilmington on Friday night.
Rodriguez kicked off the scoring in the third with a two-run home run to right field that scored Paul Hendrix. Hendrix led off the frame with a single. The single and home run were the only two hits the Hillcats had through the first four innings.
Lynchburg pushed the lead to three in the fifth when Rodriguez blasted his second homer of the evening, this one down the line in right. The two-homer game is Rodriguez’s second of the season.
One inning later, Bradley Zimmer led off with a triple and scored on a single from Alex Monsalve. Monsalve’s RBI was the only one that didn’t belong to Luigi Rodriguez. Rodriguez picked up his fourth and fifth RBIs on a single in the same frame that scored Monsalve and Joe Sever.
While Rodriguez stole the show offensively, Adam Plutko shined once again on the mound. The righty went 6.2 innings of shutout baseball and struck out a season-high eight batters, en route to his second win of the season. Plutko now has five quality starts in six chances this year.
Justin Brantley and Casey Weathers finished things off for the Hillcats, as they earned a 6-0 win.
Lynchburg is back at it on Saturday night for game two of the series against the Blue Rocks. First pitch will be at 7:05 p.m. Fans can tune into the game on ESPN Radio Virginia 93.3 FM and 1320 AM. The Hillcats On-Deck Show begins at 6:45 p.m.
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Chris Graham
