Hillcats’ doubles lead to FredNats loss

Four RBI doubles in the eighth inning broke a 3-3 tie and helped the Lynchburg Hillcats defeat the Fredericksburg Nationals 7-3 on Wednesday night.

FredNats starter Andry Lara completed 4.0 innings on 63 pitches in his second Low-A start, allowing two runs, one earned while striking out two.

In the bottom of the second inning, the FredNats took advantage of an error to score two unearned runs against Lynchburg starter Brauny Muñoz. Jacob Young hit a bases-loaded sacrifice fly to bring home the first run, and Darren Baker hit the second of his three singles on the night to score another.

Lara pitched scoreless baseball through three, but allowed a solo homer to Milán Tolentino to begin the fourth. After a single and a walk, a deep flyout was followed by a Jeremy De La Rosa throwing error to tie the game 2-2.

The Hillcats took their first lead in the sixth on a pair of Fredericksburg errors, but the FredNats answered back in the bottom half of the inning with doubles from Branden Boissiere and De La Rosa against Alex Wisely (W, 3-2). The game remained tied until the eighth, when Brendan Collins (L, 0-2) allowed four RBI doubles in the span of five Hillcats batters to put Lynchburg ahead for good.

The FredNats continue their series with the Hillcats on Thursday. First pitch from FredNats Ballpark is scheduled for 7:05, with FredNats On Deck beginning at 6:50 on the FredNats Baseball Network.