Hillcats drop series finale

Lynchburg had a runner on third base in each of the first four innings but only came away with one run, and the offense stalled after that in a 5-1 loss at Down East Sunday afternoon.

Ka’ai Tom opened the game with triple to right field. However, the next three batters were retired in order to strand him at third. In the second inning, Claudio Bautista’s two-out double put two runners in scoring position, but a flyout ended the frame. Lynchburg loaded the bases in the third, but Down East escaped with no damage once again.

After stranding five men in scoring position in the first three innings, the Hillcats finally broke through in the fourth. Martin Cervenka and Claudio Bautista had back-to-back singles to begin the stanza, and Tom hit a sacrifice fly to center field two batters later to give Lynchburg a 1-0 advantage. Down East tied the game with an unearned run in the fifth and took the lead with another unearned run in the seventh.

The Wood Ducks pulled away in the eighth with three runs on three hits. Lynchburg outhit Down East for the game, 9-6, but lost for the second straight day in its only trip to Grainger Stadium this year. The Hillcats went 0-9 with runners in scoring position Sunday.

Dominic DeMasi (6-4) took the loss despite both runs against him being unearned. DeMasi made it through seven innings on just 79 pitches. He only surrendered three hits and one walk in his seven frames, which tied the longest outing of his career.

Lynchburg returns home to enjoy an Off Day Monday before beginning a three-game series at City Stadium Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.Sean Brady (1-1, 6.52) will start for the Hillcats. It’s a Two-Fur Tuesday, so fans can enjoy Buy One, Get One Free tickets as well as $2 concession stand deals. The game can be heard live at www.lynchburg-hillcats.com.