Hillcats top Mudcats, 5-3

For the second night in a row, the Lynchburg Hillcats were carried by the bat of Dayan Frias as they defeat the Carolina Mudcats by a score of 5-3.

With the win, the Hillcats (26-20) move into first place in the Carolina League North Division, a half-game over the Mudcats (26-21).

The game started off with a bang as the Hillcats worked the bases loaded in the first where Dayan Frias would blast a grand slam over the right field wall to give them the four-run lead. As it would prove, those would be the only runs the Hillcats would need on the night.

In the third inning, the Mudcats would strike back as Jackson Chourio would smack a three-run home run to right to trim the lead back to one off Hillcats starter Trenton Denholm. He would settle down for his last two innings of work to put himself in line for the victory.

In the fifth, Lynchburg would add on a much-needed insurance run as Jorge Burgos would double Jake Fox home to extend the lead back to two.

The Mudcats would threaten several times the rest of the night, including having the bases loaded in the seventh. However, they could not crack the scoreboard as the Hillcats bullpen would go four innings of shutout baseball. The pitching staff would also rack up 17 strikeouts on the evening to help carry the Hillcats to victory.

These two teams will square off again on Thursday evening with first place still on the line at Bank of the James Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30.