Kjerstad hits pinch-hit homer in the ninth to sink Hillcats

A pitcher’s duel at City Stadium turned into a slugfest in eighth and ninth, as the Hillcats dropped game two of three against the Wilmington on Saturday night. Dexter Kjerstad hit a three-run, pinch-hit home run in the ninth inning to cement the 4-2 win for the Blue Rocks.

Mitch Brown and Eric Skoglund dueled pitch-for-pitch through the first six scoreless innings, but neither factored into the decision.

It took both teams until the seventh to break through on the scoreboard when Frank Schwindel led off the seventh with a homer off of Brown. That would be the only run the Blue Rocks would score on the Minnesota native.

Brown went seven innings, allowed one run on eight hits and took a no decision. The outing is the longest by any Hillcats starter this season.

Lynchburg answered back in the bottom half of the inning when James Roberts doubled and scored one batter later on an RBI single from Ivan Castillo to make it 1-1.

The Hillcats took their first lead in the next inning when Bradley Zimmer homered to right to put the Hillcats on top 2-1. The homer is Zimmer’ssixth of the year and puts him first on the leaderboard in the Carolina League in that category.

With two on and one out in the ninth and the Hillcats still holding a one-run lead, Dexter Kjerstad was sent to the plate as pinch-hitter for Wilmington. The moved paid off, as Kjerstad sent a pitch over the left field wall to give the Blue Rocks a 4-2 lead. The home run is the first pinch-hit homer for the Blue Rocks since 1998.

The Hillcats brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth, but they couldn’t push the runs across and fell 4-2.

The rubber match will take place on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. It’s another Family Sunday at City Stadium. Fans can purchase a Family Four Pack for 40 dollars. There will also be postgame kids run the bases and family catch on the field presented by ABC 13. Fans that can’t make it out to the ballpark can tune in to ESPN Radio Virginia 93.3 FM and 1320 AM beginning at 1:40 p.m. for the Hillcats’ On-Deck Show.