Lynchburg Hillcats avoid sweep

The Lynchburg Hillcats scored more runs in Saturday’s series finale than they did in the first two games combined for an 8-4 win over the Frederick Keys at City Stadium.  Greg Ross made his first start of the second half and pitched six scoreless innings while David Rohm went 3-for-5, drove in three runs and scored a pair to lead the Hillcats offense to help the ‘Cats snap a three-game slide.

A starter when he joinied the Hillcats (4-10, 40-43) in May, Ross began the second half of the season in the bullpen but was reinserted into the rotation when Navery Moore hit the disabled list with shoulder soreness.  Ross had allowed two unearned runs in three relief appearances in the second half.

Ross (5-3) continued his success with six shutout innings, allowing just two hits and a walk while striking out six batters.

The Hillcats had not led through the first two games in the series, but jumped out in front early on Saturday.  They picked up their first run in the second inning when Will Skinner hit a two-out double then scored when Christian Walker dropped a throw at first that would have retired the next batter Elmer Reyes.

Three more runs came across in the third.  Cory Brownsten led off with a single and Emerson Landoni was hit by a 0-2 pitch.  Rohm followed up with a two-run double then later came into score on a groundout by Trent Moses to make it 4-0 Hillcats.

Moses added a sacrifice fly in the fifth to score Rohm then the Hillcats strung together three straight two-out hits in the sixth, including RBI-hits from Brownsten and Landoni to make it 7-0.

Luc Rennie (1-2) gave up the first five runs on six hits and a walk in his start for Frederick.  Relievers Jesse Beal and Matt Price were both tagged for runs as well.

Robert Fish made his Hillcats debut in relief of Ross in the seventh inning.  He gave up a leadoff single then a pair of fielder’s choices before a Glynn Davis single put runners at the corners with two outs.  Fish threw a wild pitch during the next at bat to let the Keys (7-9, 41-44) on the board.

Christian Walker continued his annihilation of Hillcats pitching with a three-run home run off of Ronan Pacheco in the eighth inning to make it a three-run game.  Rohm singled home a run in the bottom of the eighth to provide some extra insurance and Nate Hyatt pitched a scoreless ninth to finish off the Keys.

The Hillcats have an off day Sunday before returning to City Stadium to begin a four-game set with the Carolina Mudcats.  Gates open at 6pm for a 7:05pm first pitch with $1 food items available at the stadium, presented by ABC 13.  Ryan Weber (5-3, 3.31) takes the mound for Lynchburg against Carolina’s Michael Peoples (0-4, 6.00) in the opener.  If you can’t make it to the game Erik Wilson and Jake Levy will have the call beginning with the Hillcats On-Deck Show, powered by Honda/Suzuki of Lynchburg, at 6:40pm on 97.9 FM The Planet and lynchburg-hillcats.com