Lynchburg Hillcats close out Salem with 7-1 win

With two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth inning, Tyler Tewell delivered the key hit the Lynchburg Hillcats needed to break a 1-1 tie and ultimately prevail against Salem, 7-1, at Calvin Falwell Field Sunday afternoon.

Greg Ross began the contest for the Hillcats (12-15) and provided the team with his third consecutive quality start, going 6.1 innings while holding the Red Sox (15-13) to one run on six hits and striking out four. Ross (2-1) earned the victory, while Alex Wilson and Benino Pruneda tossed 1.2 and 1.0 scoreless innings, respectively, to close the door. Luis Diaz (2-3) took the loss for Salem after allowing five runs on six hits in 5.2 innings.  

With the victory, Lynchburg is currently enjoying its first three-game winning streak of the season. For the third straight day, the Hillcats had to come from behind to earn the win. Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the second inning, Kevin Ahrens walked to begin the frame. Dan Carroll was hit by a pitch. Tewell singled to load the bases, which allowed Levi Hyams to hit a sacrifice fly to right field and tie the score, 1-1.

The game remained deadlocked until the bottom of the sixth inning when the Hillcats broke through in a big way. Josh Elander walked with two outs to spark the rally. Ahrens singled, and Carroll was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Tewell. The starting catcher came through with a double down the left field line to clear the bases and push Lynchburg ahead, 4-1. Hyams hit an RBI double to give the Hillcats a 5-1 advantage at the end of six innings.

The offense didn’t settle for five runs, though, and added a pair in the seventh with an RBI double by Elander and a bases-loaded walk by Tewell. Tewell finished the game 2-for-3 with four RBIs to give him 13 for the season.

Lynchburg will continue its homestand when it opens a three-game series against the Carolina Mudcats Monday at 6:05pm. Jarett Miller (0-2, 3.52) will start for the Hillcats against right-hander Michael Peoples (0-2, 6.35).  It’s a Dollar Menu Monday presented by ABC 13, which means that hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, candy, peanuts and Domino’s Pizza slices will all be $1. Gates open at 5pm. The game can also be heard on 97.9 the Planet beginning with pre-game coverage at 5:40 pm.