Lynchburg Hillcats rally in Myrtle Beach, win 5-3

Lynchburg used a three-run ninth to take the lead for the first time in the game and win the series opener at Myrtle Beach, 5-3, Friday night. Greg Allen drove in a pair of runs with one out in the ninth to push the Hillcats in front.

Lynchburg only had three hits through the first eight innings and trailed 3-2, but the Hillcats found a way to string four straight singles together for a ninth-inning comeback.

James Farris held a perfect 7-7 mark in save opportunities entering Friday, but a David Armendariz single started the rally.Sicnarf Loopstok followed with a base hit through the left side of the infield, and a Mark Mathias infield single loaded the bases. Greg Allen lined a single to right field to plate two and Lynchburg a 4-3 advantage. Claudio Bautista hit a sacrifice fly to bring in Mathias and make the final margin 5-3.

Lynchburg’s rally actually took four innings to complete, as the Hillcats trailed 3-0 after five. Myrtle Beach scored all three of its runs in the fourth inning, highlighted by a two-out, two-run single by Gioskar Amaya.

The Hillcats used three consecutive walks to load the bases in the sixth inning, and Paul Hendrix hit a sacrifice fly to center field to put Lynchburg on the board. In the seventh, Mark Mathias hit his first home run of the season, an opposite field deep fly to right, to cut the deficit to 3-2.

Jared Robinson joined Lynchburg’s roster from Lake County on Friday, and he was immediately called upon to go four innings in relief to earn a win in his Advanced-A debut. Robinson (1-0) struck out the first four batters he faced and scattered three hits over those four innings to claim the victory.

Luis Lugo allowed three runs on five hits in five innings. He struck out four and walked the same amount. Farris (0-1) suffered his first loss of the season, giving up three runs on four hits in the ninth. His ERA nearly doubled from 1.27 to 2.42.

This marked the fifth comeback win in the seventh inning or later for Lynchburg and the second this week…The Hillcats overcame a 4-0 margin in the seventh inning against Salem in the first game of Wednesday’s doubleheader…Lynchburg leads the Carolina League with 34 home runs, 240 of which have been on the road.

Lynchburg plays Myrtle Beach again Saturday night at 7:05 p.m. Sean Brady (2-2) will start for the Hillcats. Fans can listen to the action on 93.3 FM and 1320 AM as well as www.lynchburg-hillcats.com, beginning with the Hillcats On-Deck Show at 6:45 p.m.