Lynchburg won 2-1 in walk-off fashion in the conclusion of a suspended game but was no-hit by the Frederick Keys in a 2-0 nightcap loss to split a de facto doubleheader on Thursday night at City Stadium.
GAME ONE
Lynchburg trailed 1-0 in the bottom of the third inning when play was suspended due to weather Wednesday night. When play resumed on Thursday, Dorssys Paulino led off the fourth with a double and was driven home by Eric Haase, who singled up the middle to tie the game at one.
OH WHAT A RELIEF IT IS
Jayson Aquino started the game for the Hillcats and pitched three innings before the game was suspended. Antonio Romero picked up where Aquino left off when the game was resumed on Thursday and was nearly untouchable. Romero pitched four innings and gave up just one hit while striking out six batters. Lynchburg’s bullpen held the Keys to just one hit through the final seven innings as Justin Brantley (4-5) earned the win.
WALK-OFF WIN
Eric Haase led off the ninth with a double and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Mike Papi. Frederick opted to intentionally walkClaudio Bautista and Ivan Castillo to load the bases with one out. LeVon Washington struck out swinging for the second out beforeYhoxian Medina legged out an infield single that dribbled down the third base line to score Haase and give the Hillcats their third walk-off win of the season, 2-1.
GAME TWO – NO-NO FOR O’BRIEN
Mikey O’Brien tossed seven hitless, scoreless innings for the Frederick Keys to seal a 2-0 victory in the nightcap. The no-no is the first for the Frederick Keys since Nathan Moreau tossed a no-hitter in his first game as a Key against the Salem Red Sox on June 30, 2010. Clint Frazierwalked in the first inning and Ivan Castillo reached on an error in the sixth, but they were the only baserunners for the Hillcats in the contest.
HARD LUCK FOR LUGO
Luis Lugo (7-10) earned the loss after turning in one of his best performances of the year. Lugo pitched 6 2/3 innings and allowed four hits, three of which came off the bat of Austin Wynns, along with two runs while striking out six batters in the loss.
KEEPING UP WITH THE CATS
Eric Haase went 2-for-4 with a double, a RBI, and a run scored…Haase went 5-for-8 in the series with three triples, a double, and four RBIs…Luis Lugo earned the loss despite turning in a quality start…The defeat is the first for Lugo since July 18 on the road against the Salem Red Sox…Lynchburg took two of three from the Keys to remain three games ahead in the Northern Division standings with 17 games to play in the regular season.
UP NEXT
Lynchburg will begin a three-game series against the Potomac Nationals on Friday night at 6:30 p.m. Gates will open at 5:30 p.m. It will be Battle of Virginia Blanket Giveaway at City Stadium and the first 1,000 fans through the gate will receive a blanket courtesy of Harris Corporation and ESPN Radio 93.3. Fans can tune in to the action on ESPN Virginia 93.3 FM and 1320 AM as well as www.lynchburg-hillcats.com beginning at 6:10 p.m. for the Hillcats On-Deck Show.
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Chris Graham
