Lynchburg Hillcats take series with Sunday win over Dash

The Lynchburg Hillcats sprinted out to an early lead over the Winston-Salem Dash on Sunday and continued to pile on en route to a 9-2 win in the series finale.

Lynchburg (17-19, 49-54) secured the series win over the Dash (17-20, 55-46) heading into Monday’s off-day.

For the second game in a row, the Hillcats got the scoring started in the first inning. Tyler Freeman ripped a leadoff single and scored on an RBI double by Oscar Gonzalez. Two batters later, Gavin Collins hit a double of his own to score Gonzalez, putting Lynchburg up 2-0.

In the second inning, Mike Rivera walked and Jodd Carter doubled to put two in scoring position with one out. A walk by Freeman loaded the bases for Steven Kwan, who knocked in Rivera with an RBI single. González hit an RBI single to plate Carter and Mitch Reeves flew out to right, scoring Freeman for a sacrifice fly to extend the Hillcats advantage to 5-0.

In the fifth, Collins doubled to lead off the inning. Jonathan Laureano reached on an error by Dash shortstop Johan Cruz, and Carter hit a single to load the bases. Freeman smoked a double into the gap to score all three runners, pushing the Lynchburg lead to 8-0.

In the seventh inning, Winston-Salem managed to get on the board. Carlos Perez hit a leadoff single and Jameson Fisher doubled to set up runners in scoring position. Tate Blackman hit a single to score Pérez, and a wild pitch allowed Fisher to cross the plate, cutting the Dash deficit to 8-2.

Carter hit a single to start a rally in the eighth. A single by Freeman moved him up to second, and Kwan hit into a fielder’s choice to get Carter to third. González knocked in Carter with another RBI single, padding the Hillcats lead at 9-2, which they would hold onto in the final innings.

Juan Hillman (Win, 4-10) dazzled for the second start in a row, firing 6.1 innings of two-run baseball while giving up just one walk and striking out seven Dash hitters. Aaron Pinto and Jonathan Teaney combined for 2.2 scoreless frames out of the Lynchburg bullpen.

Konnor Pilkington (Loss, 2-8) allowed five earned runs in two innings of work in the start for Winston-Salem. Jake Elliott fired two scoreless innings while Jose Nin gave up three unearned runs in a frame of work. Luis Ledo, Jacob Lindgren, and Andrew Perez allowed just one earned run between them across three frames.

The Hillcats have the day off on Monday before heading down to Winston-Salem to begin a three-game series with the Dash at BB&T Ballpark on Tuesday. First pitch is slated for 7 p.m.

Max Gun and Anders Jorstad will be on the air at 6:50 p.m. with the Hillcats pre-game show on TuneIn Radio and the Radio434 App.

The Hillcats will return to City Stadium on August 16 when the Carolina Mudcats, A-Adv. affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers come to town for a three-game set. Weekend highlights include First Responders Night on Saturday with postgame fireworks sponsored by Hill City Pharmacy. Friday’s contest will also feature a postgame fireworks show presented by Pepsi. Sunday’s game will be a Sandlot Sunday where all kids in attendance will be able to run the bases after the conclusion of the game.

For tickets or more information, visit lynchburg-hillcats.com, call 434-528-1144, or visit the City Stadium box office.