Home Lynchburg Hillcats top Frederick Keys, 8-4
Baseball

Lynchburg Hillcats top Frederick Keys, 8-4

Chris Graham

lynchburg hillcatsWill Skinner’s two-run homer off the video board in right-center field gave the Lynchburg Hillcats a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the sixth inning en route to an 8-4 victory against Frederick in front of a capacity crowd of 5,652 fans at Calvin Falwell Field Friday night.

After seeing the Keys (36-46) plate three runs in the top of the frame to take a 4-3 lead, Lynchburg (42-43) responded immediately with a leadoff walk by Justin Bloxom followed by Skinner’s team-leading sixth home run of the year. Later in the stanza, Joe Odom and Eric Garcia singled. Odom and Garcia both scored on wild pitches to push the Hillcats advantage to 7-4.

Jarett Miller (4-6) earned the victory after holding the Keys to four runs on eight hits in 6.2 innings. He struck out five and only walked one. Alex Wilson tossed the final 2.1 innings without allowing a run to improve to a perfect 8-for-8 in save opportunities. Jimmy Yacabonis (0-2) took the loss after surrendering four runs on three hits and two walks in 1.1 innings of relief.

Facing Dylan Bundy, the top prospect in the Baltimore Orioles organization, Lynchburg scored first on an RBI single by David Nick in the second inning. Frederick tied the contest with an unearned run in the third when Jerome Pena scored after Mike Yastrzemski hit a groundball through the legs of Bloxom at first base.

With the game tied at 1-all entering the bottom of the fifth, Lynchburg broke the tie with two runs on one hit. Odom walked to open the frame, and Garcia doubled to send him to third. Jose Martinez hit a sacrifice fly to right field to score Odom and give the Hillcats a 2-1 advantage. Garcia came home on a wild pitch to increase the margin to 3-1.

Frederick’s big inning immediately ensued when the Keys plated three runs on four hits, including doubles by Yastrzemski, Michael Burgess and Adrian Marin.

Lynchburg improved to 9-3 against the Keys this year, which includes a current streak of five straight wins. The Hillcats remain in first place of the second-half standings with an 8-7 mark since the All-Star Break, which is one game ahead of both the Potomac Nationals and Wilmington Blue Rocks (7-8).

Lynchburg and Frederick will face each other again Saturday night with a 6:05pm first pitch. Wes Parsons (4-4, 3.96) will start for the Hillcats against branden kline (4-3, 3.74). There will be postgame fireworks presented by Harris Corporation, Central Virginia Federal Credit Union & Lynchburg Municipal Employee Federal Credit Union. Fans can tune in to the game beginning at 5:40pm on 97.9 The Planet.

 

Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham, the king of "fringe media," a zero-time Virginia Sportswriter of the Year, and a member of zero Halls of Fame, is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, or subscribe to his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].

Latest News

How To Bet On Preakness Stakes 2025 In Ohio
Sports

How To Bet On Preakness Stakes 2025 In Ohio

How To Bet On Preakness Stakes 2025 In South Dakota
Sports

How To Bet On Preakness Stakes 2025 In South Dakota

With the 2025 Preakness Stakes set for Saturday at Pimlico, horse racing fans in South Dakota can gear up for another thrilling chapter in this year’s Triple Crown.  In South Dakota, betting on horse racing is completely legal and residents have several racebooks available in the state, including TVG, TwinSpires, FanDuel, and more. However, South...

How To Bet On Preakness Stakes 2025 In Arkansas
Sports

How To Bet On Preakness Stakes 2025 In Arkansas

After an exciting Kentucky Derby, the road to the Triple Crown continues at Pimlico with the 2025 Preakness Stakes on Saturday, May 17th at 5:50 p.m. CT. Horse racing fans in Arkansas have plenty of options when it comes to betting on the race, both online and in person, including at Oaklawn Park. However, for...

How To Bet On Preakness Stakes 2025 In Louisiana
Sports

How To Bet On Preakness Stakes 2025 In Louisiana

How To Bet On Preakness Stakes 2025 In Minnesota
Sports

How To Bet On Preakness Stakes 2025 In Minnesota

How To Bet On Preakness Stakes 2025 In New Mexico
Sports

How To Bet On Preakness Stakes 2025 In New Mexico

government money
Basketball, Football

The ACC made more money last year: And we still pretty much sucked