Lynchburg used a pair of three-run innings to sink the Wilmington Blue Rocks 6-5 on Friday night at Calvin Falwell Field at City Stadium. Michael Peoples picked up his sixth win of the season with a quality start.
DOWN EARLY
Robert Pehl singled to start off the third inning for Wilmington and was driven home on a RBI single by Carlos Garcia to give the Blue Rocks an early 1-0 lead. They picked up another run in the top of the fourth when Mauricio Ramos scored on an error by Mike Papi in left field to make it 2-0.
BEAT THE BEST
Alec Mills entered the contest ranked second in the Carolina League in ERA with a 2.20 mark, and he turned in four scoreless innings before the Hillcats broke through in the bottom of the fifth. Paul Hendrix doubled to start the inning and scored the first run of the game for Lynchburg on a sacrifice fly by LeVon Washington to make it 2-1. Eric Haase and Claudio Bautista both reached on walks, and back-to-back singles by Yhoxian Medina and Clint Frazier drove them in to give the Hillcats the lead 3-2.
PURCHASING INSURANCE
In the bottom of the seventh Medina doubled to drive in Bautista to make it 4-2, Lynchburg. Clint Frazier walked and advanced to third on a single by Bradley Zimmer that drove in Medina to extend the lead to three. Frazier scored to give the Hillcats a 6-2 advantage after a balk by Wilmington pitcher Estarlin Cordero.
HAD TO HOLD THEM OFF
Wilmington battled back in the later innings by plating two in the top of the eighth. Mauricio Ramos drove in Humberto Artegaon a RBI double, and Cody Stubbs singled to drive in Ramos to cut the Lynchburg lead to 6-4. Wilmington added one more run in the top of the ninth when Alfredo Escalera tripled to lead off the top of the ninth inning and came home on an error byBautista to cut the Lynchburg lead to one, where it remained.
MAN OF THE PEOPLES
Michael Peoples earned his sixth win of the season and the first of his career against Wilmington with a quality start. Peoplestied a career-high outing as he pitched seven innings and allowed two runs on four hits while striking out three. Lynchburg has now won eight of the last 10 games that Peoples has started. Peoples has recorded a win or a no-decision in his last 10 starts and is 5-0 during that span.
KEEPING UP WITH THE ‘CATS
Mike Papi recorded a single in the second inning to extend his hit streak to a season-high 12 games…Papi has tied the season-high hit streak for a Hillcats batter this season with 12 and is just two games shy of tying the Carolina League season-high…Yhoxian Medina recorded his fifth multi-hit game of the season as he went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a double.
UP NEXT
Lynchburg looks to take the first two games of the series against the Wilmington Blue Rocks on Saturday night at 6:30 p.m. Fans will be treated to a fireworks show following the game presented by Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott. Gates will open at 5:30 p.m. 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
