The Lynchburg Hillcats picked up their first shutout of the 2013 season, a 4-0 win over Myrtle Beach, in Wednesday’s matinee at City Stadium. David Peterson threw 4.2 shutout innings in his first professional start and the bullpen went the rest of the way without allowing a hit to clinch the series victory with a chance for their first series sweep of the season in Thursday’s series finale. William Beckwith drove in two runs, Kyle Kubitza delivered an RBI-double and Will Skinner hit a solo home run, his first of the season, to provide the offense.
For the second straight game the Hillcats (4-1) led from start to finish, scoring a pair of runs in the bottom of the first. Matt Lipka and Ross Heffley led off the inning with back-to-back singles. After Lipka picked up his third steal of the season, Beckwith grounded out to first allowing Lipka to score the games first run. Kubitza followed up with a double to chase home Heffley and provide some insurance.
That was plenty for the Hillcats pitching staff. David Peterson, in his first start and second appearance of the season, went 4.2 shutout innings that included a stretch of ten straight hitters retired and allowed just two hits while striking out five.
James Hoyt (1-0) got the win after coming on with two on and two out in the fifth. Hoyt went 2.1 innings without allowing a hit. He walked one and struck out three. Matt Chaffee pitched a perfect eighth and Nate Hyatt hit a batter in the ninth but retired the other three hitters he faced to close out the ball game.
Skinner went deep to lead off the third inning, the Hillcats league-leading eighth team home run, adding to the lead. A bases loaded walk to Beckwith drove in the Hillcats fourth run in the fifth inning. It was Beckwith’s second RBI of the game and team-high seventh of the season.
Myrtle Beach (2-3) starter Nick Martinez was charged with all four runs. Martinez (0-1) went 4.1 innings and allowed four earned runs on four hits while walking two and striking out three.
The Hillcats look for the sweep in the series finale Thursday at City Stadium. First pitch is set for 6:05pm with gates opening at 5pm. Hillcat ace Navery Moore (0-1, 37.80) makes his second start of the season, taking on RHP Luke Jackson (0-0, 4.50) for Myrtle Beach. It’s the first Theme Thursday of the 2013 season, Video Game Night. Fans dressed in video game apparel will get half-off admission. If you can’t make it to the ballpark, join Erik Wilson and Jake Levy for the live play-by-play broadcast starting with the Hillcats On-Deck Show powered by Honda/Suzuki of Lynchburg at 5:40pm on the Hillcats flagship station 97.9 FM The Planet and online at lynchburg-hillcats.com
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Chris Graham
