Claudio Bautista hit a pair of solo home runs in the second game of a doubleheader, but a late Frederick rally resulted in a split after Lynchburg won the initial contest, 5-3, and fell in the nightcap, 9-6, at Nymeo Field Tuesday night. Francisco Mejia, Anthony Santander and Dorssys Paulino each had home runs in the first game.
Four of Lynchburg’s five runs in the first game scored on the long ball. Facing T.J. McFarland, who was in Frederick on a Major League rehab assignment, Mark Mathias began the game with a double to right-center field. Francisco Mejia lined a home run over the left-field fence, and Anthony Santander crushed a home run well beyond left field to give Lynchburg a 3-0 lead before a single out was recorded. Frederick tied the game with a three-run second inning that knocked Luis Lugo out of the contest.
Matt Whitehouse entered a 3-3 game with two outs in the second inning and retired all 12 batters he faced before turning the ball over to Trevor Frank with the bases empty and two down in the sixth. Whitehouse (3-3) struck out five and worked six groundouts out of the 12 men he faced to earn the win. Frank earned his 14th save in 15 chances by tossing the final 1 1/3 innings.
Tyler Krieger led off the fourth inning with a single, advanced to third on a base hit by Dorssys Paulino, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Connor Marabell to give the Hillcats a 4-3 lead. Paulino provided the final run of the first game with a solo home run to left.
Claudio Bautista opened the scoring in game two with a solo home run on a line drive to right field. After a two-run, two-out double by Conor Bierfeldt gave Frederick a 2-1 lead in the third, the Hillcats answered with three runs in the fourth.
Santander, Taylor Murphy and Sicnarf Loopstok hit three consecutive singles to begin the fourth, two of which were bunts bySantander and Loopstok. Marabell singled to right field to pick up two RBIs, and Loopstok also scored on the play on a throwing error by the right fielder to give Lynchburg a 4-2 upperhand.
Bautista belted his second home run of the contest deep over the left-field wall to make it 5-2 in the fifth, and Alex Monsalvesingled and scored on a Marabell double to tally Lynchburg’s sixth run in the sixth.
However, with the Hillcats leading 6-3, Yermin Mercedes and Austin Wynns hit back-to-back solo home runs to start the bottom of the sixth and pull Frederick within one. The Keys then saw five straight batters reach later in the frame, and four of them eventually scored. In total, Frederick used six runs on seven hits in the stanza to claim a 9-6 lead and eventual victory.
Jordan Milbrath (3-5) took the loss after surrendering the big frame, while Genison Reyes earned the win for Frederick out of the bullpen. Mike Zouzalik registered his 10th save with a scoreless seventh.
Lynchburg is a league-best 10-4 (.714) in doubleheaders…The Hillcats lead the league with 116 home runs, which is on pace for a team-record 133 this season…The ‘Cats have hit a home run in 73 of their 122 games this year and own a 48-25 record when a Hillcat leaves the park.
Lynchburg returns to Nymeo Field for a Wednesday game at 7 p.m. Brock Hartson (1-1, 5.91) will start for the Hillcats againstDavid Richardson (3-5, 4.07). Fans can listen to the action on 93.3 FM and 1320 AM as well as www.lynchburg-hillcats.com, beginning with the Hillcats On-Deck Show at 6:45 p.m.
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Chris Graham
