Lynchburg holds on for 3-2 win at Myrtle Beach

The Lynchburg Hillcats strung four straight hits together in the seventh inning to snap a tie ball game and held on for a 3-2 win over the Myrtle Beach Pelicans Sunday night at TicketReturn.com Field.  After entering the series winless in Myrtle Beach this year, the ‘Cats have won the first two games at TicketReturn.com Field this weekend.  Elmer Reyes, Trent Moses and Levi Hyams all drove in runs while the bullpen went five innings without allowing a hit until two outs in the ninth inning.

After a leaping catch robbed David Rohm of a single to open the seventh inning, the next four Hillcats (25-28, 61-61) all singled to score two runs and snap the tie.  Trent Moses and Levi Hyams each delivered RBI knocks.

That came immediately after the Pelicans (33-23, 73-52) failed to score in a bases-loaded, nobody out situation.  Wilson Rivera walked and hit a batter then tried to go to third on a sacrifice attempt but the throw wasn’t in time.  He got a pop out before Luis Salazar went to the bullpen for lefty Robert Fish to face left-handed hitter Preston Beck.  Fish delivered, inducing a groundball double play to end the inning.

The Hillcats opened the scoring with a run in the second inning.  David Rohm led off the inning with a single, advanced to second on a groundout by Josh Elander before a wild pitch moved him to third and Elmer Reyes grounded out to force Rohm in for the early 1-0 lead.

The Pelicans tied the game in the third inning when Trever Adams singled to center, scoring Drew Robinson to tie the game.   The run snapped a string of 13 consecutive scoreless innings by the Hillcats pitching staff going back to the home stand finale on Friday night.

Jose Lugo made his Hillcats debut Sunday night.  After four relief appearances in Rome the left-hander delivered four innings in his start for Lynchburg.  He allowed one run on four hits and struck out one.

Robert Fish (1-2) got the win with 1.1 innings of work including that huge double play in the sixth. John Cornely got his eighth save of the season.  It was Cornely’s second save in as many nights; the first time he has gotten saves on back-to-back days this season.  He now has five saves and a win in his last six outings.

Alex Gonzalez, the Texas Rangers first round draft choice in 2013, made the start for Myrtle Beach.  He went four innings before Taylor Dennis (1-3) took over and after three scoreless innings gave up the winning runs in the seventh inning.

The Hillcats look for the elusive five-game winning streak as they go for a series victory down in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Mondaynight.  Game three of the four-game series is set for 7:05pm at TicketReturn.com Field.  Greg Ross (7-6, 3.64) takes the mound for the Hillcats against Luis Parra (0-1, 4.66) for the Pelicans.  Erik Wilson and Jake Levy have the radio play-by-play beginning with the Hillcats On-Deck Show, powered by Honda/Suzuki of Lynchburg, at 6:40pm on 97.9 FM The Planet and lynchburg-hillcats.com