The Hillcats outhit the Winston-Salem Dash 8-to-4 on Friday night, but couldn’t get hits when it mattered most. Three errors by the defense helped the Dash score, and Lynchburg fell 4-1, their fifth straight loss.
Ian Gac hit a sacrifice fly to give the Dash the lead in the top of the fourth inning. With Jared Mitchell on third, Gac hit a long fly ball that center fielder L.V. Ware was able to corral on the warning track. Mitchell scored easily and the Dash led 1-0.
The Hillcats’ defense unraveled in the fifth inning. Two errors by third baseman Barrett Kleinknecht led to three unearned runs scoring against Hillcats starter Zeke Spruill, and the Dash extended their lead to 4-0.
Lynchburg got a run back in the bottom of the sixth. Adam Milligan led off the inning with a solo home run to left-center, his 12th home run of the season to make the score 4-1, but that would be the final run of the game for either team.
The Hillcats threatened several times in the game. In five innings runners reached scoring position, but the Lynchburg hitters couldn’t drive them home. The Hillcats were 0-for-7 in the game with runners in scoring position.
Winston-Salem starter Cameron Bayne (8-4) pitched six innings, just giving up the lone run to earn the win. Orlando Santos pitched three scoreless innings in relief to earn his first save of the season. Spruill (7-8) gave up all four runs, but just one earned run in seven and one-third innings pitched, and took the loss.
Lynchburg lost their fifth straight game, falling to 6-15 in the second half. Winston-Salem climbed back above .500, and are now 11-10.
The Hillcats end their homestand Saturday night against the Dash. Lefty Blaine Sims (2-4) will pitch for Lynchburg, and righty Jake Petricka (0-3) will pitch for Winston-Salem. First pitch is at 6:05 pm, and the gates open at 5.
The Hillcats On-Deck Show presented by Honda/Suzuki of Lynchburg will go on the air at 5:40 pm. Tune in to 105.5 KD Country or go to lynchburg-hillcats.com to listen live to all the action.
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Chris Graham
