The Hillcats made some great plays on defense to keep the game tied for most of the night on Thursday. However, nobody could stop Kinston’s Delvi Cid from scoring in the top of the tenth, and Lynchburg fell 2-1.
The Indians scored first in the top of the third. Tyler Cannon led off the inning with a triple, and two batters later Casey Frawley singled him home.
The Hillcats responded in the bottom of the fourth. Phil Gosselin singled to left field, the first hit that Kinston starter Drew Pomeranz allowed. The next batter, Adam Milligan, hit an opposite-field double to left, and Gosselin raced around the bases to tie the game at one.
Both starters cruised through the rest of their outings. Pomeranz and Lynchburg starter Aaron Shafer pitched through the seventh inning, giving up just one run each.
After the bottom of the seventh inning, the skies opened up, and the game went into a rain delay for an hour and fifteen minutes.
Twice in the game, Andrelton Simmons saved a run for the Hillcats with his arm. In both the second and eighth innings, an Indian hit a double off the wall in left. In both cases, left fielder Keenan Wiley retrieved the ball and tossed it in to Simmons. Simmons, who is known for having a strong arm, was able to relay each throw to nail both runners at the plate.
The game had to go to extra innings to be decided, where the deadlock was finally snapped in the top of the tenth. Cannon led off with a single, then was pinch-run for by Delvi Cid. He was sacrificed to second. Frawley followed with a walk, and then Anthony Gallas was hit by a pitch. With the bases loaded and one out, Adam Abraham lifted a fly ball to right field, and Cid was able to beat the throw from Adam Milligan to the plate to give the Indians a 2-1 lead. Buchter struck out the next batter to get out of the inning.
Preston Guilmet came into the game in the bottom of the tenth and pitched a perfect inning to earn his 16th save.
Ryan Buchter, who came into the game in the tenth, took the loss to fall to 1-1 this season. Chris Jones pitched the eighth and ninth for the Indians to pick up the win and is now 3-0 on the year.
Kinston improved to 36-30, and remained a game and a half behind Myrtle Beach in the South Division first half race. Lynchburg fell to 29-38.
The final series of the first half continues Friday night. Righty Zeke Spruill (4-7) will take the mound for the Hillcats, and the Indians will counter with a righty of their own, Brett Brach (4-4). First pitch is at 7:05 pm, and the gates will open at 6.
If you can’t make it to the game, the Hillcats On-Deck Show presented by Honda/Suzuki of Lynchburg will go on the air at 6:40 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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