After Potomac took the lead on a first-inning run, Lynchburg’s pitching held the Nationals to only four hits and two walks the rest of the way, which allowed Tyler Krieger’s RBI double in the ninth inning to send Lynchburg to a 2-1 victory at Pfitzner StadiumTuesday night. Francisco Mejia went 3-4 with a first-inning double to extend his hitting streak to 48 consecutive games.
Both starting pitchers locked in quickly and kept the opposing offenses off-balance during the contest. Matt Esparza tied a career high with seven innings on the mound, while Boone Whiting also went seven for the Nationals. Each starter only surrendered one run in that time, but neither factored into the decision. Esparza held Potomac to six hits and struck out three.
Billy Strode (2-0) took over in the eighth and tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings to earn the win. Strode’s only baserunners came on a hit batter and a walk. With a runner on first and two outs in the ninth inning, Trevor Frank entered from the bullpen to strike outDale Carey and end the game. It marked Frank’s 12th save in 13 chances. His 12 rescues rank third in the Carolina League.
Before either team was on the board, Francisco Mejia stepped to the plate as the second batter of the contest. He promptly ripped a double down the right-field line to extend his hitting streak to a Minor League Baseball modern-era record of 48 straight games. In his 24 games with Lynchburg, Mejia has notched a hit in his first at-bat in 13 of them. He finished the game 3-4 with a double, giving him 20 multi-hit games during this stretch and 23 extra-base hits.
After a Raudy Read RBI double gave Potomac its only run in the first inning, Lynchburg eventually knotted the game in the third. Mejia singled, and Anthony Santander walked to put two men on base for Bobby Bradley with two outs. Bradley singled to right field, driving in Mejia. Santander was thrown out at the plate trying to advance on a bad throw from the outfield, ending the frame with the score tied at 1-all.
It remained even until the ninth when Bradley opened the stanza with a base hit. Dorssys Paulino sacrificed him over to second. Tyler Krieger doubled into the right-center gap to bring home Bradley and break the tie. Neil Holland (1-1) suffered the loss out of the Nationals’ bullpen.
Lynchburg improved to 14-15 in one-run games…It marked the Hillcats’ fifth victory this season when scoring two runs or fewer…The Hillcats are 10-7 against the Nationals this season but 3-5 since the All-Star Break…The ‘Cats improved to 5-1 after Off Days.
Lynchburg returns to Pfitzner Stadium Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. Luis Lugo (8-3, 3.75) will start for the Hillcats. 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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