After being rained out the past two days, the FredNats and Lynchburg Hillcats finally got to play a doubleheader on Mother’s Day in Virginia Credit Union Stadium, and it was Fredericksburg that earned the sweep by scores of 6-1 and 6-5. Brendan Collins spun a gem in game one to earn his second win of the season, and Viandel Peña hit the go-ahead home run in the top of the 7th inning of game two to push the FredNats over the top.
Even though the games took place in the FredNats’ home park, the Hillcats were the home team due to the scheduling quirk that prevented the entire series from being played in Lynchburg.
The FredNats got going early in game one when Steven Williams doubled in Drew Millas in the 1st inning. Two RBIs from Branden Boissiere in the 4th and 5th innings with a Jeremy De La Rosa RBI sandwiched in the middle made it 4-0 Fredericksburg after 4 1/2 innings.
The Hillcats got their lone run of the game from a solo home run from Isaiah Greene in the 5th, and a wild pitch and an RBI double from Sammy Infante in the 7th made it 6-1, which is how the game ended.
Collins pitched five innings, allowing just two hits and one earned run while striking out five. He moves to 2-0 on the year. Jose Ferrer and Tyler Schoff each pitched scoreless innings out of the pen in the win.
In game two, the FredNats got rolling in the 3rd when Peña hit a sacrifice fly to score Yoander Rivero. The Hillcats tied the game in the 3rd, and then De La Rosa untied it with his sixth homer of the year to make it 2-1.
The Hillcats scored two in the 5th to take their first lead at 3-2, and then three runs in the top of the 6th for the FredNats made it a 5-3 ballgame. De La Rosa drove in another run with a groundout, Leandro Emiliani reached on an error that scored a run, and then Andry Arias tripled to drive in Emiliani.
A two-run homer from Lynchburg’s Joe Donovan tied the game at 5, and Peña gave the FredNats the lead for good with a no-doubter home run to right field in the top of 7th, his third of the year.
Riggs Threadgill got the win and improves to 3-0 after shutting the door on the Hillcats in the the 6th and 7th innings.
Fredericksburg is in first place in the Carolina League North Division by 3.5 games heading into an off-day tomorrow, and will start another home stand on Tuesday when the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers come to town for the first of six games at 7:05.
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Chris Graham
