Nellie Rodriguez hit nearly identical home runs over the center field fence in each game of a doubleheader to help the Lynchburg Hillcats take both games against Potomac, 6-5 and 6-3, at Pfitzner Stadium Sunday afternoon.
Rodriguez, who led the Midwest League in extra-base hits last year and tied for the league lead with 22 home runs, came in with a .172 average and four doubles on the season. He changed that quickly with a pair of two-run homers that vaulted him into the team lead with 11 RBIs for the year.
Rodriguez’s home run in the first game occurred in the fourth inning and gave Lynchburg a 3-2 lead. Prior to that, Ivan Castillo hit an RBI double to right field to drive inLuigi Rodriguez in the second inning.
Potomac reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the fourth on a two-run double by Wilmer Difo. Lynchburg responded in the fifth with three runs on three hits, including runs scored by Bradley Zimmer, Nellie Rodriguez, and Mike Papi. The RBIs came from Eric Haase, Luigi Rodriguez, and James Roberts. The Hillcats held a 6-4 lead at that point and held on for a 6-5 victory.
Clayton Cook (1-0) earned the victory with three innings of relief in which he only allowed one earned run on five hits. Ben Heller picked up his third save of the year with a perfect final frame that featured three strikeouts.
In the second game, D.J. Brown (2-0) received the win after holding Potomac to three runs on five hits in six innings of work. All of the Nationals’ runs and hits came in the third inning. Robbie Aviles registered his first save of the season.
Nellie Rodriguez put Lynchburg (7-10) on the board first with a two-run blast to center field. Following Potomac’s three-run outburst in the third, Lynchburg tied the game in the top of the fourth with an RBI single by Joe Sever after Alex Monsalve hit a double two batters earlier.
In the fifth, Paul Hendrix singled, stole second base, and scored on an RBI base hit by Zimmer to give Lynchburg a 4-3 lead. In the next frame, Sever drew a one-out walk, and Castillo lined a triple down the right-field line to make it 5-3. Clint Frazier’s sacrifice fly to left field brought home Castillo to cap off the scoring.
Lynchburg concludes its series with Potomac Monday night at 7:05 p.m. before returning to City Stadium for a seven-game homestand Tuesday. Monday night’s contest will feature Michael Peoples (0-1, 3.48) for the Hillcats against Nick Pivetta (1-1, 0.53). The game will be broadcast live on ESPN Radio 93.3/1320 AM and www.lynchburg-hillcats.com, beginning with the Hillcats On-Deck Show at 6:40 p.m.
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Chris Graham
