Despite game tying home runs from Emmanuel Tapia in the ninth inning, and Mitch Longo in the twelfth, the Lynchburg Hillcats fell the Blue Rocks 9-7 in thirteen frames Saturday, to drop their second straight.
The Hillcats (10-6, 39-44) battled back to tie the game on four different occasions, but in the thirteenth, D.J. Burt bounced a two-run single through the left side to put Wilmington (8-6, 39-45) ahead for good.
Lynchburg struck first in the ballgame taking a 2-0 lead in the middle innings. In the fourth Trenton Brooks singled and Tapia doubled, putting runners at second and third with one out. Dillon Persinger brought Brooks home on an RBI groundout to second base a batter later.
In the fifth, Longo tripled to right field with one out, and came into score on a wild pitch during the next at-bat to give the ‘Cats the 2-0 edge.
The Blue Rocks responded for a pair of runs in the sixth against starter Tanner Tully. Gabriel Cancel led off with a walk, and came across to score one batter later when Emmanuel Rivera laced a double to right-center. It was part of a four-hit game for the third baseman. Later in the inning, Travis Jones collected an RBI single to left to tie the score at 2-2.
Tully tossed six innings giving up two runs on eight hits and struck out six. He did not factor in the decision. Neither did Wilmington starter Jace Vines, who, like Tully, gave up a pair of runs over six innings, allowing seven hits and picking up three strikeouts.
The Blue Rocks took their first lead of the ballgame in the eighth against Jared Robinson, who uncorked a wild pitch to allow Rivera to score, after he reached on a two out single.
With the Hillcats trailing by a run and down to their final two outs, Tapia came through with his fifth home run of the season, a solo shot to right to force extra innings. Tapia also drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the eleventh, and finished a triple shy of the cycle.
In extra innings the Hillcats and Blue Rocks traded runs in the tenth and eleventh, as the Hillcats played their longest game of the season both in terms of innings, and time, at 4:08.
After three ground ball singles gave Wilmington a 7-5 advantage in the twelfth, Longo crushed a two-run home run to dead center field, his fifth of the season, tying the score.
Wilmington delivered the final blow on Burt’s single and then After Carter Hope (win, 4-2) recorded a groundout in the bottom half of the inning, before giving way to Tyler Zuber (save, 2) who struck out the final two batters of the game, to pick up his second save in as many games.
Billy Strode (loss, 2-1) suffered the loss, giving up four runs, two earned, over two innings.
The Hillcats go for the series split Sunday evening at 5 p.m., when right-hander Eli Morgan (5-2, 2.33) takes the ball for the Hillcats, opposed by fellow righty Ofreidy Gomez (2-7, 4.06) for the Blue Rocks.
Max Gun and Matt Present will be on the air with the pregame show beginning at 4:50 p.m. on TuneIn Radio and Radio434.
It’s Sandlot Sunday at City Stadium, with postgame kids run the bases, catch in the outfield, and wiffle ball.
For tickets and more information visit lynchburg-hillcats.com the City Stadium box office, or call 434-528-1144.
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Chris Graham
