Triston McKenzie went seven innings for the first time in his professional career, but an unearned run generated by a bad pickoff throw enabled Winston-Salem to defeat the Hillcats, 1-0, at City Stadium Tuesday night.
McKenzie squared off against Dane Dunning in a matchup that featured a pair of elite pitching prospects. Neither starting pitcher budged all evening, as each only allowed three hits in his outing. Dunning (1-0) earned the win with five strikeouts in five shutout innings in his Advanced-A debut.
Meanwhile, McKenzie used 87 pitches to make it through seven innings for the first time since being selected out of high school 42nd overall in 2015. The right-hander struck out seven while walking three. In the fifth inning, Johan Cruz and Danny Mendickeach walked to open the frame. A fielder’s choice put runners on the corners with two outs. McKenzie attempted to pick off Luis Basabe at first base, but a low throw rolled away from the bag, and Cruz came home for the lone tally of the contest.
Lynchburg failed to cash in on any of its offensive opportunities, going 0-5 with runners in scoring position. The Hillcats stranded a total of seven runners, including five in scoring position. Lynchburg loaded the bases with two outs in the second inning but could not break through against Dunning. Lynchburg’s five hits came from five different batters, and none went for extra bases.
Kelvis Valerio tossed two innings in relief of Dunning, and Aaron Bummer struck out three over the final two stanzas for his second save of the season. Justin Garcia worked two scoreless innings out the Hillcats bullpen, an appearance that featured four strikeouts.
Wednesday is “Say No to Drugs” Education Day, so the rubber match begins at 11 a.m. The game can be heard live at www.lynchburg-hillcats.com with coverage beginning at 6:20.
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Chris Graham
