The Lynchburg Hillcats led 1-0 and 2-1 before falling 3-2 to the Potomac Nationals on a walk-off RBI-single from Will Piwinica-Worms in the bottom of the ninth. The walk-off blow eliminated the Hillcats from the postseason as they were swept 2-0 in the best of three Northern Division Championship Series. The hopes of defending the 2012 Carolina League Championship ended tonight for the ‘Cats. Now the Nationals will take on the Salem Red Sox for the 2013 Mills Cup Championship.
For the second straight night the Hillcats struck first. Josh Elander doubled with one out in the second inning. Elmer Reyes followed him with another double, and the Hillcats took a 1-0 lead. The Nationals tied the game in the third inning. Piwinica-Worms walked with one out. Three batters later Adrian Sanchez singled home Piwinica-Worms to tie the game.
Hillcats starter Ryan Hinson was wild but effective. He issued five free passes one more than his season-high, but only allowed three hits over 5.2 innings. Lynchburg gave him another lead in the fourth inning. Kyle Kubitza reached on an error to lead off the frame. David Rohm singled advancing Kubitza to third. Two batters later Reyes hit a sacrifice fly to center field to bring home Kubitza.
The Nationals tied the score again before Hinson left the game. He walked the first batter in the sixth. A wild pitch moved the runner, Sanchez, to second base. Michael Taylor flew out to right deep enough to allow Sanchez to tag and advance to third. Then, with the infield in Adrian Nieto hit a chopper up the middle. Hinson reached up over his head but the ball went off his bare hand. The second baseman Emerson Landoni made a back-handed play and threw out Nieto at first, but Sanchez came in to score. Jose Lugo relieved Hinson after that and got out of the inning with no further damage.
Lugo was perfect in the seventh and eighth frames, but with the score still tied 2-2 in the ninth he ran into trouble. Kevin Keyes doubled with one out and then Brandon Miller was intentionally walked. Randolph Oduber stepped to the plate. He drove in the tying run in the ninth inning the night before, but tonight he struck out swinging. With two outs Piwinica-Worms came up. After a passed ball moved the runners to second and third, he singled on a groundball to right field. Keyes scored from third base and the Nationals won the Northern Division Championship Series.
Greg Holt (1-0) earned the win for Potomac after tossing a scoreless ninth inning. Lugo (0-1) suffered the loss. He gave up three hits, walked one, and struck out seven over three innings, an the one run he gave up was unearned due to the passed ball.
The Hillcats finished the regular season 69-70. They won the second half wild card to earn a spot in the playoffs, but were swept in two games by the Nationals.
Potomac will have an off-day tomorrow before hosting the Salem Red Sox for games one and two of the Mills Cup Championship Series Saturday and Sunday at Pfitzner Stadium.
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Chris Graham
