Lynchburg Hillcats Game Notes
September 3, 2009 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Lynchburg Hillcats News Release
LYNCHBURG HILLCATS (26-39, 71-63) @ POTOMAC NATIONALS (39-26, 76-56) September 3rd, 2009 -- 7:05 PM @ G. Richard Pfitzner Stadium LHP Rudy Owens (1-1, 3.10) vs. RHP Trevor Holder (2-2, 8.53)
THE HILLCATS: Lynchburg topped Potomac 4-3 in game two of the three-game series to even the set at a game a piece...The Hillcats had lost three in a row, nine out of 11 and had dropped a season-worst 14 games under .500 before their winLy in the middle-game...Tonight they play the final contest of a three-game series at Potomac and the sixth game of eight in a row on the road...
VS. POTOMAC: The Hillcats are 10-9 against the Nationals this season and are 4-5 at Pfitzner Stadium...Last season the two teams split the season series 10-10 and the P-Nats were just one of two teams the Cats had a .500 record or better against last year...Lynchburg won the final five games against each other last season...In the all-time series Lynchburg has the edge 152-144 and they are 70-74 in Woodbridge...The Hillcats had won 12 of the last 15 games between these two teams before dropping six of the last nine versus the Nats...
CLINCHING AGAIN: The game one win on Saturday night ensures a winning record for the Hillcats in 2009...It marks the first time since 2005 (78-62) that Lynchburg will post an over .500 record...Prior to this season the Cats have had a winning record four times in their 14 seasons played...They have also secured their sixth playoff appearance since the team began play in 1995...
SHIPPING OUT: On Tuesday Lynchburg had three players leave the team...RHP R.J. Rodriguez (Temporarily Inactive List), RHP Moises Robles (promoted to Double-A Altoona) and C Joel Collins (traded to San Fransisco Giants)...Rodriguez left to play with Puerto Rico in the Baseball World Cup...He was in first place in the Carolina League in saves (27), second all-time in single-season Hillcats history and just two saves shy of tying the top mark...RHP Noah Krol was promoted from Low-A West Virginia and OF Ciro Rosero was activated from the Disabled List to fill the open active roster spots...
AUSPICIOUS START: RHP Noah Krol made his Advanced-A and Hillcat debut last night...The right-hander tossed two scoreless frames and earned his first win for Lynchburg...Krol has spent the majority of the season with Low-A West Virginia and had a record of 5-0 with a 2.92 ERA and two saves with the Power...
BACK WHERE IT STARTED: RHP Matt McSwain pitched a scoreless ninth inning last night to earn his first save of the season...It was the first save as a Hillcat for the right-hander since his first ever appearance with Lynchburg...Last season McSwain made has Cats debut on April 27th at Kinston and recorded the save by throwing the final inning and 2/3 of action...The second-year Hillcat is tied for the league lead in wins (11), seventh in ERA (3.40) and third in innings pitched (141.1)...He has now thrown 12 consecutive scoreless innings...
RACKING UP THE ACCOLADES: LHP Rudy Owens was recently named the Most Outstanding Pitcher in the South Atlantic League...The left-hander was also named by the SALLY to the post-season All-Star team...This after the southpaw was named the best pitching prospect in the SAL, with the best change-up and best control by Baseball America in their recent best tools article...He has also earned Pitcher-of-the-Week honors three times (twice in the SAL and once in the Carolina League)...And the starter was a mid-season All-Star selection as well...
DARN YES: INF Chase d'Arnaud went 2-for-5 last night with a double and two runs scored...On the road trip he went a combined 9-for-18 (.500) with three doubles, a homer, three RBI and six runs scored...His four hits in game one on Saturday night matched the most hits he has had in a single game in his career...In his last 15 games he is batting .345 (20-for-58), has scored 16 runs and he has hit in 13 of those contests...The infielder was also recently chosen as one of the six representatives of the Pirates in the prestigious Arizona Fall League this off-season...
DRIVING 'EM IN: INF Jordy Mercer went 2-for-4 last night with a home run, three RBI and a run scored...He has driven in 18 runs in his last 20 games played and brought home eight in his last five...He has hit in 17 of his last 20 games and over that time he is batting .308 (24-for-78) with four doubles, three homers, 18 RBI, 10 runs scored, seven walks and two stolen bases...He is batting .299 (32-for-107) in August after he hit .226 (26-for-115) in July...Mercer leads the Hillcats and is tied for fifth in the Carolina League with 79 RBI, and he is second in the league with 34 doubles...
TONIGHT'S OPPOSING PITCHER: RHP Trevor Holder was selected by Washington in the third round of the 2009 draft out of the University of Georgia...In four years with the Bulldogs he went a combined 22-15 with a 4.56 ERA in 73 games (50 starts)...He made his professional debut on July 3rd with Short-Season Low-A Vermont and had a 5.06 ERA in two starts with the Lake Monsters...The right-hander then advanced to full-season Low-A Hagerstown and went 2-0 with a 3.55 ERA in three starts before moving up to Advanced-A with Potomac...He is 2-2 with a 8.53 ERA in five starts with the P-Nats...Tonight is his first start against Lynchburg...
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Carolina League Stories from September 3, 2009
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