Lynchburg Hillcats Game Notes
Published on April 23, 2012 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Hill City Howlers News Release
LYNCHBURG HILLCATS (9-5) VS CAROLINA MUDCATS (7-8)
April 23rd, 2012 -- 7:15 PM
At Five County Stadium
RHP Cody Martin (2-1, 1.64) vs. LHP Mike Rayl (1-2, 3.06)
THE HILLCATS: Yesterday, the Hillcats' doubleheader versus the Frederick Keys was postponed due to rain...The games will be made up on June 8th and 9th as part of two doubleheaders... Last night was the second rain out of the season for the Hillcats and the third in five days for the Keys, who were rained out at home last Wednesday...The Hillcats are still 9-5 not playing Saturday or Sunday, and remain in first place in the Northern Division...
VS. CAROLINA: The Hillcats will meet Carolina for the first time in team history...This is the first season in the league for Carolina...The Mudcats were previously known as the Kinston Indians...The Hillcats' All-Time record against Carolina is 0-0...The Hillcats were 6-13 last year versus the Kinston Indians...The Indians took six of seven at home against Lynchburg last season...Only played seven in Kinston due to Hurricane Irene...
COSTLY MISTAKE: An error was charged to Hillcats' second baseman Matt Weaver Friday night on a not so routine play up the middle with one out and nobody on...Weaver got the ball but didn't come up with the play...The next batter struck out looking at the inning could've been over with the Hillcats still within one run (4-3)...Instead the Keys went on to score four unearned runs with two outs...The 'Cats ended up with three errors on the night, tying a season-high for the team...They committed three errors (three unearned runs) in a 5-0 loss in Salem last Monday...Lynchburg has still committed the league's least amount of errors on the season (13)...They hold the best fielding percentage (.976)...
PITCHERS BEWARE: The 'Cats have been an offensive juggernaut early this season...They lead the league in batting (.308), home runs (16), runs (86), RBI (82), doubles (43), slugging (.518), on-base percentage (.375), and have the fewest strikeouts (86)...They've hit five more home runs, driven in seven more runs, and are slugging nearly 80 points higher than any other team in the league through the first 14 games of the season...Their batting average with runners in scoring position is a ridiculous .353...
HOW 'BOUT I JUST BEAT'EM NOW: Lynchburg went to extra innings and lost in the tenth two Thursdays ago to the visiting Salem Red Sox...C Evan Gattis ended the shot at repeating history a week later with a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth this past Thursday night...The two-run homer broke a 1-1 tie that had stood since the fourth inning...It was the first walk-off win for the Hillcats this season, and the first walk-off hit for Gattis in his entire life (amatuer or professional)...Last year, the 'Cats had three walk-off wins including two on back-to-back nights against Winston-Salem May 23-24, but they never had a walk-off home run...It was the first walk-off long ball since May 4, 2010...INF Neftali Soto hit a two-run blast to beat the Kinston Indians 6-5...
PROSPECT WATCH: Once again, the Hillcats will start the season with eight of the top-30 Braves prospects...Second most of the Braves affiliates to Double-A Mississippi who have started the year with 10...3B/SS Edward Salcedo (6), RHP J.R. Graham (13), SS/2B/OF Matt Lipka (14), SS Nick Ahmed (15), LHP Dimasther Delgado (18), RHP Cody Martin (19), C Evan Gattis (27), and 2B Tommy La Stella (28) are the eight top-30 prospects on the Hillcats Opening Day roster...
EITHER GOT IT OR YOU DON'T: 1B Chris Garcia went 0-for-4 Friday night dropping his average to .298...It was his fifth hitless game of the season out of the 12 he's played in...He has two hits in each of his other seven games, and is still without a single-hit game...He went on three-game two-hit streak from 4/10-4/12 and a four-game two-hit streak from 4/15-4/18...Both streaks included three games against the Salem Red Sox...He is 12-for-24 in six games against Salem this year...His only other two-hit game came against the Potomac Nationals in Woodbridge on the 15th...
IS THIS EVAN?: C Evan Gattis went 2-for-5 Friday night with two RBI and his sixth home run of the season...Has a hit in 11 of his 14 games this season (playing in every Hillcats game so far)...Has now homered in each of the last three games...Was honored as the first Carolina League Player of the Week on Monday for April 6-15...He batted .469 (15-32) through the first ten days (nine games) of the season with three home runs, 14 RBI, three doubles and five runs scored...Had a career day on Sunday the 15th, going 5-for-6 (only five-hit game in the CL this year)...Hit a three-run homer, doubled, and singled three times, while driving in a career-high six runs...The 2011 'Sally' League batting champ and post-season All-Star is currently leading the league in batting (.431), home runs (6), RBI (21), and slugging (.863)...Tied for the league-lead in on-base percentage (.500) and total bases (44)...Gattis has only played catcher and designated hitter this season, but figures to see time in the outfield at some point this year as well...The new position may help Gattis move up in the organization sooner rather than later...
TODAY'S OPPOSING PITCHER: LHP Mike Rayl was selected by the Indians in the 15th round of the 2009 draft out of Palm Beach Community College...Made professional debut in the Arizona League in 2009 (1-2, 3.74)...Named organizational all-star in 2011....Named to Midwest League All-Star Team in 2011with Low-A Lake County Captains...Named MID "Pitcher of the Week" twice in 2011...Pitched part of last season with Kinston (1-3, 4.61)...Did not face Lynchburg...Last season struck out 121 and walked just 26 in 123.2 IP between LC and KIN...Has advanced a level mid-season for the last two seasons...
Carolina League Stories from April 23, 2012
- Mudcats Hold off Hillcats - Carolina Mudcats
- Hillcats Fall in First Meeting with Mudcats - Hill City Howlers
- Wilmington Rocks Daisuke, Downs Red Sox 7-2 - Salem RidgeYaks
- Buckel Nearly Unhittable in 7-1 Romp - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Dash Arms Stifle Potomac - Winston-Salem Dash
- Wilmington Rocks Matsuzaka in 7-2 Win - Wilmington Blue Rocks
- Dash Silence Potomac Bats in 4-1 Win - Potomac Nationals
- Buckel, Pelicans Shut Down Keys - Frederick Keys
- Mudcats Announce Roster Changes - Carolina Mudcats
- Ronnie Welty Named Player of the Week - Frederick Keys
- Lynchburg Hillcats Game Notes - Hill City Howlers
- Mudcats Game Notes - April 23 - Carolina Mudcats
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