Lynchburg Hillcats Game Notes (home Opener)
April 9, 2013 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Lynchburg Hillcats News Release
April 9th, 2013 -- 6:05 PM
Calvin Falwell Field at Lynchburg City Stadium
RHP Ryan Weber (0-0, -) vs. RHP Alec Asher (0-0, 18.00)
THE HILLCATS: After an off-day yesterday, the Hillcats host their home opener tonight against the Myrtle Beach Pelicans...Lynchburg began the season on the road this past weekend versus the Potomac Nationals...They lost game one 12-1 but put together two comeback victories Saturday and Sunday to take the series 2-1...Sunday, the 'Cats scored three runs in the eighth inning to go ahead 7-6, and the four more in the ninth to win 11-6...OF Robby Hefflinger hit two home runs, and now has three on the season...1B William Beckwith entered as a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning, remained in the game and hit a home run in the ninth...Meanwhile, OF Matt Lipka robbed a home run over the center field wall in the bottom of the eighth from Potomac's Michael Taylor...The Hillcats are now 2-1 and sit in second place in the Northern Division behind the 3-0 Frederick Keys...
VS. MYRTLE BEACH: The Hillcats and Pelicans meet for the first time this season tonight...Last year, the 'Cats took the season series 11-9...At home, Lynchburg went 6-4 against the Birds...The Hillcats are in their third consecutive year of being affiliated with the Atlanta Braves...Prior to that, Myrtle Beach (currently Rangers) was the Carolina League Braves affiliate since the team's inception in 1999...This is the first year since the affiliation switch that no current Hillcats were former Myrtle Beach Pelicans...
HOIST THE COLORS: Tonight is the Hillcats' home opener...The first home game since the 'Cats won the Mills Cup Championship last September...Prior to the first pitch tonight, the Hillcats will raise the championship banner on the flag pole behind center field...The Hillcats have now won two titles in the last four years (2009, 2012), four since adopting the Hillcats name in 1995, and overall Lynchburg has claimed seven Carolina League championships...
RETURNERS: This year, the Hillcats Opening Day active roster holds nine returners...There are also five players on the disabled list that all saw time in Lynchburg last season...Six of the nine active returning players were on the Hillcats roster during the championship playoff run last September, RHP Caleb Brewer, LHP Matt Chaffee, RHP Ryan Weber, UTL Matt Weaver, OF Matt Lipka, and OF David Rohm...Although, Lipka was on the DL...
COMEBACK 'CATS: Lynchburg recorded six come-from-behind victories last season when trailing in the seventh inning or later...Through three games this season, they already have two similar wins...Saturday the 'Cats trailed the Nationals 5-0 heading into the seventh before exploding with eight runs...Went on to win 10-6...Sunday, the comeback occurred in the eighth, trailing 6-4, Lynchburg plated three runners to go up 7-6, and then four more runs in the ninth to win 11-6...
LOOKING FOR MORE MILEAGE: Hillcats starters averaged just three and one-third innings per start over the weekend, leaving a lot of work for the bullpen to pick up...As a result every member of the bullpen saw action in the opening series, and RHP Caleb Brewer even threw twice...RHP Navery Moore started Friday night, and last just an inning and two-thirds, the shortest start of his career (9H, 7ER, 1BB, 1K)...RHP A.J. Holland went four and two-thirds innings on Saturday (8H, 5R, 4ER, 1BB, 5K)...RHP Mark Pope complete three and two-thirds innings (6H, 3ER, 4BB, 2K)...Moore was the only starter to take a loss...
THREE IN THREE: OF Robby Hefflinger is off to another red hot start with the Hillcats this season...Batting .364 (4-for-11) with three home runs, four RBI, and five runs scored during his current season-long three-game hitting streak...Last year, he hit a home run in each of the first two games of the season with Lynchburg, and hit safely in his first eight games...Unfortunately, after those eight games he slumped to the tune of 16-for-95 (.168) over his next 29 games and was sent down to Low-A Rome...He had a similar fate in 2011 after starting slow with Lynchburg...
FINDING THE ZONE: The Hillcat pitching staff had a wild Sunday, walking 11 batters as a unit...Starter, RHP Mark Pope walked four in three and two-thirds innings...Reliever, RHP James Hoyt, added four more in just an inning and one-third...RHP Caleb Brewer walked two in two-thirds of an inning, and finally LHP Matt Chaffee walked one in two and one-third innings...RHP Ryan Weber starts tonight for the Hillcats...He only walked 23 batters in 117.1 innings last season...
ROBBERY: CF Matt Lipka took a home run away from his center field counterpart, Michael Taylor of the Potomac Nationals, Sunday afternoon...On top of the shear athletcism of the play, the theft occurred in the bottom of the eighth inning with the Hillcats up by just one run (7-6)...The blast would've tied the game...Instead, the sprinting Lipka with hardly any time to slow his feet for his jump snatched the ball back from just over the wall...Earlier in the game, Lipka had run after a home run ball in right-center...The ball rebounded off the light post behind the wall and came back to plunk the unsuspecting Lipka...He was shaken up for a second but stayed in the game...
TONIGHT'S OPPOSING PITCHER: RHP Alec Asher was drafted out of Polk State College in the fourth round of the 2012 draft... The 21-year-old Lakeland, Florida native is making his first professional start tonight after 21 relief appearances over the past two seasons...He came out of the bullpen in the Pelicans season opener on April 5 against Wilmington... Went one inning and allowed two runs on three hits...After the draft Asher spent the rest of 2012 with Spokane of the short-season Class-A Northwest League...Pitched in 20 games... All in relief... Went 2-3 with a 3.09 ERA while striking out 50 hitters in 35.0 innings... Allowed 12 total earned runs with nine of them coming in two combined appearances... Had Tommy John surgery at the age of 14... Drafted by San Francisco in 2011 and agreed to terms but failed physical with a bone spur in his throwing elbow... Hard thrower with a fastball that consistently reaches mid-90s... Mentioned as one of Baseball America's top fastballs in the Rangers' 2012 draft...
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