Hillcats Game Notes April 27, 2015, 7:05 p.m. at Potomac
April 27, 2015 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Lynchburg Hillcats News Release
LYNCHBURG HILLCATS (7-10) vs. POTOMAC NATIONALS (9-8)
Monday, April 27, 2015 -- 7:05 PM
Pfitzner Stadium
RHP Michael Peoples (0-1, 3.48) vs. RHP Nick Pivetta (1-1, 0.53)
LAST TIME OUT: 1B NELLIE RODRIGUEZ hit nearly identical home runs over the center field fence in each game of a doubleheader to help the Hillcats take both games against Potomac, 6-5 and 6-3, at Pfitzner Stadium Sunday afternoon...RODRIGUEZ'S home run in the first game occurred in the fourth inning and gave Lynchburg a 3-2 lead...Prior to that, SS IVAN CASTILLO hit an RBI double to right field to drive in DH LUIGI RODRIGUEZ in the second inning...Potomac reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the fourth on a two-run double by SS WILMER DIFO...Lynchburg responded in the fifth with three runs on three hits, including runs scored by RF BRADLEY ZIMMER, NELLIE RODRIGUEZ, and LF MIKE PAPI...The RBIs came from C ERIC HAASE, LUIGI RODRIGEZ, and 2B JAMES ROBERTS...The Hillcats held a 6-4 lead at that point and held on for a 6-5 victory...In the second game, RHP D.J. BROWN received the win after holding Potomac to three runs on five hits in six innings of work...All of the Nationals' runs and hits came in the third inning...NELLIE RODRIGUEZ put Lynchburg on the board first with a two-run blast to center field...Following Potomac's three-run outburst in the third, Lynchburg tied the game in the top of the fourth with an RBI single by 2B JOE SEVER after C ALEX MONSALVE hit a double two batters earlier. ..In the fifth, 3B PAUL HENDRIX singled, stole second base, and scored on an RBI base hit by ZIMMER to give Lynchburg a 4-3 lead. In the next frame, SEVER drew a one-out walk, and CASTILLO lined a triple down the right-field line to make it 5-3...DH CLINT FRAZIER'S sacrifice fly to left field brought home CASTILLO to cap off the scoring.
WHOA, NELLIE! 1B NELLIE RODRIGUEZ went deep twice yesterday for his first two home runs of the season...RODRIGUEZ, who led the Midwest League in extra-base hits last year (57) and tied for the league lead with 22 home runs, came in with a .172 average and four doubles on the season...He changed that quickly with a pair of two-run homers that vaulted him into the team lead with 11 RBIs for the year...After posting two RBIs in the team's first nine contests, RODRIGUEZ has at least one RBI in seven of the team's last eight games...
DO YOU MIND SAVING THIS FOR ME? Lynchburg has seen plenty of close games this year, and a Hillcats pitcher has notched a save in six of the team's seven wins...Yesterday, RHP BEN HELLER picked up his third save of the season with a perfect final inning that included three strikeouts to complete a 6-5 win...In the second game, RHP ROBBIE AVILES worked a perfect seventh with a strikeout to register his first save of the season and the third of his career...Despite being tied for the fewest wins in the Carolina League, the Hillcats are tied for the league lead with six saves...The only game in which the Hillcats have not required a save was a 9-0 victory over Frederick on April 22...
VS. POTOMAC: Lynchburg swept a twinbill against Potomac yesterday, which means the Hillcats will be trying to win three straight against Potomac for the second time in the last two years...Meanwhile, the Nationals have had two different six-game winning streaks against Lynchburg during that same span...Lynchburg started off the year 2-1 against Potomac just like 2014...At that point, Potomac went on to win 13 of the next 18, including both games in the postseason...OF BRADLEY ZIMMER leads the team with a .429 average against the P-Nats, which includes a double and all four of his home runs this season...ZIMMER has also stolen seven bases and scored 10 runs in 10 games against Potomac...OF LUIGI RODRIGUEZ has a .323 average with two doubles, two home runs and all 10 of his RBIs against the P-Nats... For Potomac, DREW WARD has a team-best .344 average with two doubles and six runs in 10 games...WARD has posted 11 of his 12 RBIs against Lynchburg this season...
POWER MATCHUP: Lynchburg and Potomac are tied for the league lead with 10 home runs each...All 10 of the Hillcats homers have been against Potomac, but only four of Potomac's home runs have been off Lynchburg pitching...Despite the power numbers favoring Lynchburg, Potomac has outscored Lynchburg 58-46 this season, including 24-4 in the ninth inning...
ON THE LEADERBOARD: OF BRADLEY ZIMMER finds himself on the Carolina League leaderboard in numerous offensive categories 17 games into the season...The No. 2 propect in the Indians system by Baseball America, ZIMMER leads the league with four home runs...He also ranks seventh in batting average (.323), third in stolen bases (9), third in on-base percentage (.414), and fourth in slugging percentage (.542)...
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