Hillcats game notes
April 26, 2008 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Lynchburg Hillcats News Release
LYNCHBURG HILLCATS (9-12) @ KINSTON INDIANS (5-13)
APRIL 26th, 2008 -- 7:00 PM
@ Grainger Stadium
RHP Jared Hughes (1-3, 3.48) vs. RHP Paulo Espino (0-1, 9.22)
LAST GAME: Lynchburg won 5-0 to take their second straight over Kinston last night to start this four-game series...Starter Tony Watson (1-3) and Adam Simon (save, 1) combined on an eight-hit shutout...The Hillcats improved to 5-4 on their current 11-game road trip with the victory...Tonight the Cats look for their first three-game winning streak of the year...
VS. KINSTON: Last season the Indians won the season series against the Hillcats 12-8...The Cats hold the all-time edge 131-127...But in Kinston the K-Tribe has a 73-59 advantage...
A NIGHT OF F IRSTS: Last night LHP Tony Watson earned his first victory of the year, RHP Adam Simon picked-up his first save as a Hillcat (making his Advanced-A debut), 1B Kent Sakamoto hit his first home run of the season (snapping an 0-16 skid) and the Hillcats recorded their first shutout victory of the season...
WELL TIMED BOMBS: Four of the eight home runs the Hillcats have hit this year have given them the lead (including last night's homer) and another one tied up the game...
AS GOOD AS IT GETS: Hillcats reliever Kyle Pearson is tied for the league lead with four saves and is yet to allow a run this season in seven appearances (9.2 ip)...In the righthanders first appearance of the year he threw just nine pitches, all strikes and struckout all three of the batters he faced...
ALL OR NOTHING: In the Hillcats eight wins this year they are averaging 7.8 runs per game, while they are averaging just 1.8 runs per game in their 12 losses...Last Sunday they got shutout for the fifth time this season in 16 games...In 2007 the Hillcats were only shutout seven times in 137 contests...
LOVIN' THE LONG BALL: After going 12 games in a row without a home run and only hitting three round trippers in the first 16 games the Hillcats have blasted five dingers in their last five games, including what proved to be the game winning homer last night from Sakamoto...
PEOPLE CAN CHANGE: INF and sometimes OF Eddie Prasch had played 336 games in four years as a professional entering this season and had never played any position other than third base before playing right field for four of the last five games the Cats have played...The Hillcats also have three other players (Jim Negrych, Angel Gonzalez and Jared Keel) who are playing a different position than they primarily played in 2007...Two of which (Negrych and Gonzalez) that had never professionally played the position they are this season...
CHANGING THINGS UP: Baseball America said LHP Tony Watson has the "Best Changeup" in the Pirates minor league system...The ninth round selection in the 2007 struckout 58 batters in 67.2 ip and walked just eight...
KNOWN FOR HIS "D": INF Brian Friday was named the "Best Defensive Infielder" in the Pirates minor league organization by Baseball America prior to the start of the 2008 season...Friday was a third round pick of the Pirates in last year's draft out of Rice University...He was a member of their World Series teams in 2006 and 2007, which finished third in the country...
TOP PROSPECTS: Three of the Pirates' top 30 prospects from Baseball America are beginning the year with the Hillcats...LHP Daniel Moskos (#5) posted a combined ERA of 3.45 in 13 appearances with no decisions and one save with the GCL Pirates and the State College Spikes...LHP Tony Watson (#11) went 6-1 with a 2.52 ERA in 10 starts in State College prior to a late season call-up to Hickory...Watson was named to the New York-Penn League mid-season All-Star team...INF Brian Friday (#12) batted .295 with two home runs and 13 RBI for State College in 40 games...
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Carolina League Stories from April 26, 2008
- Pelicans claim series win with 6-4 victory over Avalanche - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- K-Tribe Gets By Hillcats 6-5 - Kinston Indians
- Avs' rally falls short - Salem Red Sox
- Gutty Mound Effort Coupled With Timely Offense Downs Hogs - Wilmington Blue Rocks
- Warthogs Offense Inept in 4-1 Loss to Wilmington - Winston-Salem Dash
- Davis powers P-Nats past Keys - Potomac Nationals
- Potomac Relievers Silence Frederick Bats - Frederick Keys
- Hillcats game notes - Lynchburg Hillcats
- Pelicans Game Notes - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Potomac Nationals Game Notes - Potomac Nationals
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