Cardiac Cats Take Advantage Of Frederick Blunders
Published on May 19, 2009 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Hill City Howlers News Release
After Pedro Alvarez homered to tie the game in the ninth inning, Lynchburg struck for five runs in the 11th inning to earn a game one comeback win in Frederick on Monday night.
The Hillcats plated the first of the 22 runs scored in the top of the first inning to grab the early advantage. Pedro Alvarez and Matt Hague hit back-to-back doubles to give Lynchburg a 1-0 lead. In the third inning the Cats plated their first of eight unearned runs on the night. After Jordy Mercer reached on an error, Alvarez singled him home to make it 2-0.
In the third though, the Keys would get to the Hillcats starter Justin Wilson for four runs. After Wilson set down the first seven in order, four with strike outs, he allowed five of the next six to reach and four to score to put Frederick in front 4-2.
Lynchburg responded though with two runs in the fourth with the aid of the second of three errors on the night by the Keys. Ray Chang brought in the Cats third run of the night with a single that extended his season-long hitting streak to 11 games. The next batter, Alex Presley, tripled home Chang to tie the game at four. The triple was the fifth for Presley, which leads the Carolina League.
In the bottom of the fourth Frederick regained the lead on a lead-off solo homer by Billy Rowell. An inning later they added two more runs on a double by Brandon Waring to make it a 7-4 Keys lead through five innings.
The Cats would chip away with single runs in the sixth and seventh innings to cut the lead to one at 7-6. Jared Keel doubled home Kris Watts in the sixth and Jordy Mercer doubled in Jose De Los Santos in the seventh.
The Keys pushed the lead back to two with a run in the bottom of the seventh inning with an RBI single by Billy Rowell. Jared Keel leaped up at the wall and caught that fly ball to rob Rowell of at least a double off the wall on the play.
Another run came across for Lynchburg in the eighth inning on an RBI single by Alex Presley. Then in the ninth, Pedro Alvarez homered to tie the game at eight and push the game into extra innings. Just prior to Alvarez' game-tying homer in the ninth, he popped up in foul territory, but catcher Caleb Joseph could not find the ball in the air. He left the yard on the next pitch.
It was the third time in five games the Hillcats played extra baseball. For Alvarez, it was the second time this season he homered in the ninth inning to tie the game and force extra innings.
In the top of the eleventh the Cats regained the lead for the first time since the third inning with a five-run inning. Matt Hague double home Jordy Mercer, who reached on an error, to give Lynchburg a 9-8 lead. Kris Watts brought home an insurance run with a sacrifice fly and Jared Keel followed that up with a three-run home run.
All five runs and eight runs on the night were unearned runs for Lynchburg. Frederick, who easily leads the league in errors, has now allowed 49 unearned runs in 37 games. They committed three errors, two past balls and lost two balls in the lights that didn't show up in the box score.
The win moved the Hillcats to 11-1 in series openers, it was their fourth straight extra innings win and they have now won 10 of their last 13 games. It was also the 16th comeback win of the season for the Comeback Cats.
The win went to Mike Colla (3-0) for Lynchburg (24-13) who are now a season-high 11 games over .500 and maintain their game and a half lead over Potomac for first place in the Northern Division. The loss went to Chris Salberg (1-3) for Frederick (17-20) who had won seven of their last eight coming in.
Game two of the series takes place on Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. at Harry Grove Stadium. Right-hander Ronald Uviedo (1-1, 3.47) gets the start for the Hillcats opposite righty Tim Bascom (3-3, 2.83) will go for the Keys.
You can tune-in to all the live action beginning at 6:40 p.m. with the Voice of the Hillcats Scott Bacon on FM 105.5 KD Country, 96.9 FM in Roanoke and you can listen on-line on www.kdcountry.com.
Carolina League Stories from May 19, 2009
- Rally Rocks clip Red Sox, 9-7 - Wilmington Blue Rocks
- Lynchburg collects third straight win - Hill City Howlers
- Chisenhall Homers, Potomac Beats Kinston 4-3 - Kinston Indians
- Wilmington Rocks Sox with Late Surge, Prevailing 9-7 Over Salem - Salem RidgeYaks
- Marrero Grand as P-Nats Slam Kinston - Potomac Nationals
- Hillcats edge Keys in one-run win - Frederick Keys
- Carter, Dash take down Pelicans, 5-3 - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Carter Carries Dash Past Pelicans - Winston-Salem Dash
- Lynchburg Hillcats Game Notes - Hill City Howlers
- Potomac Nationals Game Notes - Potomac Nationals
- Salem Sox Hosting Blood Drive Saturday May 23 - Salem RidgeYaks
- Cardiac Cats Take Advantage Of Frederick Blunders - Hill City Howlers
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