Hillcats at Nationals
Published on May 22, 2009 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Lynchburg Hillcats News Release
THE HILLCATS:
Lynchburg dropped the finale of a four-game series at Frederick 3-2 last night to the Keys...After winning the first two games of the set, the Hillcats fell in the final two contests to split the series...They now have a half game lead over Potomac for first place in the Northern Division and the best record in the league heading into the second series of the season between the two teams...Tonight is the first game of a three-game series at Pfitzner Stadium and game five of a seven-game road trip...This trip finishes off a stretch of 13 out of 16 on the road for the Cats...
VS. POTOMAC:
The Hillcats and Nationals met in the first series of the season and Lynchburg won three out of four games in that set...Last season the two teams split the season series 10-10 and the P-Nats were just one of two teams the Cats had a .500 record or better against last year...Lynchburg won the final five games against each other last season...They also won the last five games against the Nats, the last five played at the Pfitz, and the Cats were 6-4 against them in Woodbridge...In the all-time series Lynchburg has the edge 143-136, but Potomac is 69-66 versus Lynchburg at home...
NORTHERN EXPOSURE:
This series against Potomac is the third straight series against Northern Division foes for the Hillcats...After taking two out of three from Wilmington at City Stadium, Lynchburg split a four-game set with Frederick prior to this series which gets under way this evening...The Cats are now 10-7 against the North this season and 3-4s on the road...
DOESN'T ADD UP:
All indications last night were that the Hillcats would earn their 18th comeback victory of the season...Frederick's bullpen has struggled mightily this season and was protecting a one run lead going into the seventh inning...RHP Cliff Flagello worked a scoreless seventh inning despite entering the game with an 8.68 ERA and having allowed more than one run in six of his 13 appearances this season (including his last two outings)...LHP Brett Bordes tossed a scoreless eighth frame even though he came into the game with an 8.83 ERA and had allowed more than one run in six of his 17 games this year (including his last appearance earlier in the series)...Finally, RHP Luis Lebron pitched a scoreless ninth inning two earn his second save in as many nights despite the fact that he had to throw an inning and 2/3 the night before to earn the save...Lynchburg had a man on-base in all three of those innings...On top of all of that the Cats were 10-3 in one run games prior to last night...
SPELLING RELIEF:
The Hillcats bullpen has gone 14-4 this season with 12 saves in 16 chances, 12 holds and lowered their ERA to 3.68 with two scoreless innings last night...Since allowing at least a run to score in his first two outings, RHP Michael Dubee has not allowed a run in his last 11 appearances (15 and 2/3 innings)...RHP Dustin Molleken just had a 14 scoreless innings streak end on Monday night and RHP Michael Colla has gone 14 and 1/3 innings without allowing a run as well...
WASTE NOT, WANT NOT:
LHP Paul Mildren threw his second straight start outing last night and did not earn a win for his effort...In fact, he did not pick-up a victory in either outing in which he has combined to go 12 innings and allow five runs (3.75 ERA)...He left with the lead in the first of those two starts at home against Wilmington on Saturday, but the bullpen had a rare letdown and could not hold a three-run advantage...These two quality starts are the last two by a Lynchburg hurler, and the team now has five on the season...Mildren also picked off his fourth runner of the season yesterday, which leads the team...
PUT ME IN, COACH, I'M READY TO PLAY TODAY:
INF Ray Chang has proven himself ready to play when called upon this season...His 1-for-3 performance last night with a double, two runs scored and a walk extended his season-long hitting streak to 12 games...That passed OF Alex Presley (nine games) for the longest streak of the season by a Hillcat...Over that stretch Chang has gone 19-for-46 (.413) with 11 RBI and 12 runs scored...His 12-game hit-streak has covered 25 Hillcats games...
TONIGHT'S OPPOSING PITCHER:
RHP Colton Willems was a first round selection (22nd overall) of the Nationals in the 2006 Amateur Entry Draft out of Carroll high school in Fort Pierce, Florida...He made his professional debut that same season with the GCL Nationals and went 0-1 with a 3.38 ERA in five starts in the Gulf Coast League...In 2007 he pitched for Short-Season Low-A Vermont and posted a 3-2 record with 1.84 ERA in 12 starts for the Lake Monsters...Last season he advanced to full season Low-A ball with Hagerstown and went 5-9 with a 3.70 earned run average in 20 starts for the Suns...This season he made his first appearance of the year on May 5th with Potomac and has made three starts, going 1-2 with a 1.69 ERA for the Nationals...Tonight will be his first appearance against Lynchburg...
Carolina League Stories from May 22, 2009
- Lynchburg offense erupts for 13 runs, 19 hits - Lynchburg Hillcats
- Keys take two from K-Tribe - Frederick Keys
- Keys Sweep K-Tribe in Double Header - Kinston Indians
- Missed opportunities mar second comeback - Wilmington Blue Rocks
- Hillcats Hammer P-Nats in Friday Opener - Potomac Nationals
- Red Sox Up 7-0, Fall 8-7 in Epic Collapse - Salem RidgeYaks
- Birds bash way past Blue Rocks - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Dash Erase Seven-Run Deficit, Rally Past Red Sox - Winston-Salem Dash
- Nationals vs. Hillcats - Potomac Nationals
- Blood Drive Tomorrow - Salem RidgeYaks
- Hillcats at Nationals - Lynchburg Hillcats
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