Hillcats game notes
Published on April 24, 2008 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Hill City Howlers News Release
LYNCHBURG HILLCATS (7-12) @ KINSTON INDIANS (5-11)
APRIL 24th, 2008 -- 7:00 PM
@ Grainger Stadium
LHP Brian Holliday (1-0, 1.72) vs. RHP Carlton Smith (0-1, 8.10)
THE HILLCATS: Last night the Cats dropped their second consecutive game to thePelicans with a 7-4 loss at Myrtle Beach...The Hillcats fell to 3-4 on their current 11-game road trip...
VS. KINSTON: Last season the Indians won the season series against the Hillcats 12-8...The Cats hold the all-time edge 131-125...But in Kinston the K-Tribe has a 73-57 advantage...
KEEPS ON ROLLING: Third baseman Jim Negrych continued his assault on the Carolina League last night with his ninth multi-hit game this season in just 18 games played...He entered the day first in the league in hits (25) and in batting average (.391), third in on-base percentage (.440), tied for fourth in runs scored (13) and in RBI (12)...The former sixth round pick from 2006 has reached safely in 17 of the 18 games he has played in this season, including his first 15 games played...
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...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 that had never professionally played the position they are this season (Negrych and Gonzalez)...
ALL OR NOTHING: In the Hillcats seven wins this year they are averaging 8.3 runs per game, while they are averaging just 1.8 runs per game in their 12 losses...On 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...
GOING LONG: Monday night C Steve Lerud homered in the ninth inning to end a drought of over 450 at-bats without a home run for Lynchburg...The Hillcats hadn't homered since Lerud went yard in the fourth game of the season...SS Brian Friday followed that up last night with the Cats first lead-off home run of the year...
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...
MEET THE STAFF: Jeff Branson, 41, enters his 5th season in the Pittsburgh organization and 2nd as manager of the Lynchburg Hillcats...The former Major Leaguer spent two years at the helm of the Hickory Crawdads prior to his arrival in Lynchburg...His career managerial record is 211-270 (.439)...Bob Milacki, 43, enters his fourth consecutive season as pitching coach of the Hillcats...The former major leaguer helped guide Hickory to the 2004 South Atlantic League championship...Chris Truby, 35, enters his first full season of coaching after serving as the hitting coach for the GCL Pirates at the end of last season...The former major leaguer retired last year while playing in the Pirates organization...
Carolina League Stories from April 24, 2008
- Pelicans pummel Avalance 13-1 in series opener - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Lynchburg Beats Kinston 7-5 - Kinston Indians
- Pelicans stump Avs - Salem RidgeYaks
- Hillcats game notes - Hill City Howlers
- Principal Financial Group Family Fun Fest Coming To Frawley - Wilmington Blue Rocks
- Pelicans Game Notes - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
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