Hillcats Game Notes
Published on July 17, 2008 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Hill City Howlers News Release
THE HILLCATS: Lynchburg lost 16-11 last night to Frederick in the only game of a one-game series at Harry Grove Stadium...Tonight the Hillcats start a three-game set against the Nationals in Potomac...Tonight the Cats play game six of this eight-game road trip and are in the midst of a stretch of 18 out of 22 games on the road...
VS. POTOMAC: The P-Nats are 7-4 against the Cats this year and are 5-2 in the Hill City...The Hillcats were just 5-14 against the Nationals in 2007...Lynchburg still holds the all-time series edge 136-133 and they are 75-66 at City Stadium...The Cats snapped a 14-game losing streak to the Nats earlier this season and a nine-game skid at Potomac...
DOUBLE DIGITS: In four of the 11 games against Potomac this season the P-Nats have put up double digits against the Hillcats...
STUFFED BOX: Last night's game between the Cats and Keys featured 27 runs (the most in a Hillcats game this year), 31 hits, five errors, four double plays, six home runs (the four hit by the Cats was the most in a single game all season), four wild pitches, a hit bats man and a whole lot more...In the top of the ninth Lynchburg brought 13 men to the plate, the most they have sent to the dish in an inning this year...
NOT DEAD YET: Despite entering the ninth inning down by 12 runs, the Hillcats struck for seven runs and loaded the bases before finally falling by five runs last night to the Keys...It matched the most runs the Hillcats have scored in an inning (6/22 vs. MYR) and it was the most they have scored in the ninth inning this year...
GOING GRAND: INF Jim Negrych hit his first grand slam of his career in the ninth inning of last night's game...Prior to this year Negrych had hit four home runs in two seasons (128 games)...This year he has now hit four long balls this season (93 games), including two on this eight-game road trip... FROM THE LEFT SIDE: INF Angel Gonzalez has converted from a switch hitter to an exclusively left handed hitter...He was batting just .224 while batting right handed against lefties at the time of the switch, while he is now hitting .266 from the left side...Strangely enough, last year in 52 games Gonzalez hit .293 from the right side and hit .244 from the right...He also hit better as a right handed hitter in Hickory in the first half of the season (.315 from the right side and .266 from the left)...So far he is 0-for-4 batting left handed against lefties...
HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY: C Kris Watts hit two home runs last night in the Hillcats loss to the Keys...It was the first multi-homer game of his career and it came one day after his 24th birthday...He had the day off yesterday in an afternoon affair at Wilmington...Watts now has hit three home runs in his last four games on this road trip after going homerless in his first 27 games...It was the third time this season a Hillcat has had a multi-homer game (Romak, 5/27 and 7/9)...
NOT SO SWEET SIXTEEN: Last night the Hillcats allowed 16 runs to the Keys...It was the second time this season the Cats have allowed 16 runs, the other time was the last time the Cats played the Nationals on June 5th at City Stadium...
TONIGHT'S OPPOSING PITCHER: RHP Luis Atilano was originally drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the first round of the 2003 amateur entry draft...That pick was compensation for the Mets signing Tom Glavine...He made his professional debut with the GCL Braves in 2003 and went 3-2 with a 3.83 ERA in 12 starts...The following season he advanced to the Danville Braves in the Appalachian League (rookie) and posted 5-1 record with a 4.20 ERA in 13 starts...In 2005 he moved up again to Low-A Rome and went 8-9 with a 4.17 ERA and started in the South Atlantic League All-Star game...Then in 2006 he recorded a record of 6-7 with a 4.50 ERA in 24 starts before he season ended due to an injury that resulted in Tommy John surgery...He was traded in August of that year for 1B Daryle Ward to the Washington organization...Last season he made just one appearance with the GCL Nationals (one and 1/3 inning and one run allowed)...This year he began with Low-A Hagerstown and made seven appearances (three starts), recorded a save and posted 3.16 ERA...He was since spent time with both Potomac and Double-A Harrisburg, going 1-0 with a 3.57 ERA in seven appearances (three starts) with the P-Nats and an 0-1 record in two games (one start) in Harrisburg...He made two starts against Lynchburg in 2006 and went 0-1 with 8.10 ERA...
Carolina League Stories from July 17, 2008
- Rocks roll to victory - Wilmington Blue Rocks
- Warthogs Come Up Short In 5-4 Loss to Myrtle Beach - Winston-Salem Dash
- Atilano, offense spark game-one win - Potomac Nationals
- Pelicans hold off 'Hogs in series opener - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- K-Tribe wins in rout - Kinston Indians
- Potomac Nationals Game Notes - Potomac Nationals
- Hillcats Game Notes - Hill City Howlers
- Pelicans Game Notes - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Warthogs 1B Brandon Allen Promoted to Double-A Birmingham - Winston-Salem Dash
- Niuman Romero is the Carolina League Player of the Week - CarL1
- Nunez advanced to Harrisburg - Potomac Nationals
- K-Tribe to be featured on Good Morning America - Kinston Indians
- Avalanche Upcoming Events - Salem RidgeYaks
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