Hillcats game notes
Published on August 30, 2008 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Hill City Howlers News Release
LYNCHBURG HILLCATS (26-39, 55-80) vs. SALEM AVALANCHE (26-41, 56-81)
August 30th, 2008 -- 6:05 PM
Calvin Falwell Field @ Lynchburg City Stadium
RHP Matt McSwain (1-2, 6.16) vs. RHP Corey Bass (4-12, 6.73)
THE HILLCATS: Lynchburg took the opener of the final series of the season with a 5-1 win over Salem last night at City Stadium...Tonight is game two of a four-game series and game four of a six-game homestand, which are the last games of the 2008 regular season for the Green & Gold...
VS. SALEM: The Cats took a 9-8 edge in their season series against the Avs last night with their victory...Lynchburg has a 5-2 advantage at City Stadium...Last season Salem dominated the series taking 16 of the 20 games between the two...Including an 8-2 record against the Hillcats in Lynchburg....The Avs have the advantage in the all-time series against the Cats 145-124, but they are 61-71 against the them in the Hill City...Salem has the advantage in the all-time series against Lynchburg 453-450...The Avalanche are the only team in 2008 that the Hillcats can finish with a winning record against...
OPENING ACT: Last night the Hillcats won the series opener of a four-game set with the Avalanche...It was the third time on their last four attempts that the Cats have won game one of a series...This after they lost 11 consecutive series openers...They are now 14-27 on the season in the first game of a set...
WHAT A FINISH FOR WATSON: LHP Tony Watson matched his career-high with seven innings of work last night and allowed just one run on one hit...This start came one start after the southpaw allowed just two hits in seven innings of action at Potomac, as he allowed just one unearned run in a win over the Nationals...Watson finished the season with a 3.56 ERA, which currently ranks sixth in the Carolina League and tossed 151 and 2/3 innings, which is number one in the CL...He also ranks fifth in the Pirates system in ERA, third in wins (8) and is tied for first in strikeouts (104)...
KEEL REELIN' 'EM IN: LF Jared Keel went 1-for-2 with a double, two RBI and a run scored in the Cats win...He now has 80 RBI in 2008 which is ranked number one in the entire Pirates system in runs driven in...He is one ahead of teammate Miles Durham and former teammate Jamie Romak...His 19 home runs are the most by a Hillcat this year, three more than he clubbed last season, have him tied for third in the Carolina League and he is second in the Pittsburgh system...Keel was named Carolina League Player of the Week on Monday after going 9-for-22 (.409) with four home runs and 12 RBI last week...In the month of August he is batting .324 with seven home runs, 17 RBI and 18 runs scored...
LONE STAR: INF Jim Negrych was the only Hillcat named to the 2008 year end All-Star team...Before his promotion to Double-A Altoona on July 29th, Negrych was leading the league in batting average (.370), hits (143), doubles (36), runs (77) and on-base percentage (.448), he also was fifth in slugging percentage (.508) and extra-base hits (42)...His .370 average has all but secured the Carolina League batting title...Negrych was named Topps Carolina League Player of the month for the July when he batted .402 with 12 doubles, three homers, 20 RBI, and 17 runs scored...Negrych and SS Brian Friday were both named to the mid-season All-Star team for Lynchburg...
TONIGHT'S OPPOSING PITCHER: RHP Corey Bass was selected in the 47th round of the 2004 draft by the Astros out of Pearl River Community College...He made his professional debut Greenville in the Appalachian League in 2005 and went 3-3 with a 2.93 ERA in 20 games (one start)...The next season he returned to Greenville and became a starter, going 5-2 with a 3.75 ERA in 13 starts...Last season he advanced to Low-A Lexington and 1-3 with a 5.31 ERA and four saves in 31 games (seven starts)...This year with the Avalanche the righthander has gone 4-14 with a 6.73 ERA in 26 starts...This season Bass has gone 1-4 with a 6.58 ERA against Lynchburg in five starts (26.0 ip, 35 h, 24 r, 19 er, 11 k, 8 bb)...He lost his first four starts against the Hillcats before beating them on July 25th...That is the only win he has earned in his last nine starts...
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