Hillcats Game Notes
Published on April 25, 2013 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Hill City Howlers News Release
LYNCHBURG HILLCATS (9-9) vs. WINSTON-SALEM DASH (10-9)
April 25th, 2013 -- 7:00 PM
BB&T Ballpark
RHP Mark Pope (0-1, 11.81) vs. RHP Terance Marin (2-0, 2.65)
THE HILLCATS: Beat the Winston-Salem Dash 4-1 last night...OF Robby Hefflinger went 2-for-3 with two home runs and three RBI...RHP Jarrett Miller blanked the Dash for five innings in his first start...Gave up two hits, walked one, and struck out seven...The Hillcats improved to 9-9 on the season...
VS. WINSTON-SALEM: The Hillcats are 2-1 against the Dash this year...In the regular season last year, the two clubs split the season-series 10-10...The Hillcats went 4-6 at BB&T Ballpark, losing both three-game sets 2-1, and splitting the four-game series...That's exactly how the series played out in Lynchburg as well...
FIRST TO THREE WINS...: Through three games this week in Winston-Salem, the final score has added to five each time with the Hillcats winning 3-2 Monday and 4-1 yesterday, and the Dash winning 3-2 Tuesday...This is a huge change of pace from a year ago when the 'Cats and Dash averaged 10.4 runs per game in Winston-Salem..The runs have been scored early in this series, with only 3 of the 15 runs scoring after the fifth inning...The bullpens have allowed just two runs in 20 innings (1.80 ERA) so far...
STARTING LINE: Hillcat starters owned a 6.31 ERA entering this series...Through three games, they have completed 15 innings and given up just 4 earned runs for a 2.40 ERA...RHP Navery Moore, RHP A.J. Holland, RHP Jarrett Miller have been given the ball the past three nights...They have combined to strike out 14, with Miller doing the most work with 7 punch outs...Miller's start was his first after beginning the season in the bullpen...Went a season-high five innigs, and had set a season-high in strikeouts as well...Looking closer at the earned runs tally, two of the three earned runs off Holland Tuesday night could have been avoided if not for a wild pitch on a strikeout...RHP Mark Pope (0-1, 11.81) will try to continue the success tonight...
WEAVING AROUND: UTL Matt Weaver led off for the Hillcats yesterday while playing first base (likely the only time a first baseman leads off the Carolina League this season)...He has now batted first, sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth, and he has played first base, second base, shortstop, center field, and right field...So far, first base seems to agree with him most, batting .417 (5-for-12) when at first and .167 (4-for-24) when playing anywhere else...Last year, Weaver played all four infield positions and both corner outfield spots for the Hillcats...
JUST ENOUGH FOR NEW HIGH STREAK: Lynchburg's bullpen set a new season-high for consecutive scoreless innings yesterday at 14.1 blank frames in a row...It was broken up by a Courtney Hawkins solo homer in the seventh inning...The new mark surpassed the old one by just one-third of an inning (14ip 4/7-11)...Both times the streak has been ended with RHP Calem Brewer on the mound...The run that broke the first streak reached on a dropped third strike...
GAMES GETTING CLOSE: The Hillcats had played in just seven close games (decided by three runs or less), prior to this week's series in Winston-Salem...The 'Cats were 2-5 in those games...They've now played three in a row against the Dash and are 2-1...The last five Hillcats games have been "close" (2-3)...Last year, seven of ten meetings at BB&T Ballpark were "close" and the Hillcats lost four of them...
THE HEFF: OF Robby Hefflinger went 2-for-3 yesterday with two home runs and three RBI...He now leads the league in long balls with seven and is tied for second in the league lead in RBI at 15...He had a four-game hitting streak snapped Tuesday night (0-for-4) but is hitting .435 (10-for-23) over his last six games, with four multi-hit games...His two homers were his first two since April 13...He went nine games without a dinger after hitting five in his first eight games of the season...He has five RBI and four runs scored in his last five games...
PROSPECT WATCH: Winston-Salem Dash OF Courtney Hawkins is the number one rated prospect in the White Sox organization this season...Saw his first action against the Hillcats yesterday after two days off in a row...He returned to the lineup as advertised going 1-for-4 with a home run and three strikeouts...Hawkins is second in the Carolina League in home runs (6), but is also running away with the strikeout lead (37)...The next closest in 26...Improved his average with the 1-for-4 effort to .164 (9-for-55), 67% of his hits have left the yard, but 61% of all his plate appearances have resulted in a strikeout...He was selected in the first round in 2012 out of Carroll High School in Corpus Christi, TX, and given a $2.475 million bonus, the fourth highest bonus in club history...The White Sox had spent just $2.8 million in bonuses on their entire 2011 draft class...At just 19 years old, he is one the youngest players in the league this season...
TONIGHT'S OPPOSING PITCHER: RHP Terance Marin signed as a free agent July 12, 2010 with the White Sox out of Modesto Junior College (CA)...The Newman, CA native then made his professional debut with Short-season Bristol...Went 0-1 with a 3.46 ERA (13k, 0bb, 13ip)...One appearance with Low-A Kannapolis (1ip, 0h, 0r, 1k)...Spent all of 2011 with Kannapolis...Went 3-1 with a 1.99 ERA in 26 relief appearances...Started 2012 with Kannapolis...Promoted to Winston-Salem after nine appearances, posting a 1.21 ERA...Made 33 appearances for the Dash (2.42 ERA)...Ranked fourth in the White Sox system with 10 saves (3 KAN, 7 W-S)...Had 77 relief appearances, no starts coming into 2013...He will make his fourth career start tonight...Has completed six or more innings in his last two starts...Faces Hillcats for the first time this season tonight...Posted a 1.76 ERA in six appearances against Lynchburg last year...Had 16 strikeouts, no walks, in 15.1 innings...
Carolina League Stories from April 25, 2013
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- Salem Red Sox Game Notes - Salem RidgeYaks
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- Hillcats Game Notes - Hill City Howlers
- Winston-Salem Dash: Game Notes (April 25 V. Lynchburg) - Winston-Salem Dash
- Pelicans Game Notes vs. Frederick - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
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