CarL1 Hill City Howlers

Hillcats vs. Blue Rocks - Game Notes - May 21, 2013

Published on May 21, 2013 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Hill City Howlers News Release


THE HILLCATS: Were off yesterday...They last played Sunday afternoon and lost to the Carolina Mudcats 6-2...After a 51 minute delay, the Mudcats scored twice in the first inning and held the lead all afternoon...RHP Jarett Miller settle in holding the Mudcats scoreless from the second through the fifth inning...He gave up a two-run two-out home run in the sixth off the foul pole in right field, and finished the day giving up four earned runs on six hits in six innings...He took the loss...The Hillcats were held scoreless until the bottom of the ninth...C Shawn McGill doubled home 3B Kyle Kubitza andlater scored on a RF Matt Weaver single...The Hillcats fell to 23-18 on the season but are still in first place in the Northern Division, 1.5 games up on the Frederick Keys in second...

VS. WILMINGTON: The Hillcats are 2-1 against the Blue Rocks this year, taking the first series in Lynchburg May 3-5...Wilmington is the last team the Hillcats had yet to visit this season until tonight...The first two games of the series were split, both decided by just one run...Then, the Hillcats took the finale 9-4...Last year, the season-series was split 10-10...The Hillcats went 4-6 at Frawley Stadium...

TRENDING: Lynchburg won their weekend series at home against the Carolina Mudcats, but lost the finale on Sunday 6-2...The Hillcats are now 7-5 in series finales this season...The impressive part is that they are 5-0 in series openers following a series finale loss...Overall, they are 7-6 in series openers...On the flip-side, the ‘Cats are 1-3 in road trip openers...

RIGHT WHERE WE WANT'EM?: The Hillcats went 3-3 in their homestand last week, losing two of three to Frederick and taking two of three from Carolina...Lynchburg watched their opponents score first in each of those six games, including in the last four games, Hillcats opponents have scored in the first inning...The Hillcats actually hold a fairly impressive 11-15 record when opponents score first......

WELCOME BACK MAC: C Shawn McGill is back with the Hillcats for a third season...He's off to a great start, 5-for-8 in his first three games, with back-to-back multi-hit games...McGill was signed by the Braves out of independent baseball in 2010...He has bounced around between Advanced-A and Triple-A for the last four years...He appeared in six games for Myrtle Beach in 2010, the Braves affiliate prior to Lynchburg in the Carolina League...Lynchburg received him from Double-A Mississippi this time around where he was batting .387 with four doubles, five RBI, and six runs scored in 13 games...

PACHECO FINDING STRIDE: LHP Ronan Pacheco currently holds the Hillcats' longest active consecutive scoreless inning streak at 6.1 frames...Owns the lowest ERA on the team at 1.71...During the scoreless streak, he has struck out nine batters, allowed two hits, and walked just one batter...That one walk came 5.1 innings ago, which is his longest stretch without issuing a free pass on the season...Overall, he has walked 16 in 21 innings of work, but has also fanned 22 batters...The first-year side-armer has a 3.44 groundout to air out ratio...He finally gave up his first hit to a lefty on Sunday...It was OF Jordan Smith of Carolina...On the season, lefties are 1-for-27 (.037) against the southpaw...

HE CAN DO IT ALL: UTL Matt Weaver has played first base, second base, shortstop, third base, right field and center field this season for the Hillcats...He has committed three errors, two of which came in his one start at shortstop, and another in right field trying to throw a runner out of home wildly, which allowed the batter to reach second on an RBI-single...He showed off his defensive prowess in right field on Sunday, recording his first two outfield assists on the season throwing out a runner at home and getting force out at second on a shallow, would-be flare single...He also made a diving catch...

THE LONGEST STREAK: OF David Rohm saw his league-best 12-game hitting streak come to an end on Sunday as he went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts...The 12-game streak passed the previous high of 11 games set by Salem's 3B Garin Cecchini and Winston-Salem's OF Mark Haddow...Rohm hit .320 (16-for-50) during the streak with four doubles, a triple, two RBI, and 10 runs scored...He is currently batting .317, which ranks fifth in the league, and he has 15 doubles, most in the circuit...

TONIGHT'S OPPOSING PITCHER: RHP Aaron Brooks was selected in the ninth round of the 2011 draft by the Royals out of Cal State San Bernardino University...Went to Cajon High School (CA) where he set career records in wins and home runs...Was named California College Athletic Association "Freshman of the Year" at CSSBU in 2009...Posted a 2.74 ERA his junior year and finished third in the nation in walks per nine innings...Made his professional debut with Rookie-level Idaho Falls...Went 6-2 with a 3.84 ERA...Finished second in ERA and innings pitched (79.2)...Posted a 9.125 K/BB ratio (73K/8BB)...Spent 2012 with Low-A Kane County...Went 9-12 with a 4.98 ERA in 27 starts...Finished tied for sixth in the league in starts, and tied for the league lead in losses...Was fifth in strikeouts (120) and fourth in innings (153.2)...Second fewest walks per nine innings pitched in his league each of his first two professional seasons...Shutout the Hillcats through six innings in his only start against them this season...Has not walked more than two in a start yet this season...

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Carolina League Stories from May 21, 2013


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