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CarL1 Lynchburg Hillcats

Lynchburg Hillcats Game Notes - Independence Day

July 4, 2011 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Lynchburg Hillcats News Release


MYRTLE BEACH PELICANS (5-6, 45-35) vs LYNCHBURG HILLCATS (4-6, 34-46)

July 4th, 2011 -- 7:05 PM

Calvin Falwell Field at Lynchburg City Stadium

RHP Justin Grimm (2-4, 3.06) vs RHP Zeke Spruill (5-7, 3.32)

THE HILLCATS: Last night, the Hillcats beat the Myrtle Beach Pelicans 5-3...Lynchburg went up early after Joe Leonard hit a three-run shot in the bottom of the first...Then, for the second straight night, the Pelicans fought back to make for another nail-biting victory for the 'Cats...Myrtle Beach scored one in the ninth and brought the tying run to the plate but LHP Ryan Buchter was able to get out of the jam and save his second game in as many nights for Lynchburg...The Hillcats currently sit in fourth place in the Northern Division at 3-6, 2.5 games back of the first place Frederick Keys...

VS. MYRTLE BEACH: The Hillcats are 5-6 against the Pelicans this season...Lynchburg was the first visiting team to win a series in Myrtle Beach 5/13-15 this season, but has lost both home series so far this year against the Pelicans...After winning the first two of the current four-game set, the 'Cats have clinched at least a split this time around...The road team is 7-4 in the season series...The Pelicans were the Advanced-A affiliate of the Braves last season...Seven active members on the Hillcats roster spent time in Myrtle Beach in 2010, with another six players on the DL spending time there as well...

QUITE THE MATCH-UP: The Pelicans and the Hillcats are currently tied for first place in team batting this season at .262...No other team is even hitting .250 collectively this season, as Potomac ranks third at .249...Head-to-head, the two teams have had a great season series, the Pelicans leading 6-5, and their last six games be decided by three runs or less...Myrtle Beach won the first three match-ups this season but from that point on the games had gone every other, until Lynchburg took their second in a row last night...

IT HAS HAPPENED BEFORE: The Hillcats have won two in a row over, if they win tonight, it's called a winning streak...By that reasoning, the 'Cats have only had three winning streak all season long...Three games, 4/21-23; three games, 5/22-24; and four games, 5/28-29...Last night marked the first time Lynchburg had won two in a row in nearly a month...They beat the Salem Red Sox twice in a row June 6 and 7...The season-high four-game winning streak was in back-to-back double headers in Potomac...Their best winning stretch of the season came from May 22 through June 1, when they won nine of 11...

ARE YOU IN GOOD HANDS: Lynchburg's primary middle infield pair this season has been SS Andrelton Simmons and 2B Phil Gosselin...Simmons, who was thought to be one of the best, if not the best defensive player in the 2010 draft, but also highly sought after for his 98 mph heater...And Gosselin, who was primarily an outfielder in college...The duo got off to a rocky start on the field committing a combined 23 errors in April and May...Things have turned around dramatically with just four (two each) miscues since the start of June...

BEST OF THE BRAVOS: Eight members of the Hillcats are ranked amongst the top 30 prospects in the Braves organization according to Baseball America...That list includes C Christian Bethancourt (12), SS Andrelton Simmons (15), RHP David Hale (17), RHP Dimasther Delgado (18), OF Todd Cunningham (20), OF Adam Milligan (22), INF Joe Leonard (23) and 2B Phil Gosselin (25)...

SECOND HALF SURGE: C Shawn McGill went into the All-Star break on an 0-for-18 slide...Since the three days off, he's been red hot...He's started just four of the Hillcats first 10 games in the second half, as Christian Bethancourt (#12 prospect) had seen the bulk of the catching time to begin the second half...But in his four opportunities, McGill is 7-for-15 with two doubles, three RBI, and two runs scored...

DEJA VU: On May 7 in Winston-Salem, OF Adam Milligan injured his hamstring running after a ball hit down the line in right field...He would exit the game and eventually land on the disabled list for a week...:Last Sunday, legging out a double, Milligan did it again...He remained in the game and was tagged out on the bases trying to advance to third, but would not re-enter...Not playing since the injury, Milligan has now been placed on the DL, and C Ryan Query has been called up from Danville...

YOU GO JOE: INF Joe Leonard went 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBI last night extending his current career-high hitting streak to 10-games...He is now 12-for-38 during the streak with a home run, three doubles and nine RBI...His four RBI last night matched a season-high he originally set back on May 13, also against the Pelicans in Myrtle Beach...He fell one RBI short of his career-high for a single game of five, which he set in his first game with Rome last season, July 15...He went 3-for-5 with a double, triple, and a home run that day...

LATEST MOVE: RHP Matthew Frevert voluntarily retired today...He is the second Hillcat to retire this season...C Jace Whitmer did the same May 23...Lynchburg's roster currently sits with 24 active players...

TONIGHT'S OPPOSING PITCHER: RHP Justin Grimm was selected in the fifth round of the 2010 draft by the Rangers out of the University of Georgia...Signed at the deadline on August 16...Did not play professionally in 2010...Was 7-12 with a 5.84 ERA in his final season with UGA...Struck out 172 batters in 186.1 innings pitched in three years at Georgia...Split time between Low-A Hickory and Myrtle Beach this season...2-1 with a 3.40 ERA in Hickory...Promoted to Myrtle Beach May 27...Made one start against Lynchburg, earning a win June 3...Pitched six and two-third innings, giving up one run on six hits and striking out six...Currently 2-1 with a 3.06 ERA in six starts with Myrtle Beach...

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