Lynchburg Hillcats Game Notes
April 19, 2010 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Lynchburg Hillcats News Release
LYNCHBURG HILLCATS (4-6) @ SALEM RED SOX (8-2)
April 19th, 2010 -- 7:05 PM
Lewis-Gale Field @ Salem Memorial Ballpark
LHP Matt Fairel (2-0, 0.00) vs. RHP Brock Huntzinger (0-1, 4.82)
THE HILLCATS: Yesterday the Hillcats dropped the rubber match of their three-game series at Frederick by a final of 7-6...Tonight is the first game of a four-game series at Salem and game four of 13 in a row on the road for the Cats...
VS. SALEM: The Hillcats are 1-2 against the Red Sox thus far this season after dropping the three-game series at City Stadium last week...The Cats went 10-10 against the Sox in the 460 series last season and were 5-5 at Lewis Gale Field...In the post-season the Cats swept the Sox three games to none in the Mills Cup Championship...In the all-time series Salem leads 157-138 during the regular season, and they are 89-58 at home...
FAMILIAR FOES: Last night Lynchburg finished a three-game series at Frederick and tonight they start a four-game series at Salem...Seven of the first 10 games of the season were against the Keys...The Hillcats are playing the same two teams over the course of the first 14 games of the season (Frederick and Salem)...
NOW THE PARTY CAN START: The Hillcats offense scored a season-high six runs in their loss yesterday at Frederick...In the three game series at Harry Grove Stadium the Cats hit .325 (37-for-114), averaged five runs per game (15 runs in three games) with 10 doubles and four home runs...They raised their team batting average from .229 to .269, were averaging just 2.4 run per game (17 runs in seven games) entering the series and they had just 11 doubles and two home runs in their first seven games this season...
RALLY CATS: Lynchburg came from behind on three different occasions in yesterdays deciding game of the series before falling 7-6 to Frederick...They trailed 1-0, 4-2 and 6-4 and came back to tie or take the lead three times only to fall by a run...Last season the Comeback Cats had 23 come from behind victories out of their league-high 45 wins in the first half of the season...
BACK IN THE SADDLE: RHP Mark Serrano made his first appearance of the season yesterday by getting the start...He went four innings and allowed four runs (three earned) in taking a no-decision...The day before the Hillcats threw three pitchers that have missed an entire season with after Tommy John surgery...LHP Travis Webb (2008), RHP Scott Gaffney (2008) and RHP Jeff Jeffords (2009) all missed a whole season after their injury...
INFIELD FIELDING WOES: Yesterday the Hillcats committed their 14th error of the season in 10 games played...All of those errors have been by the infielders for the Cats...In the finale a day ago INF Neftali Soto committed two erros that led to two unearned runs in the one-run loss...Lynchburg's .963 fielding percentage is second to last in the Carolina League...
IN SHORT: SS Miguel Rojas went 7-for-11 (.636) with an RBI, four runs scored, a walk and three steals in the three-game series in Frederick to raise his average to .435 (10-for-23)...At one point he went 7-for-9 (counting his final two at-bats in the previous series against Salem) and reached base safely in nine of 11 plate appearances...
PROVING HIS WORTH: C Devin Mesoraco went 5-for-13 (.385) with a double, two homers, three RBI, two runs scored and a walk in the series against the Keys...He is now batting .323 (10-for-31) after ten games with the Hillcats after he batted .228 at this level with the Sarasota Reds last season...The 21-year old catcher was given a 1.4 million dollar signing bonus when he was taken with the 15th overall pick in the 2007 draft...
NOT FAIR: LHP Matt Fairel tossed six innings last Wednesday against Salem without allowing a hit or a run in earning his second victory in two starts this season...The only man who reached against the lefty was on a second inning error...Fairel has not allowed a run in 11 and 1/3 innings of work this season and his current scoreless innings streak (going back to last season with the Sarasota Reds) is now up to 32 straight innings...Despite his outstanding first week of the season Fairel did not win Carolina League Pitcher of the Week despite having more wins, a better earned run average and giving up less hits than the winner during the week...
BLIP ON THE RADAR: INF Carlos Mendez missed yesterdays game with a sore hamstring...The infielder left Saturdays game and then missed his first game of the season yesterday...Before he left game two of the series at Frederick he went 2-for-4 with two RBI to extend his hitting streak to nine games...Mendez has hit in every game he has played in this season. and he is leading the team with a .324 clip (of qualifying averages)...Last season he batted .308, which was fifth in the Midwest League and third in the Reds minor league system...
TONIGHT'S OPPOSING PITCHER: RHP Brock Huntzinger was selected by the Red Sox in the third round of the 2007 draft out of high school in Indiana...That same year he worked four games (three starts) for the GCL Red Sox and went 0-1 with a 2.57 ERA...The next year he pitched for both Short Season Low-A Lowell and full season Low-A Greenville...With Lowell he went 5-0 with a 0.64 ERA and with Greenville he had a 2-3 mark with a 7.09 ERA...Last season he returned to Greenville where he had a 10-9 record with a 4.09 ERA in 25 starts with the Drive...This season he has made two starts for Salem and has 0-1 with a 4.82 ERA...His last outing was at City Stadium where he allowed four runs in four and 2/3 innings to take the loss to Lynchburg last Wednesday...
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Carolina League Stories from April 19, 2010
- Late-Inning Offense Leads Frederick to Another Win - Frederick Keys
- Keys Down Nats in Series Opener, 8-5 - Potomac Nationals
- Sox Streak Snapped in 9-5 Setback to Hillcats - Salem Red Sox
- Hillcats Smack Sox in Game 1 Win - Lynchburg Hillcats
- Rocks Sneak Past K-Tribe - Wilmington Blue Rocks
- Crazy Play Helps Dash Win Sixth Straight - Winston-Salem Dash
- De La Cruz Deals, but Kinston Loses Late - Kinston Indians
- Lynchburg Hillcats Game Notes - Lynchburg Hillcats
- Montgomery Named CL Pitcher Of The Week - Wilmington Blue Rocks
- K-Tribe Continues Road Trip In Wilmington - Kinston Indians
- Listen To The K-Tribe For Free On Your Phone - Kinston Indians
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