CarL1 Lynchburg Hillcats

Lynchburg Hillcats Game Notes

Published on May 12, 2010 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Lynchburg Hillcats News Release


LYNCHBURG HILLCATS (15-17) @ WILMINGTON BLUE ROCKS (12-20)

May 12th, 2010 -- 6:35 PM

Judy Johnson Field @ Daniel S. Frawley Stadium

RHP Curtis Partch (1-2, 3.96) vs. LHP Ivor Hodgson (2-2, 6.00)

THE HILLCATS: Lynchburg held on for a 9-8 win last night at Wilmington to even up the four-game series at a game a piece...The win snapped a three-game losing skid for the Hillcats...Tonight is the third game of the series at Frawley Stadium...The Cats enter today five games back of first place Frederick in the Northern Division...

VS. WILMINGTON: The Hillcats went 5-15 against the Blue Rocks during the regular season last year, 3-7 at City Stadium and 2-8 at Frawley Stadium...Wilmington was the only team in the Carolina League with a winning record versus the Hillcats last season...In the post-season though, the Cats topped the Rocks three-games-to-two in a best of five series to win the Northern Division Championship and advance to the Mills Cup...Wilmington has the all-time advantage over Lynchburg 180-125 and they are 94-60 at Frawley Stadium...Lynchburg lost 12 out of their last 13 and the last nine games to close out the regular season series last year before taking down Wilmington in the post-season...

JUST TAP IT IN: Lynchburg is in the midst of a 11-game stretch against the three worst teams in the Carolina League...They won the first three games they played against Kinston (now 13-18), but they then lost four of their next five before their win last night...The first loss was to the Indians, then they dropped two out of three versus Myrtle Beach (a league worst 10-21) and now they have split their first two games of their series with Wilmington (12-20)...After this series six of their next eight sets will be against the three best teams in the CL (Winston-Salem, Frederick and Salem)...

I KNOW I'VE SEEN THIS BEFORE: Last night had an eerily similar feeling to a game in Kinston earlier this season...In that game at Grainger Stadium on April 29th, the Hillcats led 7-2 entering the ninth inning only to see the Indians score four runs and put the tying run in scoring position before their rally fell short...The Cats had to make a mid-inning pitching change in that frame...Last night Lynchburg led 9-4 entering the bottom of the ninth inning (and were in front 9-1 going into the bottom of the eighth) before the Blue Rocks scored four runs and loaded up the bases with two outs before their rally ended...The Cats had to use three different pitchers to escape with a win...

MASHING MESORACO: Last night C Devin Mesoraco went 3-for-5 with a a triple, a home run, four RBI and two runs scored...It was the first time this season a Hillcat has had four RBI in one game...On Monday night he went 4-for-5 with a double, a triple and a run scored...It was just the second time this season a Hillcat has collected four hits in a game (the other UTIL Neftali Soto on 5/1 vs. POT)...He has now reached safely in his last 17 games (and hit in 15 of those)...Over that time he is batting .387 (24-for-62) with four doubles, two triples, five homers, 15 RBI, 14 runs scored, nine walks and an OBP of .486...His on-base streak is the longest by a Hillcat this season and is 9 shy of the longest streak this year in the Carolina League (OF Brandon Short, Winston-Salem)...Mesoraco is now fifth in the league in batting average (.347), tied for third in home runs (7), fourh in on-base percentage (.435) and first in slugging percentage (.663)...In this series he is 7-for-10 with a double, two triples, a home run, four RBI and three runs scored...

FROM ZERO TO HERO: RHP Nick Christiani recorded the final out of the game with the tying run on third and the winning run on second to earn his first save as a Hillcat...The night prior he allowed the game-winning run to score in the bottom of the tenth inning...Now in four appearances with Lynchburg he has gone 0-1 with a 1.80 ERA and a save...

ANOTHER ACE IN THE DECK: RHP Scott Carroll matched his and the Hillcats season-high with seven innings of work last night, allowing just one unearned run on two hits to pick-up his first win of the season...In his last two starts he has pitched 14 innings and given up just two earned runs (1.29 ERA) and has lowered his ERA on the season to 1.88 in four games (three starts)...It was the third straight quality start from a Hillcats starter (all three starters went seven innings) and their 11th of the season...The starters for Lynchburg are now 10-7 with a 3.00 ERA...

TAKE THIS SINKING SHIP AND POINT IT HOME: RHP Lance Janke had an earned run average of 2.65 (five earned runs in 17 innings) through his first four appearances this season...In his last three outings though he has raised his ERA to 5.87 by allowing ten earned runs in five innings of work...In two of his last three appearances he has given up five runs or more...

TONIGHT'S OPPOSING PITCHER: LHP Ivor Hodgson Jr. was selected by the Royals in the 17th round of the 2007 draft out of Mount Saint Mary College...In his final season with the Mountaineers he went 4-2 with a 3.23 ERA in 14 games (nine starts)...He first pitched in the Royals system with the Arizona Royals in 2007 and went 1-1 with a 5.29 ERA in 14 relief appearances...In 2008 he threw for Rookie Idaho Falls and went 3-6 with a 3.14 ERA in 15 starts...Last season he returned to the Chakurs and went 2-0 with a 2.49 ERA in five starts before earning a promotion to full season Low-A Burlington...With the Bees he had a 3-1 record with a 3.98 ERA in nine games (seven starts)...This season Hodgson began the season with Wilmington and has gone 2-2 with a 6.00 ERA in five games (four starts) with the Blue Rocks...Tonight will be his first appearance against Lynchburg...

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Carolina League Stories from May 12, 2010


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