Lynchburg Hillcats Game Notes
Published on July 27, 2010 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Lynchburg Hillcats News Release
LYNCHBURG HILLCATS (13-17, 42-58) @ FREDERICK KEYS (15-15, 56-44)
July 27th, 2010 -- 7:00 PM
@ Harry Grove Stadium
RHP Chase Ware (0-2, 3.66) vs. RHP Ryan Berry (2-1, 2.67)
THE HILLCATS: Last night Lynchburg beat Frederick 7-4 in the series opener of a three-game series at Harry Grove Stadium...The Hillcats have now won three straight games after dropping five out of six...Tonight they play the middle-game of their set with the Keys and the second of six straight on the road...The Cats are beginning a stretch of 14 out of 17 on the road...
VS. FREDERICK: The Hillcats are 7-11 against the Keys this season and are 2-6 at Harry Grove Stadium...The last time these two teams met at The Grove, Frederick swept Lynchburg in a four-game series...Last season the Cats went 14-5 versus the Keys and were 7-2 at in the Hill City...Lynchburg holds the all-time advantage 161-143...Last year the Cats record against the Keys was their best against any opponent in the Carolina League at home, on the road and overall...
WELCOME TO THE GUN SHOW: Last night Lynchburg blasted four home runs last night en route to a 7-4 win over Frederick...They had only homered three times in a game once before last night and they had not hit four long balls in a game all season...The first inning also became just the third time this year the Hillcats have homered twice in the same frame...All four of their home runs came in the first four innings of last night's contest...The Cats are third in the Carolina League with 69 home runs in 100 games (.7 per game)...In their last eight games they have smacked 11 long balls (1.6 per game)...
POUNCING ON THE KEYS: Before an out was recorded in last night's game the Hillcats had already scored five runs to take a 5-0 lead in the top of the first inning...The opening frame transpired like this: double, single, home run, single and a home run...It was Lynchburg's second five-run inning of the season and it came one-run shy of matching the biggest frame by the Cats this season...
DENIS THE MENACE: OF Denis Phipps went 2-for-5 with a home run, an RBI and two runs scored last night...When he homered in the third inning, it gave the center fielder a hit in seven straight at-bats, matching the longest streak in Hillcats history (OF Pedro Powell, 2004)...Phipps is now riding a nine-game hitting streak and over that time he is batting .471 (16-for-34) with five doubles, a triple, four home runs, 11 RBI, nine runs scored, four walks and three steals...In 12 games with Lynchburg since coming down from Double-A Carolina the outfielder is batting .422 (19-for-45) with five home runs and 13 RBI...Last Thursday night he homered on his 25th birthday to give him a homer in three straight games, becoming the first Hillcat to accomplish the feat this season...
MORE FOR YOUR MONEY: UTIL Neftali Soto hit his 15th homer of the season last night, a three-run shot to get the Hillcats on the board in the top of the first inning...It was his first three-run home run of the season, and just the third by the Cats...Seven of his last eight hits have been extra-base hits (three doubles and four home runs)...His slugging percentage has gone from .429 to .453 over that time...Soto is now tied for second in the Carolina League in home runs and he has gone deep four times in eight games after going 11 straight games without a dinger...
FREE FALLIN': RHP Justin Freeman worked a scoreless ninth inning Sunday night to earn his seventh save of the season...He has now thrown 16 and 1/3 consecutive scoreless frames, passing the longest scoreless streak by a Hillcat this season (RHP Nick Christiani, 5/11-6/8)...Over those 13 games his ERA has dropped from 4.60 to 3.02...The right-hander is first in the league in games pitched (39), tied for second in games finished (26), tied for second in holds (7), first in fewest walks per nine innings (1.13) and third in fewest base runners per nine innings amongst relievers (9.82)...Freeman is also second on the team with seven saves...In April his ERA was 7.88, in May it was 3.07, in June it dropped to 2.40 and so far in July he has not given up a run in nine appearances (10 innings) out of the pen...
HURRAY FOR DAY: OF Kyle Day went 1-for-5 last night and has now hit in a season-high 12 straight games, which has now passed the longest streak by a Hillcat this season (OF Josh Fellhauer and INF Alex Buchholz both hit in 11 straight)...In those 12 games he is batting .378 (17-for-45)...Over a longer stretch he has hit in 20 of his last 22 games and over that time he is 29-for-75 (.387) with three doubles, a triple, two home runs (including a grand slam), 15 RBI, ten runs scored, seven walks and three steals...In those 22 contests Day has raised his average from .226 to .275...
TONIGHT'S OPPOSING PITCHER: RHP Ryan Berry was drafted by the Orioles in the ninth round of the 2009 draft out of Rice University...His junior and final season with the Owls he went 7-2 with a 2.42 ERA in 14 games (11 starts)...As a freshman in 2007 he posted an 11-3 mark with a 3.01 ERA in 23 games (20 starts) and was named National Freshman of the Year...This season marks his first in professional baseball and he began the season with full season Low-A Delmarva and had an 0-3 mark with a 3.50 ERA in eights starts prior to his promotion to Frederick...He has made ten starts for the Keys and gone 2-1 with a 2.39 ERA...Berry is ranked as the 24th best prospect in the Orioles system...He has made three starts against Lynchburg and gone 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA...The Hillcats are the only team in the Carolina League to plate more than two earned runs against Berry in his 11 outings in the CL and they have done it twice, including in his last start...
Carolina League Stories from July 27, 2010
- Keys Can't Cook Up a Win - Frederick Keys
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- Indians End Winston Drought, Win 8-1 - Winston-Salem Dash
- Hillcats Make It Four in a Row with Win in Frederick - Lynchburg Hillcats
- Kinston Takes Down Dash 8-1 - Kinston Indians
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