Lynchburg Hillcats Game Notes
April 21, 2011 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Lynchburg Hillcats News Release
LYNCHBURG HILLCATS (1-10) @ FREDERICK KEYS (5-6)
April 21th, 2011 -- 7:00 PM
Harry Grove Stadium
RHP Zeke Spruill (0-1, 3.27) vs. RHP Ryan O'Shea (1-0, 1.86)
THE HILLCATS: Wednesday the Hillcats lost by a score of 5-4 to the Salem Red Sox...It was their 10th defeat in a row...Lynchburg sits in fourth place in the Carolina League Northern Division at 1-10...
VS. FREDERICK: The Hillcats have yet to play the Frederick Keys in 2011...In 2010, Lynchburg lost the season series 8-12...However, the Hillcats have switched affiliations since last season...The Myrtle Beach Pelicans (2010 Braves Advance-A affiliate) split the season series with the Keys 10-10...
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS: The Hillcats have committed 20 errors through their first 11 games...That's the most in the league by six (Winston-Salem, Kinston, and Potomac are tied for second-most with 14)... Their .953 fielding percentage is good for eigth in the CL...The errors have not gone unpunished either, as the Hillcats staff has surrendered 20 unearned runs (also most in CL)...14 of the errors have come up the middle of the infield...Andrelton Simmons is responsible for seven miscues at shortstop in 10 games, and Matt Weaver in his one game at short added another error to the position...The other six errors up the middle have come at the expense of Phil Gosselin at second base...Eight of the 20 errors have come in just the past three games, three Monday, four Tuesday, and one Wednesday...
FALLING FAST: The Hillcats have now lost 10 straight and are 1-10 to start 2011...It is the worst opening stretch to start a season since Lynchburg adopted the Hillcats moniker in 1995...In 2001, it took the Hillcats nine games to record their second win, something the 2011 squad is still striving for...10 games is the longest April losing streak in Hillcats history, but not the longest ever...In both 2008 (7/25-8/4) and 2007 (8/22-9/1), the Hillcats had 11-game losing streaks (Tied for longest in Hillcats history)...
PUT IT ON THE BOARD: The Hillcats have scored first in each of their past two games after opening the season with nine straight games of falling behind first...Getting the early lead hasn't helped as they have fell in both contests...The Hillcats led at two points last night in Salem, 1-0 in the second inning, and 3-2 in the fifth inning, but ended up on the short end of a 5-4 game...
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 RHP Arodys Vizcaino (7), 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)...Vizcaino was tabbed the 93rd best prospect in all of baseball by BA as well...
WITH THE NATION WATCHING: The Hillcats 2011 Manager Luis Salazar made his triumphant return to managing Friday night in the Hillcats home opener...Rick Albert had been filling in as Interim Manager for the first five games of the season...Salazar was struck in the head with a foul ball on March 9 while watching a spring training game...He is still recovering from three different surgeries he had to undergo following the incident, including a procedure that removed his left eye...Friday night media swarmed the Hill City including, ESPN.com, Sports Illustrated, The Associated Press, The Atlanta Journal Constitution, WSET ABC 13 Lynchburg, WDBJ 7 Roanoke, WSLS 10 Roanoke, and The News & Advance...
A WARM WELCOME: Friday night the Hillcats opened the gates to Lynchburg City Stadium for the first time as an Atlanta Braves affiliate...5,170 fans came to see the Hillcats battle the Pelicans and see Luis Salazar make is 2011 managerial debut...Hillcats Assistant General Manager Ronnie Roberts, who's been in with Lynchburg since 1991, said it was the biggest crowd he's seen...
GO BIG OR GO HOME: INF Joey Terdoslavich extended his five-game hitting streak Wednesday night against the Salem Red Sox, during which he has launched five long balls...He went 1-for-4 with a home run...He is now tied for the league lead in four-baggers with Winston-Salem's Ian Gac...He is hitting .450 (9-for-20) during the streak with five home runs, a double, five RBI, and five runs scored...He went deep twice in both Saturday and Monday's contests...He has improved his batting average by over .200 points over the last five games, going from .052 to now .256 (10-for-39)...He is also slugging .692...
NOBODY'S PERFECT: OF Adam Milligan finally snapped his season long, eight-game, hitting streak last night in Salem...Through his first eight games, he hit .323 (10-for-31), had two singles and seven extra base hits including two home runs, a triple, and five doubles, slugging .742...He went 0-for-4 last night with three strikeouts, his first game without a hit...
TONIGHT'S OPPOSING PITCHER: RHP Ryan O'Shea was drafted in the 27th round of the 2008 draft out of the University of New Orleans...Was named the Orioles Organizational Pitcher of the Month for August, 2010 while pitching for Frederick, when he went 1-1 with a 1.93 ERA in six starts, and struck out 30 in 28 innings pitched...Tied for the Carolina League lead in games started (28) and was fourth in innings pitched (140.2)...Pitched a complete game in 2009, the only complete game by a Delmarva pitcher...
Carolina League Stories from April 21, 2011
- Hillcats Snap 10-Game Slide In Frederick - Lynchburg Hillcats
- Win Streak Snapped At Six In Kinston - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Frederick Out Hit 16-to-5 in Lynchburg Rout - Frederick Keys
- Rocks Quash Late Dash Rally, Win Opener - Winston-Salem Dash
- Slumping Sluggers Break Out In Wild Win - Wilmington Blue Rocks
- Vitek Pounds Three More Hits, But Sox Fall 5-2 - Salem Red Sox
- Complete Effort Sends P-Nats to 5-2 Win in Salem - Potomac Nationals
- Kinston Wins Third Straight, Beating Myrtle Beach 6-2 - Kinston Indians
- Lynchburg Hillcats Game Notes - Lynchburg Hillcats
- Shelton, Corley Moved to Birmingham - Winston-Salem Dash
- Winston-Salem Dash Game Notes - Winston-Salem Dash
- Pelicans Game Notes - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
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