Lynchburg Hillcats Game Notes
May 8, 2011 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Lynchburg Hillcats News Release
LYNCHBURG HILLCATS (10-17) @ WINSTON-SALEM DASH (11-18)
May 8th, 2011 -- 7:00 PM
BB&T Ballpark
RHP Arodys Vizcaino (1-2, 3.72) vs. RHP Cameron Bayne (2-3, 2.90)
THE HILLCATS: Saturday the Hillcats lost to the Winston-Salem Dash 5-3...The 'Cats are now 3-3 on their current road trip and 7-9 on the road overall this season...The 'Cats fell behind 4-0 in the first inning and could never recover...Lynchburg remains in third place in the Carolina League Northern Division after the loss, now 10-17 and 5.5 games back of the first place Wilmington Blue Rocks...
VS. WINSTON-SALEM: The Hillcats are 1-2 this season against the Dash, winning 3-1 Thursday and losing 6-5 Friday and 5-3 last night...Winston-Salem took the season series 16-4 against the Hillcats in 2010...However, the Hill-City has welcomed a new affiliate in the Atlanta Braves this year...Last season the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (2010 Braves Advance-A affiliate) nearly split the season series with the Dash taking nine games of 20...
DYING BY THE HOMERUN: RHP Cory Rasmus allowed a two-out three-run home run to lefty Dan Wilkins in the bottom of the first last night, which put the Dash up 3-0...The Dash would maintain the lead the rest of the night...Rasmus has now allowed a home run and three of four outings this season, losing in each of those three starts...RHP Zeke Spruill allowed a two-out three-run home run to lefty Jared Mitchell Friday night which put the Dash up 6-2 in a game that would end 6-5...Spruill has lost his last two starts due to late inning home runs...Kinston's Abner Abreu hit a two-run shot off Spruill in the seventh last Sunday, which was the difference in a 3-1 loss...
HITTIN' THE ROAD: The Hillcats' bats have caught fire during their current road trip hitting .326 (71-for-218) as a team through the first six games of their current seven-game road trip...Lynchburg has collected 9 or more hits in all six games and scored 34 runs, averaging 5.67 per game...Tuesday's 11-run effort set a season high this season for the Green & Gold...Included in that 11-run showcase, was a six-run eighth frame on six-hits which each set season highs for a single inning...All nine batters came to the plate in that eighth inning, marking the first time the 'Cats have batted around the order all season...As a team now hitting .253 on the year, the Hillcats boast the third best clip in the Carolina League...Individually, OF Adam Milligan was the first Hillcat this season to have four hits in a single game as he homered, doubled, and singled twice in five chances Tuesday...OF Todd Cunningham, just a day later, matched the four-hit effort, going 4-for-4 Wednesday night in Wilmington...
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...
REMOVE FROM LEADOFF AND LET 'SIMM'ER: SS Andrelton Simmons batted leadoff for the Hillcats in 10 of the first 11 games of the season, getting one day off...The team was 1-9 in his starts while he hit just .211 (8-for-38) in that span...Simmons was dropped from the leadoff spot on the twelfth game and has thrived hitting safely in 15 of 16 games since...He has batted second (6), sixth (1), seventh (7), and ninth (2) in his past 16 games, batting .439 (26-for-61) with 10 RBI, six runs scored and four stolen bases...He now leads the team in batting average at .343 and ranks third in the Carolina League overall behind just Wilmington's Rey Navarro (.363) and Frederick's Tyler Townsend (.350)...
ENTER TODD CUNNINGHAM: OF Todd Cunningham has batted leadoff the past four games for the Hillcats, welcoming the roll Simmons seems to be happy to relinquish, posting a .529 clip (9-for-17) during the stretch...The Hillcats record hasn't reflected Cunningham's success as they are 1-3 over the last four...Cunningham began the season as the everyday three-hole hitter, a spot in which he hit just .231 (15-for-65) in 17 games...He has also his second five times, batting .176 (3-for-17)...L.V. Ware acted as leadoff for the 12 games between Simmons' tenure and the recent stretch for Cunningham...Ware has hit .302 (16-for-53) while batting first, so the revolving door at the top of the order may still be spinning...
PLEASE PASS THE GRAVY: C Braden Schlehuber will tell you that he is a defensive oriented catcher and that anything he does offensively is just gravy...Well, he has thrown out 35.7% of base stealers (10 of 28), and he has yet to allow a pass ball in 18 games this season...Lately, however, he has been pulling double duty, delivering on offense as well...Schlehuber has hit safely in seven of his last eight games, and is currently on a six game hitting streak...He is 13-for-28 in his last eight games with two three-hit games...He has driven in five including the go-ahead run Wednesday night in Wilmington in the seventh inning and two ninth inning RBI the past two night's in Winston-Salem...He has homered in each of the past two games, his first two of the season...
TONIGHT'S OPPOSING PITCHER : RHP Cameron Bayne was drafted by the White Sox in the 13th round of the 2009 draft out of Concordia University...Rated the 29th best player in the White Sox system going into 2011...Struck out 101 batters while walking 35 in 165 innings pitched for Kannapolis in 2010... Currently 2-3 with a 2.90 ERA in 2011...
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