Lynchburg Hillcats Game Notes
May 22, 2011 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Lynchburg Hillcats News Release
THE HILLCATS: Saturday the Hillcats lost to the Potomac Nationals 13-8...The Nationals went up first with seven unanswered runs including five in the third inning...Lynchburg came back with six in the fifth and sixth frames cutting the lead to one, but couldn't keep the Nat's down eventually falling 13-8 ...The Hillcats sit in fourth place in the Carolina League Northern Division, now 10.5 games back of the first place Wilmington Blue Rocks...
VS. POTOMAC: The Hillcats are 1-3 against the Nationals in 2011...The two teams first met opening weekend when rain postponed the first game of the series...The final two games were played and both were decided by one run a piece...Last season Potomac took the season series 11-8 from Lynchburg...The former Braves Advanced-A affiliate, Myrtle Beach Pelicans, fared even worse dropping 14 of 20 to the Nationals a season ago...
IT'S NOT SO SWEET: Last night, the Hillcats lost 13-8 at home, falling to 4-12 at City Stadium this season...That is good for a .250 winning percentage, by far the worst home record in the Carolina League...The Winston-Salem Dash are second-worst at 10-14 (.417)...The âCats are even worse when wearing their home whites, at 2-10, as they are 2-1 when wearing their alternate green uniforms at home, and now 0-1 in other uniforms at home after losing in pink Breast Cancer themed jerseys las night..The stats don't lie either..Away from the "Hill City" this season the Hillcats have hit .267 as opposed to .237 at home, and pitchers have posted a 3.51 ERA, over a run and a half less than at City Stadium (5.13)...
EVERYBODY HITS...ALMOST: Of the 18 starters between both squads last night, only two went hitless, Hilcats catcher Jace Whitmer (0-for-4), and Nationals designated hitter, Cutter Dykstra (0-for-4)...Ten batters had multiple hits as both sides combined for 29 knocks (16 for Potomac, 13 for Lynchburg)...
SCORING EARLY: Lynchburg failed to score in the first inning last night, snapping a streak of six straight games in which the Hillcats had accomplished the feat...The âCats went onto lose, although they didn't see all that much success when scoring in the first anyway, they were just 2-4 in their during the six-game streak...
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...
TABLE SETTER: OF Todd Cunningham went 1-for-5, with an RBI and a run scored last night, batting leadoff for the 17th time this season...Currently on six-game run scored streak...He is now batting .388 (26-for-67) when batting first, and has scored 17 runs and stolen five bases...Batting elsewhere his other 22 games, he has hit just .220 (18-for-82), scored six runs, and stolen two bases...He now leads the team in runs scored (23), and is tied the team lead in steals (7) with Andrelton Simmons, and is second in walks (12) behind just Joe Leonard (13)...He's also been hit by the pitch seven times, leads team, and boasts a .375 on base percentage...
LYNCHBURG NEEDS YOU: The season is just past a quarter over for the Hillcats, and they have already had 37 different players active on the roster in 2011...Three original Hillcats have been promoted to AA-Mississippi, with one returning in RHP Eliecer Cardenas...Injuries have been the bigger factor, as nine players have hit the disabled list after donning a Hillcats uniform this season...The latest was OF Geraldo Rodriguez, who hit the DL today with an oblique strain...C Shawn Mcgill will take Rodriguez's roster spot, returning to the Hillcats after spending just over two weeks (4/20-5/6) with the team earlier this year...Those two transactions bring the grand total for the season to 36 since the beginning of April...
SCHLE'S SLAMS: C Braeden Schlehuber launched the first Grand Slam for the Hillcats this season in the fifth inning Monday night...He also doubled in two runs in the fourth giving him a career high six RBI on the night...Tuesday night, Schlehuber was knocked out of the game after a collision at the plate with Kinston INF Justin Toole...Toole slid in head first at home, his shoulder meeting Schlehuber's left leg...Schlehuber had to be helped off the field, and wouldn't return to action...
RUNNING WILD: As expected the Potomac Nationals, who lead the Carolina League with 70 steals this season, 17 more than any other club, have been running frequently this weekend against the Hillcats and with much success...Potomac swiped five bases Friday night in six attempts, and another four last night, bringing their weekend total to nine...In the first two games played between these clubs (4/9-4/10), the Nationals only stole four bags...OF Eury Perez alone has stolen six of 15 bases this season in four games against the Hillcats and hasn't been caught...
TONIGHT'S OPPOSING PITCHER : RHP Paul Demny was selected in the sixth round of the 2008 draft by the Nationals out of Blinn (TX) College...Pitched solely in relief in college, but converted to a starter for the GCL Nationals...Had a 2.3:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 2009...Currently 1-3 with a 2.95 ERA...
Carolina League Stories from May 22, 2011
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- Souza Hits HR in Third Straight, P-Nats Lose 7-6 - Potomac Nationals
- Frawley's Home Run Gives Kinston a 6-5 Win - Kinston Indians
- Dash Pile on Early, Hold on Late - Winston-Salem Dash
- Hillcats Hold off 'Nats to Snap Skid - Lynchburg Hillcats
- Blue Rocks Equal Season-High with Seventh Straight Win - Wilmington Blue Rocks
- Another Blue Rocks Eighth Dooms Pelicans - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Kinston Indians Game Notes - Kinston Indians
- Winston-Salem Dash Game Notes - Winston-Salem Dash
- Lynchburg Hillcats Game Notes - Lynchburg Hillcats
- Myrtle Beach Pelicans Game Notes - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Santiago Promoted to Birmingham - Winston-Salem Dash
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