CarL1 Lynchburg Hillcats

Lynchburg Hillcats Game Notes

Published on June 29, 2011 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Lynchburg Hillcats News Release


LYNCHBURG HILLCATS (1-4, 30-40) vs. FREDERICK KEYS (3-3, 44-31)

June 29th, 2011 -- 7:05 PM

Calvin Falwell Field at Lynchburg City Stadium

RHP Ryohei Tanaka (5-1, 3.09) vs RHP Zeke Spruill (5-7, 3.32)

THE HILLCATS: Last night, the Hillcats and Dash were suspended due to rain after just one half inning of play...Lynchburg did not score in the top of the first inning...The game will be resumed August 15, 0-0 in the bottom of the first, when the Hillcats return to Winston-Salem...The Hillcats currently sit in fourth place in the Northern Division at 1-4, 1.5 games back of the Frederick Keys and Wilmington Blue Rocks in first...

VS. FREDERICK: The Hillcats are 5-5 against the Keys this season...Lynchburg snapped their season-high 10-game losing streak (4/10-4/20) in their first meeting with the Keys back on April 21...The 'Cats took that first series 3-1, but have dropped the last two series' 2-1...Last season, Lynchburg lost the season series to Frederick 8-12...Myrtle Beach (2010 Braves Advance-A affiliate) split the series with Frederick 10-10...

BATTLING THE ELEMENTS: Monday night's game was cut short heading into the bottom of the seventh inning with the Dash leading 2-0...It was the first official game the Hillcats have had stopped short due to weather all year...The only other game that had been suspended after the first pitch due to rain was on April 26 in Lynchburg after the bottom of the third inning...But that game was continued the next day...One day later, the 'Cats had their second suspended game of the season, as last night their series finale was stopped after one half inning...Since Monday night's game was called in the seventh with the 'Cats trailing it brings their impressive seven-inning record down to 8-2...

STARTING FRESH: Hillcats starters posted a 4.17 ERA and a losing record of 21-28 in the first half...Through five games in the second half, the rotation has only allowed seven runs, six earned, through 28.1 innings, good for a 1.91 ERA, and are 1-1...The rotation to start the second half has three new faces from the rotation that started the season...RHP Aaron Shafer (free agent signing), LHP Blaine Sims (Low-A Rome call-up/bullpen conversion), and LHP Chris Masters (started season in Lynchburg bullpen)...

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 C Christian Bethancourt (12), 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)...

DEJA VU: On May 7 in Winston-Salem, OF Adam Milligan injured his hamstring running down a ball hit down the line in right field...He would exit the game and eventually land on the disabled list for a week...Sunday night, legging out a double, Milligan did it again...He remained in the game and was tagged out on the bases trying to advance to third, but would not re-enter...In both games, OF Keenan Wiley has replaced Milligan and done quite well, Wiley finished 3-for-3 with an RBI back on May 7, and went 1-for-2 last night with a double...

STREAKING 'CATS: INF Joe Leonard extended his current hit-streak to six game Monday night, which matches a season-high...He went 1-for-3 last night and is 7-for-23 during the streak with three doubles and four RBI...OF Geraldo Rodriguez went 1-for-3 Monday as well, and is also on a six-game hitting streak, 7-for-20 two doubles and four RBI...OF Adam Milligan did not play Monday night but currently holds a career-high 10-game hitting streak...Milligan is 13-for-36 over his past 10, hitting .286 on the season, tied for seventh in the league...

JOEY DOUBLES: INF Joey Terdoslavich went 2-for-4 Sunday night with two doubles and now leads the league with 26...He was honored as the Carolina League Player of the Month for May as voted by the league's managers...Terdoslavich hit .304 (31-for-102) with four home runs and 20 RBI in 27 games last month...He racked up 11 doubles in May...His average went from .243 to .279 during the month...The honor was the first weekly or monthly award of his career...So far in June, he is hitting just .239 with one home run, and six RBI in 24 games, dropping his season clip to down to .265...However, his doubles numbers are remaining steady, with 11 already matching his May total...He is tied for second in the league in home runs with 12...Of his 69 hits on the season, 39 (second in the league) have gone for extra bases...

SCORELESS SPRUILL: RHP Zeke Spruill snapped a 19.2 scoreless innings streak June 23, allowing a run in the fifth...Not only is that the longest streak this season for a Hillcat, but it's the longest since 2006, when LHP Greg Martin tossed 22 consecutive blank frames for the 'Cats...

228 AT-BATS LATER: INF Phil Gosselin homered in his eighth at-bat of the season, April 10 in Potomac...He was the first Hillcat to go deep in 2011...He went his next 228 at-bats with out a home run, before launching a three-run shot Friday June 17 off Kinston reliever Francisco Jimenez in the sixth inning...In between home runs he had 62 hits, including 16 doubles, and a team leading five triples...

TONIGHT'S OPPOSING PITCHER: RHP Ryohei Tanaka was signed as a minor league free agent by the Orioles on April 29, 2009 out of Komatsu City, Ishikawa, Japan...He spent his first two professional seasons in Bowie, and became the first Japanese-born player in Baysox history...He led the Baysox with eight wins in 2010...Transferred to Frederick on May 2 after 6 relief appearances with Bowie...Split time between the rotation and bullpen, but making his seventh straight start since May 29...Faced Lynchburg once this season in relief...Pitched two innings, giving up one hit...Currently 5-1 with a 3.09 ERA with Frederick...

Check out the Lynchburg Hillcats Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Carolina League Stories from June 29, 2011


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central