Lynchburg Hillcats Game Notes
July 5, 2011 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Lynchburg Hillcats News Release
MYRTLE BEACH PELICANS (5-7, 45-36) vs LYNCHBURG HILLCATS (5-6, 35-46)
July 5th, 2011 -- 7:05 PM
Calvin Falwell Field at Lynchburg City Stadium
RHP Barret Loux (7-3, 3.18) vs LHP Blaine Sims (2-2, 2.76)
THE HILLCATS: Last night, the Hillcats beat the Myrtle Beach Pelicans 4-1...The Pelicans scored one in the first but that's all they would get from Hillcats' starter Zeke Spruill, who tossed his league leading fourth complete game of the season...The Hillcats currently sit in third place in the Northern Division at 5-6, 1.5 games back of the first place Frederick Keys...
VS. MYRTLE BEACH: The Hillcats are 5-6 against the Pelicans this season...Lynchburg was the first visiting team to win a series in Myrtle Beach 5/13-15 this season, but has lost both home series so far this year against the Pelicans...After winning the first two of the current four-game set, the 'Cats have clinched at least a split this time around...The road team is 7-4 in the season series...The Pelicans were the Advanced-A affiliate of the Braves last season...Seven active members on the Hillcats roster spent time in Myrtle Beach in 2010, with another six players on the DL spending time there as well...
SQUEEZE!: For the second time in three nights, the Hillcats plated a runner on a squeeze bunt...Last night, it was Andrelton Simmons bunting in Keenan Wiley, and two nights ago L.V. Ware brought in Shawn McGill...McGill's run two night's ago wound up being the game-winner in a 5-4 contest...Last night, the squeeze was just one of five sacrifices on the night for the Hillcats, the most they've had in any one game...What's more impressive is that all five helped advance a runner that would later score in that inning...Four of the sacrifices were bunts, including a pair from Simmons, and another two from Joe Leonard and Ware...The fifth was a sacrifice fly off the bat of Phil Gosselin, who is now tied for the league lead with teammate Simmons and former Salem first baseman Reynaldo Rodriguez (now in AA) at five...Gosselin also leads the league in sacrifice bunts with seven...
QUITE THE MATCH-UP: The Pelicans and the Hillcats rank one and two in the league in hitting...Entering the current series, the 'Cats sat behind the Birds, but have hit .314 (28-for-89) the past three games, while the Myrtle Beach has hit .225 (23-for-102)...Lynchburg is now hitting .263, to Myrtle Beach's .261 on the season...Both teams are hitting over 10 points higher than anyone else...Potomac is closest with a .250 clip...Head-to-head, the two teams have had a great season series, currently all tied up 6-6, and their last seven games have been decided by three runs or less...
IT HAS HAPPENED BEFORE: The Hillcats won their third game in a row last night...It's just the 4th time all year, the 'Cats have strung together so many wins in succession...Only one of the four winning streaks have involved wins against more than one team...Three games, 4/21-23 (@ FRE); three games, 5/22-24 (1 vs POT, 2 vs W-S); and four games, 5/28-29 (@ POT)...The season-high four-game winning streak was in back-to-back double headers in Potomac...Their best winning stretch of the season came from May 22 through June 1, when they won nine of 11...
ARE YOU IN GOOD HANDS: Lynchburg's primary middle infield pair this season has been SS Andrelton Simmons and 2B Phil Gosselin...Simmons, who was thought to be one of the best, if not the best defensive player in the 2010 draft, but also highly sought after for his 98 mph heater...And Gosselin, who was primarily an outfielder in college...The duo got off to a rocky start on the field committing a combined 23 errors in April and May...Things have turned around dramatically with just four (two each) miscues since the start of June...
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)...
GOING THE DISTANCE: RHP Zeke Spruill did it again last night...The bullpen got their fourth night off of the season, and each time it has been thanks to Spruill...His four complete games lead the Carolina League and match a Hillcats franchise record last reached in 1999 by LHP Sam McConnell...Spruill currently ranks first in games started (17), innings pitched (110), and is second in WHIP (1.00)...Of his 17 starts he has gone seven or more innings nine times, and he has eight quality starts on the season...
SECOND HALF SURGE: C Shawn McGill went into the All-Star break on an 0-for-18 slide...Since the three days off, he's been red hot...He's started five of the Hillcats first 11 games in the second half, including the last four in a row at catcher...In his five opportunities, McGill is 8-for-18 with two doubles, three RBI, and two runs scored...
TONIGHT'S OPPOSING PITCHER: RHP Barret Loux was the sixth overall pick by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2010 draft out of Texas A&M...Loux was not signed by the Diamondbacks after the team discovered he had a torn labrum, and was granted free agency by the commissioner...He signed with the Rangers on November 19...Named Louisville Slugger Third-Team All-American and First-Team All-Big 12 in 2010...Went 11-2 with a 2.83 ERA and 136 Ks for the Aggies in 2010...Pitched five innings, giving up two runs while striking out four, in a win against the Hillcats on April 16...On May 13, gave up six runs in four and two-thirds innings pitched against Lynchburg in Myrtle Beach, his last loss of the season...Gave up three runs on eight hits in five innings on June 4...Currently 7-3 with a 3.18 ERA...
Carolina League Stories from July 5, 2011
- Loux, Garcia Help Pelicans Salvage Finale - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Sox Turn Lights out on Dash - Salem Red Sox
- Loux, Garcia Help Pelicans Salvage Finale - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Hillcats Fail to Complete Sweep - Lynchburg Hillcats
- Slam for Sammy: Ramirez Salami Helps Solis in Debut - Potomac Nationals
- Early Barrage Avalanches Blue Crew - Wilmington Blue Rocks
- Early Errors Cost Winston, Salem Wins Finale - Winston-Salem Dash
- Werth Bobble, Oriole Bird Highlight Homestand - Frederick Keys
- Martinez Called up to Birmingham - Winston-Salem Dash
- Winston-Salem Dash Game Notes - Winston-Salem Dash
- Pelicans Game Notes - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Garcia Named CL Player of the Month - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Lynchburg Hillcats Game Notes - Lynchburg Hillcats
- Drake's Dominance Earns Pitcher of the Week Honors - Frederick Keys
- School Supply Drive to Kick off at Hillcats Game - Lynchburg Hillcats
- Sox Bash Early, Hang on for 9-7 Victory - Salem Red Sox
- Dash Fall Short on Fourth of July - Winston-Salem Dash
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