CarL1 Lynchburg Hillcats

Lynchburg Hillcats Game Notes

Published on April 11, 2012 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Lynchburg Hillcats News Release


SALEM RED SOX (1-3) @ LYNCHBURG HILLCATS (4-0)

April 11th, 2012 -- 6:05 PM

Calvin Falwell Field at Lynchburg City Stadium

RHP Keith Couch (0-0, -) vs. RHP Cody Martin (1-0, 0.00)

THE HILLCATS: Last night, the Hillcats defeated the Salem Red Sox 6-2 at home...RHP Aaron Northcraft walked the first batter of the game on four pitches but settled in to finished 5.2 innings, allowing just one run on three hits, while striking out a team-high seven batters en route to his first win...Lynchburg supplied early run support for their starter, racking up five runs in the first inning...That was more than enough as the 'Cats cruised to their fourth straight victory to open the season...The Hillcats are now 4-0 and in first place in the Northern Division...

VS. SALEM: It took Lynchburg eight games against the Red Sox last year to record a win, but in 2012 they have taken the opening match-up and lead the season series 1-0...The Hillcats are 153-179 against Salem in the history of the 460 series...Last year, Lynchburg lost the season series 7-13...

FOUR-BAGGER: The Hillcats' longest winning streak in 2011 was four games...They swept back-to-back doubleheaders from the Potomac Nationals last May in Woodbridge...This year, the new team has already matched that four game mark, only four games into the season...Lynchburg is outscoring opponents 25-9 and out-hitting them 41-27 so far this season...They lead the league in batting average, slugging, and on-base percentage...Have struck out only 17 times, 11 less than the next best team (Frederick, 28)...The pitching staff has posted a 2.25 ERA thus far, second in the league, while striking out 34 as opposed to just 11 walks in 36 innings...

FIRST!: Last night, the Hillcats batted around the order in the first inning, scoring a five runs, a new season-high for a single inning...The 'Cats have scored in their first at-bats in each of their first four games...They have not trailed yet this season...They were only tied past the first inning on Sunday from the second to the fifth at 2-2 before retaking the lead and holding it the rest of the way...When scoring first last season, the Hillcats were 37-23...

HIGH-WATER: Lynchburg's high water mark in 2011 was 1-0 after Opening Day...The team never saw their record get back above .500, even starting fresh in the second half...The 'Cats dropped the first two games in the second half and was unable to post a .500 record after the All-Star Break...At 4-0, the Hillcats are in first place, and have been since Opening Day, when all other Northern Division teams lost...Hillcats hadn't been in first place since game two of the 2011 season...

HOW THE BRAVES STACK UP: The Atlanta Braves farm system was ranked 15th among Major League organizations by Baseball America this year...A pretty steep drop from their second overall ranking in 2011...A large reason for this is the youth movement at the Major League level...Five of their 2011 top ten prospects, Freddie Freeman (2), Randall Delgado (3), Mike Minor (4), Craig Kimbrel (5), Brandon Beachy (8), are currently on the Atlanta roster...Another, Arodys Vizcaino (7), who started 2011 with the Hillcats, would most likely be with Atlanta as well had he not needed season ending Tommy John surgery this spring...Two others, Brett Oberholtzer (9) and J.J. Hoover (10), have been traded...Oberholtzer was part of the package of minor league prospects traded to the Houston Astros for Michael Bourn last season, and Hoover was dealt to the Cincinnati Reds in a two-player deal for third baseman Jaun Francisco this spring...

PROSPECT WATCH: Once again, the Hillcats will start the season with eight of the top-30 Braves prospects...Second most of the Braves affiliates to Double-A Mississippi who have started the year with 10...3B/SS Edward Salcedo (6), RHP J.R. Graham (13), SS/2B/OF Matt Lipka (14), SS Nick Ahmed (15), LHP Dimasther Delgado (18), RHP Cody Martin (19), C Evan Gattis (27), and 2B Tommy La Stella (28) are the eight top-30 prospects on the Hillcats Opening Day roster...

WHAT'S IN THE BOX?!?: RHP Aaron Northcraft struck out seven Red Sox last night in his first start of the season, an early team-high for a starter...He held the Salem squad off balance throughout the evening, giving up just three hits in 5.2 innings, and all the hits came in separate innings...Of the 21 batters he faced, only 11 put the ball in the play...He walked three and had two runners caught stealing at second base...The only run credited to Northcraft's line actually scored with RHP Caleb Brewer on the mound in the sixth...Brewer gave up a deep fly ball to center field, which Matt Lipka lost in the sky and let fall behind him for a run scoring triple with two outs...

GARCIA JOINS HIT PARADE: First baseman Chris Garcia registered his first hit of the season last, a two RBI single to right field with the bases loaded...A third run scored on the play when an errant throw was relayed past third base...He added another hit, a double in the fifth...Finished the night 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored...On the season Garcia is now 2-for-10...

BACK IN ACTION: RHP Juan Jamie made his first regular season appearance in over two years Saturday night...Jamie inherited a runner with two outs in the top of the eighth with two outs...He walked his first batter but retired the next with a line out to center field to escape the inning without allowing a run to score...He came back out in the ninth and sat down the side in order to finish the game...Hit 95 MPH on the radar gun in his debut...Jamie had not pitched since he was in Low-A Hagerstown in 2009, playing in the Nationals organization...He was listed on the Potomac roster in 2010 before needing Tommy John surgery in April, which put him on the shelf until Saturday night...The Nationals placed Jamie on waivers in the fall of 2010 and the Arizona Diamondbacks claimed him...He never saw any action with the D-backs as he was released prior to the 2011 season...The Braves acquired Jamie in August of 2011...

HEFF' CAN SURE PLAY, BOY: OF Robby Hefflinger began the 2011 season with Lynchburg, but hit only .114 with 19 strikeouts in 12 games...Was reassigned to Low-A Rome for the rest of the season...A year later and Hefflinger is off to a dominant start in the Carolina League through four games...Among the league leaders most every offensive category including batting average (2nd, .500), home runs, (T-2nd, 2), doubles (1st, 4), on-base percentage (4th, .533), slugging percentage (2nd, 1.214), extra-base hits (1st, 6), runs scored (T-2nd, 5), and total bases (1st, 17)...

TONIGHT'S OPPOSING PITCHER: RHP Keith Couch was selected in the 13th round in 2010 by the Boston Red Sox...He signed out of Adelphi University in New York...Originally from Elmont, NY (20 miles east of Manhattan)...He began his career with the Lowell Spinners in the Short-Season Classs-A New York Penn League...Went 1-6 with a 4.39 ERA in 14 appearances, 11 starts...Struck out 43 in 55.1 innings...Spent last year in the Low-A 'Sally' League, with the Greenville Drive...Went 7-5 with 3.54 ERA in 28 appearances, 18 starts...Led the team in strikeouts (123), finished ninth in the league in ERA...Best control in Red Sox organization according to Baseball America...Making his Advanced-A debut tonight for the Salem Red Sox...

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Carolina League Stories from April 11, 2012


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