CarL1 Lynchburg Hillcats

Lynchburg Hillcats Game Notes

Published on April 14, 2012 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Lynchburg Hillcats News Release


LYNCHBURG HILLCATS (5-2) @ POTOMAC NATIONALS (3-4)

April 13th, 2012 -- 6:35 PM

Pfitzner Stadium

RHP J.R. Graham (1-0, 3.60) vs. RHP Adam Olbrychowski (0-1, 5.40)

THE HILLCATS: Last night, the Hillcats fell for the second straight night...The Potomac Nationals scored five runs in the first inning and went on to defeat the Hillcats 11-4...LHP Ronan Pacheco walked four Nationals in the first inning and all four came in to score...Pacheco went three innings, walked seven, and allowed eight runs, six earned, and took the loss...C Evan Gattis hit a home run in the loss, his second in two nights...The Hillcats are now 5-2, but still in first place in the Northern Division...

VS. POTOMAC: Lynchburg swept the Potomac in three games at home last weekend for the first time since 1997...Last night's loss brings the season series to 3-1 still in favor of the 'Cats...The Hillcats lead the All-Time series at 174-168...Last year, Lynchburg lost the season series 9-11...

THAT 2:30 FEELING: After a record 5-0 start, the Hillcats seemed to crash hard starting in the eighth inning of Thursday's finale against the Salem Red Sox...The Red Sox scored seven unanswered runs from the eighth to the tenth inning to beat the Hillcats 10-8...Then, last night the 'Cats gave up the first seven runs of the game, surrendering 14 unanswered runs in a span of five innings...C Evan Gattis ended that streak with a solo shot in the third inning, but Lynchburg would still go onto lose 11-4......

FIRST!: When the Hillcats score first this season, they are 5-0...Their opponents have scored first the past two nights and the Hillcats have lost both games...When scoring first last season, the Hillcats were 37-23...

FIRST TIME AWAY FROM HOME: Last night was the Hillcats first road game of the season, and it did not go well for the club...After posting a 5-1 record through their opening six-game home stand, the 'Cats took a one-sided loss at Pfitzner Stadium, 11-4...Lynchburg trailed in a total of three innings throughout 54 innings of baseball at home this past week...Last night, they trailed from the bottom of the first inning on by five or more runs...

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...

WILD NIGHT: LHP Ronan Pacheco walked four in the first inning last night, and a career high seven through his three inning start...Six of the seven walks ended up scoring, including all four in the first inning...He gave up eight runs total, six earned and for the second straight start failed to make it to the fifth inning...Pacheco threw 74 pitches and only 35 strikes...Walked 40 in 95.1 innings last year with Rome...Has ten walks through seven innings this year with Lynchburg...Pacheco saw his ERA balloon up to 7.71 last night through two starts...In his first four professional seasons, he has posted an ERA under four just once...His rookie year in the Dominican Summer League in 2008 (3.86 in 14 app, 11 starts)...

IS THIS EVAN?: C Evan Gattis was perfect last night, reaching base in each of his five plate appearances...Went 2-for-2 with a home run, two RBI, two runs scored, two walks, and was hit by a pitch...Has now reached base in all seven games this season and is currently on a six game hitting streak...Has homered in each of the last two games...The 2011 'Sally' League batting champ and post-season All-Star is among the league leaders in batting (.455, 3rd), RBI (8, T-3rd), home runs (2, T-3rd), on-base percentage (.533, 1st), slugging (.818, 3rd), and total bases (18, T-3rd)...Gattis caught again last night, but figures to see time in the outfield at some point this season as well...The new position may help Gattis move up in the organization sooner rather than later...

STAY HOT HEFF: OF Robby Hefflinger hit a home run in each of the first two games of the season...He hasn't homered again but has continued to hit night in and night out...Currently on a season-long hit streak of seven games...He's 11-for-24, batting .458, which in second in the league...Leads the league in doubles (6), slugging (.958), extra-base hits (8), and total bases (23)...Hefflinger started 2011 with Lynchburg but was reassigned to Low-A Rome after a slow start...Safe to say he has made it clear he belongs at this level early on this season...

WHEN IN ROHM: OF David Rohm went 1-for-4 last night...No surprise, that one hit was a double...He now has seven hits on the season, five of which are doubles and another is a triple...His six extra-base hits and five doubles both rank second in the league behind his teammate Robby Hefflinger...Rohm is a ninth round pick from the 2010 draft...Split time at the rookie levels in his first year...Saw a promotion to Low-A Rome last season, where he hit .289 with seven home runs and 58 RBI...Now at High-A Lynchburg, Rohm is continuing to produce...Currently 5-for-19 (.263), with nothing but extra-base hits...Has four doubles and triple, showing the gap-to-gap power come to be expected from him...

TONIGHT'S OPPOSING PITCHER: RHP Adam Olbrychowski was selected in the fifth round of the 2007 draft by the Yankees out of Pepperdine...Began his career as a starter, but was converted to a reliever going into the 2009 season...Made it as high as Double-A with the Yankees...Traded to the Nationals for outfielder Justin Maxwell in February, 2011...Went 5-7 with a 4.16 ERA in 31 appearances, 15 starts last season with Potomac...2-1 with a 3.63 ERA in five appearances, three starts against the Hillcats...Made his 2012 debut last Sunday in Lynchburg...Surrendered three runs, earned, on five hits and three walks, while striking out one in five innings...Took the loss in a 3-2 game...Gave up a home run to Tommy La Stella in the first inning...

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Carolina League Stories from April 14, 2012


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