CarL1 Lynchburg Hillcats

Lynchburg Hillcats Game Notes

Published on April 15, 2012 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Lynchburg Hillcats News Release


LYNCHBURG HILLCATS (6-2) @ POTOMAC NATIONALS (3-5)

April 15th, 2012 -- 1:05 PM

Pfitzner Stadium

RHP Aaron Northcraft (1-0, 1.59) vs. LHP Matt Grace (1-0, 1.80)

THE HILLCATS: Last night, the Hillcats snapped a two-game slide with a 6-4 win over the Potomac Nationals...Starter, J.R. Graham threw six innings and allowed just three runs on his way to his second win of the season...CF Matt Lipka hit his first home run of the season, singled and scored twice in the game...Tied 3-3, the 'Cats scored single runs in the fifth, sixth, and seventh inning to take a 6-3 lead heading in the ninth...LHP Matt Chaffee gave up a run, but with the tying run at the plate in the ninth, he struck out Potomac 2B Adrian Sanchez for the final out of the game and earned his second save...The Hillcats are now 6-2, and 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 win brings the season series to 4-1 in favor of the 'Cats...Today the Hillcats attempt to take back-to-back series from the Nationals...The Hillcats lead the All-Time series at 175-168...Last year, Lynchburg lost the season series 9-11...

BACK ON TRACK: The 'Cats won 6-4 last night, snapping a two-game losing streak...The Hillcats won their first five games of the season before dropping two in a row...The win last night evens their current series with the Potomac Nationals at 1-1...Today, Lynchburg goes for their third straight series win to open up the 2012 season...They swept the Nationals in three games last weekend, and they took two of three from the Salem Red Sox...

FIRST!: When the Hillcats score first this season, they are 6-0...Their opponents have scored first Thursday and Friday this past week and the Hillcats lost both games...When scoring first last season, the Hillcats were 37-23...

FIRST TIME AWAY FROM HOME: Friday 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...The 'Cats righted the ship last nigth with a 6-4 win and are now 1-1 on the road...

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...

GOODBYE TEEN YEARS: CF Matt Lipka turned the 2-0 today...He was the final player on the Hillcats roster to leave his teenage years...He started celebrating early last night with a solo home run, his first of the season...The long ball gave him his first RBI of the season as well...It was Lipka's first home run since July 12, 2011 when he was with Low-A Rome...Now has three home runs in his career, playing in his third professional season...Lipka was drafted as a shortstop out of McKinney High School in Texas, but has made the transition to centerfield this season for the Hillcats...Was a two-sport star in high school, and even had interest from colleges to play big time Division I football at wide receiver...

IS THIS EVAN?: C Evan Gattis saw his six-game hitting streak and season-long seven game on-base streak come to an end last night...Went 0-for-4 with a couple fly outs, a line out, and a ground out...Has homered in the two games prior to last night...The 2011 'Sally' League batting champ and post-season All-Star is among the league leaders in batting (.385, 5th), RBI (8, T-3rd), home runs (2, T-3rd), on-base percentage (.471, 4th), slugging (.692, 4th), and total bases (18, T-3rd)...Gattis has only played catcher and designated hitter this season, but figures to see time in the outfield at some point this year 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...Extended his season-long hit streak of eight games last night with a pop-up over the infield that was misplayed by both the Nationals' first and second baseman...The ball fell without being touched and was ruled a hit...He's 12-for-28, batting .429, which leads the league...Leads the league in doubles (6), slugging (.857), extra-base hits (8), and total bases (24) as well...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...

TONIGHT'S OPPOSING PITCHER: LHP Matt Grace was selected in the eighth round of the 2010 draft out of UCLA...Made just two starts in his first season with short-season Vermont in the New York/Penn League...Gave up ten runs, six earned, in eight innings...Moved up to Low-A Hagerstown in the 'Sally' League in 2011...Made 26 appearances, 25 starts, went 12-7 with a 5.17 ERA...His 12 wins were second most in the Nationals organization...Struck out 5.8 per nine innings, and surrendered just eight home runs in 132.1 innings pitched...Made first start with Potomac on last Tuesday, April 10...Completed five innings, gave up two runs, one earned, on five hits and a walk, while striking out two and earned the win...It was the first win of the season for the Nationals...Grace is 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA so far this season...Makes his second start of the season this afternoon and first appearance against the Hillcats...

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Carolina League Stories from April 15, 2012


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