Lynchburg Hillcats Game Notes
Published on May 9, 2012 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Hill City Howlers News Release
LYNCHBURG HILLCATS (17-12) VS WILMINGTON BLUE ROCKS (12-18)
May 9th, 2012 -- 6:35 PM
Frawley Stadium
RHP Cody Martin (3-3, 2.86) vs. RHP Jason Adam (1-3, 2.14)
THE HILLCATS: Last night, the Hillcats beat the Wilmington Blue Rocks 10-4...Five Blue Rocks errors led to seven unearned runs for the Hillcats...The 'Cats score five in the fifth, all unearned, and five in the sixth, two unearned...1B Chris Garcia hit a three-run homer, his second of the season, and CF Matt Lipka had four hits...RHP Aaron Northcraft went six innings, allowed just one run, and struck out a season-high eight batters onhis way to his fourth win...Lynchburg is now 17-12 and is still in first place in the Carolina League Northern Division...
VS. WILMINGTON: The Hillcats face the Blue Rocks for the first time this season, this week in Wilmington...Lynchburg took the first meeting 10-4 last night...Last year, the Hillcats won the season series 10-9 with one game scheduled to be played in Wilmington getting cancelled...
TRAVELING NORTH: Lynchburg is the southern-most team in the Northern Division...When traveling north to face divisional foes this season, they are now 6-1, after winning the series opener in Wilmington last night...They also swept the Frederick Keys in three-games two weekends ago (4/27-4/29) and took two of three from the Potomac Nationals 4/13-4/15...The 'Cats have traveled south to face Salem and Carolina, but have lost both series, posting a record of 2-5...This is the Hillcats first trip to Wilmington this year where they went 4-5 a season ago...
RALLY CATS: The Hillcats scored five runs in back-to-back innings last night, in the fifth and sixth frames...Two errors in each of the innings helped extend the Lynchburg rallies...Five runs matched the current season-high for runs in an inning for the 'Cats, which they had done three previous times, most recently on April 24 at Carolina...The Hillcats also batted ten batters in the sixth inning, setting a new season-high, topping the previous high of nine batters in a single inning...
STREAK FOR THE CASH: Four regular Hillcats starters are currently on a four-game or better hitting streaks entering tonight's game in Wilmington...SS Nick Ahmed has the hottest streak at eight games, which matches OF Robby Hefflinger's team-high streak of eight this season...Hefflinger set that mark in the first eight games of the season...Ahmed has only one multi-hit game in that stretch...He is 9-for-32 (.281) with four doubles and a home run, which makes up 45 percent of his extra-base hits this season...3B Edward Salcedo, 1B Chris Garcia, and CF Matt Lipka all currently have four-game streaks...
WORLD OF NORTHCRAFT: RHP Aaron Northcraft went six innings last night, allowed just one run, and struck out a season-high eight batters...He won his fourth game of the season, which is tied with three others (including teammate RHP J.R. Graham) for the most in the league...He lowered his ERA to 2.12 which ranks fifth in the circuit, and he now boasts 38 strikeouts which is second in the league...Northcraft has only allowed one earned run over his last three starts now, a span of 17.2 innings...Good for an ERA of 0.51 in that stretch...
RUNNIN DOWN A DREAM: The Hillcats swiped two more bases last night...OF Matt Lipka stole both bags and now has nine on the season, which is tied for fifth in the league...Lipka began the season just 2-for-5 is steal attempts, but now has stolen seven straight without getting caught...The team has now taken 40 bases this season, second-most in the Carolina League behind the Salem Red Sox with 53...The 'Cats have also been caught a league-high 19 times, however...SS Nick Ahmed has been caught just once and leads the team with 11 thefts, which is also tied for the league lead...
TONIGHT'S OPPOSING PITCHER: RHP Jason Adam was selected in the fifth round of the 2010 draft out Blue Valley Northwest High School in Overland Park, KS...Earned first-team All-State honors in Class 6A as a senior, going 4-3 with a 1.51 ERA and 79 strikeouts in 41.2 innings pitched...Turned down a scholarship to University of Missouri to sign with the Royals...Sister Kari played soccer at Missouri...Made debut in 2011 with the Kane County Cougars in the Low-A Midwest League...Went 6-9 with a 4.23 ERA in 21 starts...Struck out 76 to just 25 walks in 104.1 innings...Entered 2012 as the eighth-rated prospect in the Royals organization at just 20 years old...Threw 95-96 mph during 2010 instructional camp, but sat in the range of 88-93 mph during the 2011 season...Curveball lost bite with dip in velocity...Was very slow to the plate last year, and surrendered 27 stolen bases on 30 attempts...This season he is 1-3 with a 2.14 ERA...Currently averaging three runs per game in support...Making his first start against the Hillcats this season tonight...
Carolina League Stories from May 9, 2012
- Martin Hushes Wilmington Bats - Wilmington Blue Rocks
- Martin No-No Broken in Seventh, Hillcats Win 1-0 - Hill City Howlers
- Dash, Keys Rained out Again Wednesday - Winston-Salem Dash
- Keys Postponed for Second Straight Night - Frederick Keys
- Pelicans and Mudcats Rained Out - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Mudcats, Pelicans Postponed - Carolina Mudcats
- Salem Sweeps Potomac in Abbreviated Double Dip - Salem RidgeYaks
- Salem, Rain Sweep Potomac - Potomac Nationals
- Budweiser Clydesdales at BB&T Ballpark Friday - Winston-Salem Dash
- Orioles Introduce "Birdland Passport" Program - Frederick Keys
- Lynchburg Hillcats Game Notes - Hill City Howlers
- Blue Rocks Game Notes - Wilmington Blue Rocks
- Mudcats Game Notes - Carolina Mudcats
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