Lynchburg Hillcats Game Notes
Published on June 15, 2012 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Hill City Howlers News Release
LYNCHBURG HILLCATS (36-31) VS FREDERICK KEYS (27-40)
June 15th, 2012 -- 7:00 PM
Harry Grove Stadium
RHP Gus Schlosser (7-3, 3.80) vs RHP Scott Copeland (3-5, 5.34)
THE HILLCATS: Last night, the Hillcats beat the Frederick Keys 5-3...The 'Cats scored early and often off Keys' starter Dylan Bundy with one in the first, two in the third, and one more run in the fourth before chasing Bundy from the game...RHP Aaron Northcraft delivered a quality start, allowing just three runs through six innings for Lynchburg and earned the win...C Braeden Schlehuber hit his team leading eighth home run of the season...The 'Cats are now 36-31 and have already clinched first place in the Northern Division for the first half...
VS. FREDERICK: Lynchburg is 8-3 against the Keys this season...Most recently, the two clubs met last weekend in Lynchburg for five games in three days...The Keys swept Friday's doubleheader, while the Hillcats swept Saturday's twinbill and won Sunday's finale...The Hillcats make their second trip to Frederick this weekend...They swept the Keys in three games in their last trip, and after last night's win are 4-0 in Frederick this year...The Hillcats won the season-series last year 11-9...
SORRY MR. MORA: It's only June and we're already talking playoffs...The Hillcats clinched a first half Northern Division championship Tuesday night with two wins over the Mudcats...They will meet the winner of the second half in the playoffs in September...This will be the first playoff appearance for Lynchburg since they won the Mills cup in 2009...Last year the Hillcats never even saw a .500 record...
SEE YA IN WINSTON: The Carolina League announced their All-Star selections Monday...The Hillcats will have five representatives, RHP J.R. Graham, 1B Chris Garcia, 2B Tommy La Stella, SS Nick Ahmed, and C Braeden Schlehuber...Graham leads the league in wins (8) and is tied for third in ERA (2.53)...Garcia ranks seventh in the league in batting (.317), second in on-base percentage (.430) and second in walks (40)...La Stella is the only Hillcat in the starting lineup...He leads the Hillcats and all second baseman in RBI (38), also is fifth most in the circuit...Ahmed is tied for the league-lead in stolen bases (20) and leads all shortstops in chances, assists, putouts, and double plays...Schlehuber is hitting .313, which would rank eighth in the league, but he is 26 plate appearances short of qualifying...He also has a career-high six home runs already this season...
SERIES PLAY: The Hillcats are 0-3 with three splits in four-game series this season...They have the Frederick Keys for four games this weekend...They Hillcats lost three of four at Carolina and at home against Carolina earlier this season...The Salem Red Sox also took three of four from Lynchburg in a home/road series...The 'Cats have split four-game sets with Frederick, Wilington and Myrtle Beach...
WALKING OFF: OF Adam Milligan hit a walk-off sacrifice fly to give the Hillcats the win in game one Tuesday night...It was the third walk-off win for the Hillcats this season...Coincidentally, Milligan's last walk-off hit was an RBI-single June 6, 2011 for the Hillcats, and it was the third one for Lynchburg that season as well...The Hillcats never recorded another walk-off the rest of the season...
WORLD OF NORTHCRAFT: RHP Aaron Northcraft allowed three runs, two earned, in six innings...It was his seventh quality start of the season, out of just 13 total starts...He has allowed two earned runs or less in nine of his 13 starts...By striking out five last night, he brought his season total to 68, which is third-most in the Carolina League...With his win last night, he is 2-0 at Harry Grove Stadium this year...He lowered his ERA to 3.70 which ranks tenth in the circuit...
JUAN AND DONE: RHP Juan Jamie pitched a perfect ninth inning last night in a 5-3 Hillcats win...He saved his 12th game of the season in his 12th opportunity...His 12 saves are the second most in the league...Jamie has appeared in a league-high 25 games this season, and has finished every game he has pitched in...Last night's scoreless inning was his 18th of the season...
SCHLE' RIDE: C Braeden Schlehuber went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, and a walk last night...Has now hit safely in ten of his last eleven games, he is 17-for-35 (.486) in the stretch with three doubles, a triple, three home runs, seven RBI, and ten runs scored...Has raised his batting average 54 points, from .267 to .321 in that stretch...Has his season clip above .300 the last four games for the first time since April 25, when he was hitting .324, ten games into the season...The home run was his eighth of the year, which leads the Hillcats and is a single-season career-high (previous high, 5), and the triple was just the second one of his five-year career...With their win last night, the 'Cats are 2-6 when Schlehuber homers...
TONIGHT'S OPPOSING PITCHER: RHP Scott Copeland was selected in the 21st round in 2010 after his senior year at the University of Southern Mississippi...Transferred from Panola Community College...Was four-year starter at White Oak (TX) High School, where he was a two-time All-East Texas Selection...2010, went 2-5 with a 2.91 ERA in 12 starts for Short-season Aberdeen (NYP) before earning a promotion to Low-A Delmarva, where he made one start, threw six scoreless innings and earned a win...2011, made 20 starts for Delmarva, went 5-9 with a 6.58 ERA, struck just 55 in 108 innings...Also went 3-2 with a 2.14 ERA in six starts for Frederick...This season, he is 3-5 with a 5.34 ERA through 12 starts with Frederick...Faced the Hillcats 4/19...Went six innings, gave up just one run on three hits and a walk, and struck out four...Did not get a decision...Against Lynchburg 4/29, went five and two-thirds innings, gave up seven earned runs on 12 hits, walked three and struck out two, suffering his first loss of the season...Lost to the 'Cats again last weekend giving up three runs in six innings...Walked a season-high five batters in that outing...
Carolina League Stories from June 15, 2012
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