CarL1 Hill City Howlers

Lynchburg Hillcats Game Notes

Published on May 10, 2013 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Hill City Howlers News Release


LYNCHBURG HILLCATS (16-15) vs. CAROLINA MUDCATS (13-20)

May 10th, 2013 -- 7:15 PM

Five County Stadium

RHP A.J. Holland (2-1, 3.24) vs. RHP Jacob Lee (0-2, 5.13)

THE HILLCATS: Lost to the Myrtle Beach Pelicans 12-3 last night...The loss for the 'Cats served them a three-game sweep in Myrtle Beach...The Hillcats didn't score until the seventh inning, already down 10-0, when CF Matt Lipka stroked his third home run of the season, a two-run shot...LF Robby Hefflinger singled in another run later in the inning but three was all the 'Cats could muster...They went 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position...RHP James Hoyt last just 3.1 innings giving up seven earned runs on six hits, and he took the loss...The Hillcats are now 16-15 in second place in the Northern Division, 1.5 games behind the Frederick Keys for first...

VS. CAROLINA: The Hillcats meet the Carolina Mudcats for the first this season tonight...It's game 32 for the Hillcats, but was scheduled to be game 34, now a month and five days into the season...The Mudcats are the last team the Hillcats need to face to complete their circuit of the Carolina League...Carolina enters the series with a league-worst 13-20 record, but are winners of their last two, while the Hillcats are losers of three straight, on the verge of their worst losing streak of the season...Last year, the Mudcats took the season series 11-9...They won six of the first eight meetings with Lynchburg...

GETTING UGLY: Last night's 12-3 loss for Lynchburg completed a series sweep for the Pelicans...The Hillcats were outscored 23-6 in the series...They committed seven errors, and went 3-for-22 (.136) with runners in scoring position...It's just the second three-game losing streak for the 'Cats this season, matching a season-worst slide...The Salem Red Sox took three from the 'Cats April 18-21, outscoring Lynchburg 16-5 that weekend...The good news for the Hillcats is they're are going from the best team to the worst team (record-wise) in the league, and the Hillcats are yet to let a losing streak extend into a new series...

LIPKA POWER STILL SURGING: OF Matt Lipka continued his surprisingly powerful 2013 season last night, launching his career-best third home run of the season...He had only four long balls in his first three professional seasons combined...The homer last night extended his season-best hitting streak to five games, batting .318 (7-for-22) with two home runs, two doubles, four RBI, five runs scored, and three steals during the streak...With 15 extra-base hits this year through 30 games, he has nearly doubled hit 51-game total of eight from a year ago with Lynchburg...Lipka is now hitting .333 in eight May games, versus the .205 clip he put up in April...He has five strikeouts in those eight games, but all five came in just two of the games...

REST OF HILLCATS NEED A JUMP: After pacing the Carolina League with 82 extra-base hits in 23 April games (55 2B, 8 3B, 19 HR), the Hillcats are tied for the second-fewest so far in May with 15 (10 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR) through eight games...Half their homers have come from leadoff man, Matt Lipka this month...He's the only player to go deep since May 2nd when OF Will Skinner hit his third of the season...Overall the 'Cats still lead the league in doubles, but just by one, 65-64 over the Salem Red Sox...

BACK TO THE BOTTOM: Lynchburg snapped a streak of four consecutive error-free games Wednesday night, committing three miscues on defense..They followed that with four more errors last night...Their season total is now 51 errors in 31 games, and that is good for the most miscues in the league once again...All teams in the circuit, except Salem have played in one or two more games that the Hillcats this season...The four-game stretch without an error was the longest streak of mistake-free baseball for the 'Cats had this year, and the first string of three games or more without a miscue...The team fielding percentage is now at .958, also last in the league...

HYATT ANOTHER LEVEL: RHP Nate Hyatt threw another scoreless inning Wednesday night, continuing his scoreless streak to 12.1 consecutive innings...He has only allowed one earned run all season, and that came in his first appearance April 6 at Potomac...Since then he has turned in 10 straight scoreless outing, with a pair of two-inning appearances...Has 18 strikeouts in 13 innings this season and just three walks...All three of those walks came in the same appearance, two scoreless innings in Winston-Salem...Currently ranks fifth in batting average against (.156) for Carolina League relievers, fourth for strikeout per nine ratio (12.46), and fourth in fewest baserunners per nine (8.31)...

TONIGHT'S OPPOSING PITCHER: RHP Jacob Lee makes his seventh start of the season for the Mudcats... He's 0-2 with a 5.13 ERA...2013 marks Lee's first full professional season and first stint in the Carolina League... The 23-year-old was drafted out of Arkansas State in the 9th round of the 2012 draft...Debuted with Mahoning Valley (NYP) and went 4-2 with a 3.12 ERA for the Scrappers...Highest draft pick ever out of Arkansas State...2012 Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Year, led the Red Wolves to the finals of the SBC Tournament...ASU career strikeout leader...Named third-team Louisville Slugger TPX All-American last week by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper for 2012...

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