CarL1 Lynchburg Hillcats

Lynchburg Hillcats Game Notes

Published on May 3, 2014 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Lynchburg Hillcats News Release


LYNCHBURG HILLCATS (10-15) vs. SALEM RED SOX (15-11)

May 3, 2014 -- 6:05 PM

Calvin Falwell Field at City Stadium

RHP Lay Batista (0-0, --) vs. LHP Cody Kukuk (0-0, --)

LAST TIME OUT: Last night the Hillcats snapped a nine-game losing streak with a 7-2 win over the Salem Red Sox...Hillcats starter RHP Lucas Sims (2-3) gave up one run in the second inning, but that was it over six innings of work, and he earned the win...The offense tied the score in the third as 2B Jose Peraza singled in a run...In the fourth RF Will Skinner put the 'Cats on top with a two-run homer and SS Daniel Castro added an RBI single to make it 4-1...Lynchburg put up another three spot courtesy of a two-run home run from LF Dan Carroll and and RBI double from Peraza...RHP Nate Hyatt through two innings in relief behind Sims and gave up one unearned run, and LHP Ronan Pacheco finished the game with a scoreless ninth...The Hillcats are now 10-15 and in fourth place in the Northern Division, 5.5 games behind the Potomac Nationals for first place...

VS. SALEM: The Hillcats are 1-4 against the Red Sox...The Red Sox have swept both of the last two series between these clubs going back to the final series of 2013, both series were in Salem...Last night's win snapped a nine-game losing streak for the Hillcats against the Red Sox...Overall last year, the 'Cats were just 6-14 against Salem, going 3-7 at home...

CARROLLERS WELCOME: Recently promoted OF Dan Carroll joined the Hillcats from Low-A Rome Monday...His first game with the Hillcats that night was suspended due to rain...Tuesday was rained out, and Wednesday was an off-day, so Thursday night was his first game of record with the Hillcats...He went 0-for-1, but came through with a pair of sacrifice flies in his first two plate appearances, collecting his first two RBIs with Lynchburg..He followed that performance with a 2-for-4 outing last night with a home run, two RBI, a double, and two runs scored...The Braves purchased Carroll's contract last season from the independent Lincoln Saltdogs...He reached the Double-A level with the Seattle Mariners organization...A third round pick back in 2007, he played six seasons in the Mariners' farm system before receiving his release...His best season was in 2011 when he stole a career-best 62 bases and hit a career-best 18 home runs for the High Desert Mavericks of the California League...Carroll was originally slated to begin the year with Lynchburg, but a concussion at the end of Spring Training sidelined him for a few weeks...

TO THE NINES: The season-worst losing streak is over at nine games thanks to last night's Hillcats win...The streak fell one shy of the longest slide for the Hillcats since becoming a Braves affiliate in 2011...It also snapped the nine-game skid against the Salem Red Sox...2011's longest was 10 games, 2012's was eight games, and 2013 was five games...The longest losing stretch of 2013 was five games from June 26-30...Each have been snapped by wins of five runs or more, 7-2 last night, 10-0 at Carolina in 2013, 8-1 at Myrtle Beach in 2012, and 9-1 win at Frederick in 2011...The Hillcats were outscored 54-26 during the nine-game losing streak...

LIKE A TOP PROSPECT: RHP Lucas Sims delivered his best outing of the season last night allowing just one run on four hits in six innings...He walked two and struck out four...He match season high in innings, going six for the third time, and strikeouts, getting four for the fourth time...The win was his second of the season, and first at home...He allowed one run over five innings at Potomac on April 9 and won also...he is 0-2 in four starts when he allows more than one run, and the Hillcats are now 3-3 when he starts...

CUNNIFF IS HUMAN: RHP Brandon Cunniff gave up his first run of the season Sunday, but it was unearned so his flawless 0.00 ERA is still in tact...He pitched 1.2 innings and surrendered a season-high three hits, walked no one, and struck out three...His 13.2 innings without allowing an earned run are the most in the Carolina League...Wilmington's RHP Zeb Sneed is next closest with 11.1 innings, he has also allowed one unearned run...

PERAZA EN FUEGO: INF Jose Peraza went 2-for-5 with an RBI single and an RBI double last night, and has now hit safely in 12 of his last 13 games raising his average from .255 to .346, which currently ranks fourth in the circuit...He is batting .429 (24-for-56) during this stretch, yet he's only scored six times (five in his last seven games)...He's even stolen seven bases in this same time frame...He has batted lead off in every Hillcats game so far this season...He is second in the league in at-bats (107) and first in hits (37)...He's second in stolen bases (13)...He now has 12 multi-hit efforts in 25 total games this season, five of which are three-hit games...Currently on a seven-game hitting streak, tied for the third-longest active streak in the league...

GOING DEEP: OF Will Skinner went 2-for-3 last night with a home run, two RBIs, and two runs scored...The long ball was his team-best third of the season...With the game tied 1-1, his two-run shot put the 'Cats up 2-1 and they led the rest of the way...Two of his three home runs have now been go-ahead homers, but the team is just 1-2 when he goes deep...All three of his bombs have come at home...He hadn't hit one out since April 6, which was Sunday of Opening weekend...He went 71 at-bats without a long ball...

TRIPS BEATS A PAIR: SS Daniel Castro went 3-for-4 last night with an RBI and a run scored...It was his second three-hit game of the season...Only him, 2B Jose Peraza (.346), and C Tyler Tewell (.275) have more than one three-hit outing this season, and not surprisingly they have the best three averages on the team so far...

TODAY'S OPPOSING PITCHER: RHP Cody Kukuk was selected in the seventh round of the 2011 draft by the Boston Red Sox out of Free State High School in Lawrence, KS...Went 7-1 with a 2.89 ERA and 103 strikeouts as a high school senior and was named a Louisville Slugger All-American in 2011...He was named Gatorade and Louisville Slugger Baseball Player of the Year for Kansas in 2010...He reported to the Gulf Coast League after signing and went 2-0 over five relief appearances, and gave up just one earned run over 10 innings while striking out 16 and walking only three...He moved up to Low-A Greenville last year...Went 4-13 with a 4.63 ERA in 26 appearances, 24 starts...Really struggled with his control, walking 81 in 107 innings...He also struck out 113...On four occasions, he walked six or more in a single outing, setting a career-high at seven on June 22, 2013 over five hitless and scoreless innings...He struck out four that day and earned a win as Greenville beat Hagerstown 8-0...That was his last win of the season...He went 0-6 over his last 12 starts...Went 0-2 with a 2.39 in July, and 0-4 with a 7.39 ERA in August...Starting in Greenville again this season, Kukuk went 3-0 with a 1.88 ERA...He has tapered his walks a bit with 12 in 24 innings, and has also struck out nine...Tonight is his first start at the Advanced-A level taking the spot of LHP Brian Johnson who has moved up to Double-A...

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