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CarL1 Lynchburg Hillcats

Spruill Goes the Distance

May 16, 2011 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Lynchburg Hillcats News Release


Kinston, NC - The Hillcats tagged Kinston pitching for 11 runs on 11 hits Monday night, but the real story was on the mound for Lynchburg. RHP Zeke Spruill threw a complete game shut out allowing just three hits, walking none, and striking out five. He needed just 80 pitches as he faced one batter over the minimum, and the Hillcats won 11-0.

The scoring started early for the Hillcats with two runs in the first. Phil Gosselin and Joey Terdoslavich hit back-to-back two-out doubles to give Lynchburg the early lead. Geraldo Rodriguez then singled to right scoring Terdoslavich, making it 2-0 Hillcats in the first.

Lynchburg tacked on two more runs in the fourth but the game didn't get out of hand until the next inning.

Entering the top of the fifth frame, the Hillcats were up 4-0. Then, the floodgates opened. The 'Cats loaded the bases and scored a run against starter Brett Brach on a walk, a hit batter, a bunt single and a fielder's choice. Brach then walked one more to reload the bases and was removed from the game.

Reliever Travis Turek entered to face Braeden Schlehuber who took the second pitch he saw deep to left field for a Grand Slam, the first slam hit by a Hillcat this season. Lynchburg added one more making it six in the inning and 10-0 HIllcats in the fifth.

Despite the barrage of offense, focus remained on the mound for the HIllcats. Zeke Spruill was perfect through his first three innings, before giving up a leadoff single in the bottom of the fourth. He erased the single with a 6-3 double play and continued to face the minimum batters through four frames.

Spruill was efficient to say the least. He tossed no more than 10 pitches per inning through the first five as he allowed just one hit and faced the minimum batters. It took him all of 13 pitches to get through the fifth inning, as he struck out the side in order. Kinston's second hit of the night came in the eighth, but Spruill was unfazed. He induced another double play and was out of the inning on just three pitches.

Barrett Kleinknecht launched a solo shot in the ninth inning to put the Hillcats up 11-0 entering the bottom half of the final frame.

Spruill jumped out of the dugout first and headed to the mound for his final inning of a near perfect outing. Spruill had faced the minimum through his first eight innings. He gave up one more hit in the ninth but stranded the runner at second base as he completed the shutout with just 80 pitches. It was the first nine-inning complete shutout thrown this season in the Carolina League. The only other shutout this year was belongs to Myrtle Beach's Joe Wieland, in a seven-inning contest, also against the Indians.

Spruill (2-4) snapped a streak of three straight losses with the win, and Brach (3-3) suffered the loss allowing eight runs through four and two-thirds innings.

The Hillcats improved to 14-21 and the Indians fell to 14-22 on the season after the 11-0 route.

Game two of the series is set for 6:30 pm Tuesday night in Kinston. The Hillcats On-Deck Show will go on the air at 6:10 pm. Listen to all the action on 105.5 KD Country and online at lynchburg-hillcats.com.

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