Ballers Come Up Short To Hillcats Saturday Night 6-1

KANNAPOLIS, N.C. – In the pursuit for a fourth straight win, the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers came up short against the Lynchburg Hillcats, falling 6-1 Saturday night at Atrium Health Ballpark.

RHP Jesus Valles (L, 3-4) provided a relatively smooth outing for the Cannon Ballers on the mound, starting for Kannapolis Saturday night and working 5.2 innings with eight hits and four runs along the way. The Venezuelan righty walked two and accumulated two punchouts along the way. RHP Theo Denlinger relieved Valles in the sixth, tossing xxxx

The Hillcats struck first in the top of the first for a run on a Gabriel Rodriguez RBI double, scoring Korey Holland to give Lynchburg an early 1-0 lead.

Just three pitches in, two more runs crossed the plate in the top of the second for the visitors. Miguel Jerez crushed a first-pitch fastball into the left field berm, allowing Jorge Burgos to score and expanding the lead for Lynchburg to 3-0.

Angel Martinez added an insurance run in the top of the fifth with an RBI single that scored Holland for the second time in the ballgame, growing the Hillcats lead to 4-0.

Kannapolis’ lone run of the ballgame arrived in the bottom of the fifth. After James Beard reached on an error, Samil Polanco unloaded on a fastball, notching a line drive into left field that rolled all the way to the wall. The hard-hit drive gave Beard the chance to score and put the Ballers on the board and cut the lead to 4-1.

RHP Juan Zapata (W, 3-4) started the night on the hill for Lynchburg, eating through 5.2 innings, allowing one unearned run on four hits, walking one and punching out four.

Two more runs for the visitors crossed the plate in the top of the seventh thanks to a Burgos RBI single that scored Alexfri Planez and Micael Ramirez to balloon the Hillcats advantage to 6-1.

The Ballers return to action on Sunday for the series and homestand finale against the Lynchburg Hillcats. RHP Martin Carrasco (1-6, 5.40 ERA) gets the start for the 12:30 p.m. first pitch tilt, with the Hillcats tossing out RHP Josh Wolf (1-3, 5.98 ERA).

Tickets can be purchased for any remaining home games at kcballers.com or at the F&M Bank Box Office located at Atrium Health Ballpark.