Walks, Home Runs Down Hillcats

The Lynchburg Hillcats dropped game one of the series to the Carolina Mudcats by a score of 5-1 on Tuesday night.

The Mudcats struck early with a solo home run in the first and a three-run blast in the second to jump out to a strong lead. From there, their pitching staff would hold the Hillcats bats quiet.

With two away in the first inning, Luke Adams blasted a solo home run to put Carolina on the board. They would add to it in the second inning with a Jose Sibrian three-run home run that drove home Gregory Barrios and Hedbert Perez. Both Barrios and Perez had reached on walks from Alonzo Richardson.

Carolina would tack on one more run in the third inning when Barrios would drive home Jesus Chirinos on an RBI single.

From there, it became a pitcher’s duel as the Hillcats turned to their bullpen. Jack Jasiak and Samuel Vasquez combined for six innings of shutout baseball after Richardson left after three innings.

In the bottom of the eighth, Lynchburg had a chance to crack the scoreboard with two aboard and two away. However, a ball that appeared to hit the foot of Juan Benjamin in the box was called fair for an easy groundout to end the inning.

Then in the bottom of the ninth, the Hillcats had their first two runners aboard before Wuilfredo Antunez blooped a ball down the left field line which the Mudcat outfielder never saw. When the ball came down, it appeared close to the line with both teams reacting as if it was a fair ball. However, the ball was ruled foul, eliminating a would-be run off the board.

One batter later, Jose Devers would get the run back on a fielder’s choice that plated a run for the Hillcats. However, it was too little too late as Lynchburg ran out of gas in the tank.

Lynchburg and Carolina would square again for game two of the series on Wednesday evening at 6:30 at Bank of the James Stadium.