Schlosser puts Hillcats on the brink

If Lynchburg goes on to win the Mills Cup, Gus Schlosser deserves a good chunk of the credit.

The Braves prospect gave up four hits and struck out seven over seven innings in his second straight dominant start Tuesday as the Hillcats beat Winston-Salem, 1-0, to move within one win of the Carolina League championship.

In his first playoff start, Schlosser (2-0) allowed three hits and a walk while fanning six over eight shutout innings against Wilmington, staking Lynchburg to a 1-0 lead in the best-of-3 semifinals.

"The biggest thing is I've kept us in two ballgames and we were able to come out on top twice," the 23-year-old right-hander said. "I try to keep my routine the same as I've been doing all year, just been fortunate to pitch pretty well."

Schlosser has recorded half of the Hillcats' four playoff wins without yielding a run.

Ryne Harper came on in the eighth and struck out two before Juan Jaime -- Atlanta's No. 19 prospect -- worked around a hit over the final 1 1/3 innings to record his third postseason save.

"That was huge," Schlosser said. "Ryne came in and struck out the first two guys he faced and Jaime comes in and does what he always does -- blow it by everybody. Especially in a one-run game, that's big. It was pretty intense.

"With 1-0 games, you take them a little harder either way, because you're just one hit away. So for us to come out on top is huge and will hopefully carry over to [Wednesday]."

Lynchburg has the Dash, who boasted the Minors' best full-season winning percentage, on the ropes.

"I think we're pretty confident," Schlosser said. "We can't take the Winston-Salem team lightly at all because they're very talented. But with a lead at home, everybody's feeling pretty good."

Game 4 is Wednesday in Lynchburg.

The Hillcats scored the only run Schlosser needed in the fifth. With one out, David Rohm hit a ground-rule double off Dash starter Erik Johnson (0-2). Emerson Landoni drew a two-out walk and Dan Brewer followed with an RBI single.

Johnson took the loss, despite yielding just one run on four hits over six innings. The White Sox's No. 8 prospect struck out six and walked two.

Marcus Semien, Chicago's No. 19 prospect, went 2-for-3 with a double for Winston-Salem.