Chiang Goes Eight Innings in 6-2 Win

Seven innings apparently became old hat for Shao-Ching Chiang. After going that distance in each of his previous three starts, Chiang went eight innings Friday night to earn his fourth consecutive victory in a 6-2 Hillcats win at Pfitzner Stadium.

Chiang (4-1, 1.83) is tied for the league lead in victories and ranks fourth in ERA. The right-hander struck out three and walked one in 94 pitches to become the first Hillcat to complete eight innings since D.J. Brown did it on July 11, 2015. Leandro Linares worked a scoreless ninth in the rain to end the contest. Joan Baez (0-4) took the loss in his fifth start of the season, surrendering three runs, one earned, in 5 1/3 innings.
Lynchburg claimed the early lead with two unearned runs in the first. Ka'ai Tom reached on an error by the second baseman. He scored whenConnor Marabell singled to left and an ensuing error allowed Tom to plate the first run of the game. Sicnarf Loopstok, in his first at-bat since returning from the Disabled List, ripped an RBI double to left-center field to make it 2-0.
The Hillcats stretched it to 3-0 in the second when the combination of three hits eventually led to Andrew Calica driving in Willi Castro.
After Potomac cut it to 3-2 with a run in the fifth and sixth stanzas, the Hillcats answered with a run in the seventh when Yonathan Mendoza singled, advanced to second on a walk, moved to third on a Willi Castro sacrifice bunt, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Ivan Castillo. Loopstok opened the ninth with a double, and Daniel Salters knocked him in with a single to right. An RBI double off the bat of Castilloplated Mendoza to push the final margin to 6-2.
Lynchburg and Potomac will face off in a doubleheader Saturday at 5:30 p.m. Matt Esparza (1-2, 2.77) will start the first game of the twin bill. Both seven-inning affairs can be heard live at www.lynchburg-hillcats.com, beginning at 5:30.