Three Potomac pitchers combined on a four-hit shutout and climbed out of the Carolina League North cellar with a 3-0 win over Lynchburg.
All four hits were given up by the starter Luis Reyes, who won for the first time in three starts and did not issue a walk for the first time this season. While he was not overpowering, he did strike out seven over six innings.
Reyes also got some help with some bad baserunning. In the 4th, he plunked Willi Castro, who stole second and inexplicably tried to advance to third on a flyball to medium left field. Jack Sundberg connected with Kelvin Gutierrez with the average throw that was necessary to make Castro pay for the mistake.
As the low score suggests, Hillcats preying mantis starting pitcher Triston McKenzie was nearly the equal of Reyes on the mound (on the scales? Well, let’s just say “Oil Can” Boyd would call him fat).
McKenzie’s one bad inning was a leadoff single to Gutierrez, followed by a walk to Ian Sagdal (the only one he gave up in 7IP), then a bunt single by Sundberg. Rhett Wiseman drove in Gutierrez with a sac fly for the early 1-0 lead.
It stayed that way until the bottom of the 8th when a walk, a single by Matt Page, and another HBP of you-know-who loaded the bases with one out. Austin Davidson whiffed but Taylor Gushue, team leader in RBI, worked the count full and drove in the two insurance runs to give the Potomac ‘pen some breathing room.
Kyle Schepel took the mound in the 9th after two strong innings by veteran Nolan Sanburn, who survived an error and a passed ball that put the tying run on third with nobody out with some help from Victor Robles (snagged a line to shallow center) and Davidson (gunned down the runner at the plate on a high tapper to second), and set the side down in order for his second save.
The four-game series/homestand concludes tonight with a matchup of LHP Grant Borne (1-1, 0.96)vs. RHP Shao-Ching Chiang (7-2, 2.70)