Hillcats Fall in Fourth of July Heartbreaker

The Lynchburg Hillcats lost a heartbreaker to the Salem Red Sox with a final score of 5-4 on Thursday night.

On the final play of the game, Lynchburg brought the winning run to the plate in Ralphy Velazquez. He drove a liner into the gap that scored Manuel Mejias and sent the tying run in Tommy Hawke flying around third. When the dust settled, Hawke was called out in a play at the plate in a controversial call by home plate umpire Zack Hovick.

Salem scored early in often by successfully pulling off a double steal in the second inning to go up 1-0. They would score two more in the third on a double by Nelly Talylor and a single from Marvin Alcantara to push the lead to three.

In the fifth, the Hillcats would botch a rundown between third and home on a ground out that allowed Taylor to score. Once more in the seventh, Brooks Brannon would deliver an RBI to score Albert Feliz.

With Lynchburg down 5-0 heading to the bottom of the seventh, Juan Benjamin would step up with two aboard and one down. He would scrape one over the wall in right field to put the Hillcats on the board, now trailing 5-3. For Benjamin, it was his second home run of the season.

The eighth would go quietly for both teams before Lynchburg would apply some pressure in the ninth. Lynchburg would get two aboard with two away for Ralphy Velazquez who delivered a smooth swing to right-center field. It was a perfect relay throw from Salem as Hawke was tagged out trying to score from first to end the ballgame.

In the ensuing scrum, Hawke and Manuel Mejias were ejected from the ballgame.

Lynchburg has now dropped their last five Fourth of July ballgames, with a streak dating all the way back to 2019.

The Hillcats and Red Sox will square off for game five of the series on Friday afternoon at 6:30 p.m. at Bank of the James Stadium.