Hillcats Overpower Mudcats 

Lynchburg, VA - Yainer Diaz set a 2021 record with five RBIs and Jaime Arias fanned nine batters to lift the Lynchburg Hillcats (37-35) to an 11-8 victory over the Carolina Mudcats (44-29) on Tuesday night at Bank of the James Stadium.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Petey Halpin got the ball rolling for Lynchburg in the bottom of the first inning, ripping a double off Carolina starter Michele Vassalotti right away. Angel Martinez knocked Halpin home with a double of his own and Yainer Diaz continued the party with an RBI single that scored Martinez. The trio of hits gave Lynchburg an immediate 2-0 lead after the first inning of play.
• After nobody scored in the second, the Mudcats got on the board in a big way in the top of the third. Ernesto Martinez drew a rare walk against Jaime Arias (6-2), coming home when Noah Campbell went yard to left-center field. The homer tied the game at two apiece with just one out. Mudcats’ second baseman Gabe Holt followed with a single, scoring when Freddy Zamora roped a two-bagger. Arias retired two straight to end the frame, but Carolina snatched a one-run lead.
• Lynchburg responded immediately when Halpin came up with a big hit again, this time blasting a triple to left. Diaz picked up his second RBI with a sacrifice fly to center field that allowed Halpin to score and tie the game at three apiece.
• The Hillcats went up two in the bottom of the fourth when Andres Melendez and Christian Cairo both grabbed RBIs on a single and a sacrifice fly, respectively.
• The ‘Cats pounced when Carolina made a pitching change in the fifth. With Angel Martinez on the basepaths, Yainer Diaz smoked a two run home run on new Mudcats’ pitcher Juan Geraldo to make it 7-3 Lynchburg.
• Carolina scored in the top of the sixth inning with Hillcats’ reliever Jake Forrester on the mound. However, Lynchburg poured on four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning. A triple from Martinez, a double from Diaz, and another triple from Jhonkensy Noel added two more runs.
• Noel came home when Julian Escobedo crushed his third home run in two weeks over the wall in right field, extending the Hillcats lead to 11-4.
• Carolina tried to launch a comeback, getting two run shots from both Joey Weimer and Freddy Zamora in the eighth in the ninth, but Hillcats reliever Daritzon Feliz held the Mudcats off to secure an 11-8 victory for Lynchburg.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Halpin, Martinez, and Diaz all had a multi-hit and multi-run game.
• Carolina actually out-hit Lynchburg, knocking 13 hits to the Hillcats 11.

WHAT’S NEXT

The Hillcats take on the Mudcats in game two Wednesday night at 6:30pm. Brauny Munoz will take the mound for Lynchburg.