Roegner Roughed Up in 7-5 Loss to Hillcats

LYNCHBURG, VA - Cam Roegner saw his scoreless inning streak come to an end at 31.1 innings after allowing three runs in the third and five earned runs overall during a 7-5 loss to the Hillcats on Wednesday night at City Stadium in Lynchburg.

Roegner (6-2, 1.41) worked through a scoreless first and second, before later allowing three runs and three hits in the third while seeing the Hillcats (25-24) snap his consecutive scoreless starts streak at four and his scoreless innings run at 31.1 innings. They also scored three more runs (two earned) against Roegner in the fifth while knocking him out of the game. 
In all, Roegner worked through four plus innings and allowed six runs (five earned) on seven hits. He also walked one and struck out four while suffering his first loss since May 2. 
The Mudcats (26-26) had led 4-0 entering the third before Lynchburg rallied back with three runs in the same frame to cut the lead down to one at 4-3. All four Carolina runs where allowed in by Lynchburg's starter Felix Tati, but those four runs were all that Tati (2-1, 3.27) allowed as he went on to earn the victory. Tati struck out five, walked two and allowed four runs on five hits while earning his first victory at City Stadium this season.
Keston Hiura sparked Carolina's three run first inning rally by reaching on a one-out single off Tati in the opening frame. Following a walk by Tucker Neuhaus, Hiura would then go on to score from second a flare RBI single to right from Ronnie Gideon. Weston Wilson followed with a run scoring double and a Luis Aviles Jr. Jr. sacrifice fly later in the inning would put the Mudcats up 3-0 in the opening frame.
Wilson later struck again in the third after hitting his team leading sixth home run of the season. The home run gave Carolina its 4-0 lead, but the Hillcats eventually answered with three in the bottom of the third, before later taking the lead with three runs in the fifth. Wilson went 2-for-5 with a home run, a double and two RBI in the loss for Carolina.
It was a wild pitch lost by Roegner with two-outs in the third that plated the first Lynchburg run of the game. A two-run double moments later from Tanner Brooks scored the other two as the Hillcats cut the lead to 4-3. The Lynchburg fifth later included a run scoring double from Jodd Carter and then a throwing error from Gideon to first that brought across two more Lynchburg runs.
Lynchburg had a 6-4 lead heading into the Carolina half of the sixth, but a Max McDowell RBI single to right quickly brought the Mudcats back within one at 6-5. McDowell went 2-for-4 with a RBI in the loss for the Mudcats.
Lynchburg's Anthony Miller started the sixth with a solo home run, thus lifting the Hillcats to the 7-5 lead in the second game of the series. Miller's homer was hit off reliever Alec Kenilvort who had originally took over for Roegner in the fifth. Kenilvort retired the three he faced in order to close out the fifth, before giving up Miller's home run to start the sixth. Overall, Kenilvort allowed just the one run on one hits over two innings pitched. He also walked one and struck out two.
Nattino Diplan later worked the final two innings for the Mudcats and managed to toss two scoreless frames following Kenilvort. Diplan also walked one and struck out two in what was his first appearance back with the Mudcats after a brief stint on the Helena Brewers roster.
The Hillcats bullpen followed Tati after the sixth and went on to hold Carolina to just one other run over the latter half of the game. Felix Jimenez worked through two innings and allowed a run on two hits while earning his second hold of the season. Billy Strode retired two batters in the eighth and James Karinchak (S, 4) eventually earned the save after holding Carolina scoreless for part of the eighth and all of the ninth.
The victory lifted the Hillcats into a 1-1 tie in the three game series. The series final and rubber game of the series is scheduled for Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. at City Stadium in Lynchburg. The game will air on the Mudcats Radio Network, the Big Dawg 98.5 FM and via TuneIn Radio at carolinamudcats.com.
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