After Sam Haggerty singled with one out in the ninth inning of a 6-6 game, Tanner Chleborad threw a wild pitch that eventually resulted in Haggerty scoring the winning run all the way from first base in front of 3,175 fans at City Stadium Friday Night.
After Sam Haggerty singled with one out in the ninth inning of a 6-6 game, Tanner Chleborad threw a wild pitch that eventually resulted in Haggerty scoring the winning run all the way from first base in front of 3,175 fans at City Stadium Friday Night.
WATCH FINAL PLAY
On the fourth wild pitch of the game for the Frederick pitching staff, Keys catcher Armando Araiza took too long to retrieve the ball from the backstop. That opened the door for Haggerty to attempt advancing to third base on the play. Araiza's throw skipped past the third baseman Shane Hoelscher, and Haggerty sprinted home to end the contest in a 7-6 Hillcats win. It marked the fourth walk-off victory for Lynchburg this year.
Argenis Angulo (3-1) earned the win with a perfect top of the ninth that included a strikeout. Aaron Civale did not factor into the decision despite a quality start that saw him hold Frederick to two runs on nine hits in six innings. He struck out four. As a staff, the Hillcats struck out seven and walked none in the game. Chleborad (0-2) took the loss after the quirky play in the ninth.
Lynchburg never trailed Friday and led by as many as four at one point. Martin Cervenka began the second inning with a solo home run for the first run of the game, but Frederick immediately tied it with one run on three hits in the third.
Leading off the fourth, Sicnarf Loopstok broke the 1-1 tie with a solo home run to left field for his team-leading ninth homer and 37th RBI. Cervenka reached on an error and scored on a base hit by Willi Castro.
Castro added two more RBIs with a sixth-inning double that drove in Ka'ai Tom and Loopstok to stretch the lead to 6-2. Castro finished the contest 2-4 with three RBIs to raise his season total to 33. Frederick tied the game with a pair of homers in the eighth. Ademar Rifaela had a solo blast with one out, and Hoelscher knotted the score at 6-all with a three-run shot to left field.
The Hillcats improved to 27-4 when hitting a home run. Lynchburg has 19 home runs in 10 games against Frederick this year compared to 32 homers in 62 contests versus the rest of the league. The 'Cats are 8-2 against the Keys, including 6-0 at home.
Lynchburg plays Frederick again Saturday night at 6 p.m. Triston McKenzie (5-4, 3.28) will start for the 'Cats. Gates open at 5 p.m., and there will be postgame fireworks. The game can be heard live at www.lynchburg-hillcats.com.
