TODAY’S MATCH-UP Hillcats Nationals POTOMAC NATIONALS (30-27) VS LYNCHBURG HILLCATS (27-30) 27-30 Record 30-27 15-13 Home 14-14 Game 58 - Saturday, June 10, 2018 - 2 p.m. - Lynchburg City Stadium 12-17 Road 16-13 W1 Streak L1 1-4 Last 5 3-2 RHP Justin Garza (2-3, 4.65) vs RHP Tyler Mapes (4-1, 2.15) 3-7 Last 10 4-6 LAST GAME: The Hillcats came from behind to beat Potomac in Game One of a double-header, 5-3 on Saturday. Down 2-1 in the fifth, Luke Wakamatsu and Logan Ice both hit two-run doubles to give Lynchburg the lead. Zach Plesac made his return to the 'Cats after a three-start stint in Double-A Akron, and earned the win after allowing three .245 Batting Avg. .279 earned runs on seven hits in five innings, striking out four.James Karinchak logged a season-high two innings to earn his fifth save of the year. Game Two of the double-head- 4.21 ERA 3.87 er was canceled due to rain. .966 Fielding Pct. .971 234 Runs 311 RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY!: If there was one consistency recently, it has been the rain. The Hillcats suffered four rain delays, three postponements, and a cancellation with the 23 HR 50 Buies Creek Astros in the month of May alone. So far, Mother Nature showed no let-up to begin the month of June, forcing another postponement and two cancellations in 206 RBI 292 the Hillcats series against the Frederick Keys and Potomac Nationals. 199 BB 230 483 K 418 WALK THIS WAY: Trenton Brooks has had a knack for working free passes over his last two games. The outfielder has walked five times this series against Potomac, including 30 SB 40 a career-high three in Friday's series-opener. Before this series, Brooks had worked seven walks in his previous 33 games. However, as a team, the Hillcats have walked just 1st HALF STANDINGS 199 times this season, which is the lowest mark in the Carolina League. Northern Division GB LOOKING FOR SOME HOME COOKIN': Lynchburg is looking to flip the script at City Stadium after a 1-4 road trip against Frederick and Wilmington. The Hillcats have strug- Potomac 30-27 .526 -- gled on the road this year with a 12-17 record, but have fared a bit better at home with a 15-13 mark. Salem 28-30 .483 2.5 Lynchburg 27-30 .474 3.0 DILLON DOING WORK: Hillcats infielderDillon Persinger has been on a roll offensively. The 22-year-old has hit safely in 15 of his last 17 games (reached base in 15), and Wilmington 28-34 .452 4.5 is batting .370 (23-for-62) during that span, and has raised his batting average 65 points. Persinger is the second Hillcats hitter to reach base in 15 consecutive games, joining Frederick 25-33 .431 5.5 Mitch Longo (26). He has raised his batting average from .231 to .296 over the streak. The Fountain Valley, Calif. native has played both shortstop and second base for Lynch- burg this season, and has seen consistent playing time after beginning the season in Single-A Lake County. Southern Division Winston-Salem 35-27 .565 -- SCORING FIRST IS KEY: One major point of emphasis this season for Lynchburg has been to score the first run of the ballgame. When the Hillcats plate the first run, they are Buies Creek 34-27 .557 0.5 21-12. When the opponent scores first, Lynchburg is just 6-18 this season. Down East 32-29 .525 2.5 Myrtle Beach 31-30 .508 3.5 ROLLER COASTER RIDE: The Hillcats have enjoyed high peaks and suffered through low valleys throughout the season. They won 8 of 10 games April 16-26, hitting .262 and Carolina 29-32 .475 5.5 posting an ERA of 3.07. They followed it up however by losing 9 of their next 11 games from April 27-May, hitting .205 with a 5.59 ERA. Lynchburg would then win 8 of their SERIES MATCHUP next 9 from May 9-20, hitting .340 as a team with 6 home runs. Most recently, the Hillcats have dropped 7 of 10 after being swept in the previous series against Wilmington and splitting the first two games against Potomac Hillcats vs. POT (since ‘95) ...241-242 WAKA WARMING UP: Hillcats SS Luke Wakamatsu is starting to heat up offensively. The switch-hitter is batting .307 (24-for-78) over his last 22 games. He has six- ex At City Stadium .................125-123 tra-base hits and has eight RBI during that span, including his first home run of the season on May 22 in Myrtle Beach. On May 8, Wakamatsu's batting average was .162, and At Pfitzner Stadium ........... 115-118 he has since raised that to .209 (47 points). He has also hit safely in 16of his past 22 games, and had a go-ahead double in yesterday's win against the P-Nats. 2017 Overall 17-9 JAMES CHAK-ING OUT: James Karinchak has been nearly perfect since being called up to the Hillcats on May 3. The Right-hander has tossed 12.0 innings without allowing a 2017 at City Stadium 8-3 run. He has struck out 21, while allowing just 14 base runners. Combined with his time in Lake County this season, Karinchak has recorded 41 strikeouts in 23.1 innings, while 2017 at Pfitzner Stadium 9-6 opponents are hitting just .188 against him. A 9th round pick out of Bryant in 2017, Karinchak boasts an ERA of 0.39. The right-hander was a starting pitcher in college and for 4/19 L, 5-4 (10) 7/9 vs Potomac half of his first pro season last year, but has made the transition to the bullpen. 4/20 W, 5-3 7/10 vs Potomac 4/21 W, 8-2 7/11 vs Potomac TOP-30 IN LYNCHBURG: Conner Capel (No. 12), Sam Hentges (No. 17), Logan Ice (No. 21), Mitch Longo (No. 27) and Eli Morgan (No. 28) are all Hillcats players that are 4/22 W, 6-4 7/12 vs Potomac ranked on the Indians Top-30 prospect list.. Capel, an outfielder, batted .246 with 22 HR and 61 RBI in 119 games for the Single-A Lake County Captains last season. Hentges, 4/27 L, 9-3 8/21 vs Potomac a left-hander, missed the majority of last season while he was rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. He appeared in 11 total games (all starts) and went 0-4 with a 3.23 ERA be- 4/28 L, 8-3 8/22 vs Potomac tween the AZL Indians and short-season Mahoning Valley. Hentges struck out 41 in 30.2 IP. Ice, a catcher, spent last season with Lake County and hit .228 with 11 HR and 42 4/29 L, 8-4 (10) 8/23 vs Potomac RBI in 93 games. Longo, an outfielder, battled injuries last season and appeared in just 60 games. While he was healthy, he hit a combined .376 with 4 HR and 28 RBI between 5/18 vs POT PPD 8/24 at Potomac Lake County and Lynchburg. Morgan spent all of last season with Short-Season Mahoning Valley. He appeared in 13 games (8 starts) and sported a 3-2 record with a 1.03 ERA 5/19 vs POT W, 12-0 8/25 at Potomac over 35 innings. He walked just nine and struck out 58. He played his college ball at Gonzaga and was drafted in the 8th round of the 2017 MLB draft. 5/20 vs POT W, 9-5 8/26 at Potomac 6/8 vs POT L, 9-3 HILLCATS COACHING STAFF 6/9 vs POT, W, 5-3 (G1, G2 PPD) 6/10 vs Potomac Rougie Odor Tony Arnold Justin Toole Grant Fink Bobby Ruiz Manager (1st Season) Pitching Coach (2nd season) Hitting Coach (1st season) Bench Coach (1st season) Athletic Trainer (4th season) 2018 Overall 6-5 5th overall Career Record: 238-259 26th overall 3rd overall 2nd overall 2018 at City Stadium 3-4 Ruiz is in his eighth season in the Indi- 2018 at Pfitzner Stadium 3-1 ans organization. He graduated from Arnold returns to Lynchburg after serv- 2018 marks Toole’s first year on Odor is entering his 18th year Fink joins the Hillcats as bench the University of La Verne in 2008. He ing as the pitching coach for the Hillcats Lynchburg’s coaching staff and third CATS AT GLANCE coaching in the Indians organization. coach for the first time in 2018, spent two years at the University of He played in the minor leagues for the in 2015. The former right-handed in the Indians organization. The entering his second season as a Connecticut as a Graduate Assistant North Division: 3rd/-3.0 Indians & Brewers from 1988-1995. pitcher played collegiately at the Uni- former infielder played in parts of coach in the Indians organization. Athletic Trainer for the Huskies baseball June: 2-5 Odor brings a decade of skipper expe- versity of Texas and was drafted by the seven minor league seasons with The former infielder was drafted by team, while earning his Master’s degree rience to Lynchburg. He led San Felipe Baltimore Orioles in the 10th round in Cleveland from 2009-2015, reach- Cleveland in the 23 rd round of the Last road trip: 1-4 (2 gms PPD) in the Venezuelan Summer League the 1981 MLB Draft.