Carolina beats Lynchburg, second game suspended

July 20, 2024 – Carolina League (CarL)
Carolina Mudcats Press Release

ZEBULON, N.C. – The Carolina Mudcats defeated the Lynchburg Hillcats 2-1 Saturday night at Five County Stadium in the first game of a doubleheader. The night cap of the twin bill was suspended due to rain in the fourth inning.

Carolina (51-35 overall, 10-11 second half) jumped ahead in the third on an infield single by Filippo Di Turi and on the play Cooper Pratt raced from second base to score and give the Mudcats the lead. The lead grew to 2-0 in the fourth on a Yhoswar Garcia sacrifice fly.

Lynchburg (48-40 overall, 11-11 in the second half) got on the board in the fifth inning against Jefferson Figueroa (W, 4-2) with consecutive doubles by Wuilfredo Antunez and Christian Knapczyk, cutting the lead in half.

They wouldn’t get any closer than that, as Tyler Bryant (S, 2) played a perfect ninth inning to give the Mudcats a win in the opening game of the dual program.

Mudcats right-handed pitcher Josh Knoth, who played no role in the decision, threw four innings with no hits and struck out three.

GAME 2

Lynchburg took a 3-1 lead in the first two innings of the game thanks to an RBI single by Robert Lopez and a bases loaded walk for Ralphy Velazquez in the second inning, giving them a 2-1 lead.

In the third period, the Hillcats extended their lead thanks to a two-out knockout by Jose Pastrano, making it 3-1.

Carolina hit a big one in the bottom of the third inning, with Yophery Rodriguez hitting his seventh home run of the season over the right-field wall to tie the score at 3-3.

As the match entered the fourth frame, a heavy storm arose. The tarpaulin had to be pulled over the field and the match was postponed until Sunday.

The two clubs will resume their battle on Sunday afternoon at 12:00 in the fourth inning, with the score tied (3-3).

After the game, there will be a 30-minute break and a seven-inning game will be played to close out the series. In the final game, Carolina will send RHP Bishop Letson (1-4, 3.02) to the mound and Lynchburg will counter with RHP Alex Clemmey (1-3, 4.75).

Single game tickets, season ticket packages, mini-tickets, group options, as well as luxury suite packages and DRB Homes Sky Lounge reservations at the US Foods Club Level are also still available now at www.carolinamudcats.com, by calling (919) 269-2287 and by stopping by the front desk at Five County Stadium in Zebulon.

• Discuss this story on the Carolina League message board…

The opinions expressed in this press release are those of the organization issuing the press release and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.