Hillcats force fifth game in Northern Division playoffs

WILMINGTON, Del. — Lynchburg rallied from behind twice Saturday night to earn a 5-2 win over Wilmington and even the Northern Division Championship Series at two games apiece.

Tony Sanchez blasted a two-run homer in the eighth inning to give the Hillcats the lead for good. Game five is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. tonight at City Stadium with the winner advancing to the Mills Cup Championship.

Wilmington plated the first run of the contest in the bottom of the first inning to take a 1-0 lead.

Lynchburg responded with an unearned run in the second inning when the Blue Rocks’ Eric Hosmer committed an error on a ground ball off the bat of Alex Presley to tie the game at one.

The Hillcats defense gave the Blue Rocks an unearned run back in the third inning when they committed a pair of errors.

The scored stayed that way until the sixth inning when the ’Cats would rally again. Alex Presley hit an infield single to knot up the game at two a piece.

In the bottom of the eighth, Lynchburg would take the lead for good on the homer by Sanchez, the fourth overall pick in this year’s draft by the Pirates.

The Hillcats padded their lead in the ninth when Chase d’Arnaud smashed another homer.

That lead would hold up thanks to another outstanding effort by the Hillcats pitching staff. Starter Nate Adcock allowed just one earned run in five innings of work and the win went to Matt McSwain (1-0) who worked the final four innings without allowing a run. The loss went to Carlos Rivas (0-1).