Hillcats leave Salem with a split of two-game series

The Lynchburg Hillcats split a short two-game road trip with a 6-2 loss to the Salem Red Sox on Monday at Lewis-Gale Stadium.

The Red Sox jumped out early on Lynchburg starting pitcher Chi-Hung Cheng with three runs in the first and two in the second. Cheng, who yielded four earned runs and nine hits in five innings pitched, was charged with his first loss since May 20. All three of his losses have come on the road.

The Hillcats bats were hand-cuffed for the first six innings before breaking through with runs in the seventh and eighth. Jordy Mercer, Matt Hague and Jared Keel all had two hits for Lynchburg.

The Hillcats, who dropped to 2-3 in the second half of the Carolina League season, stranded nine batters. They take on Salem again today in the friendly confines of City Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05.