Prasch has breakout night, sparking Hillcats

Eddie Prasch never knows when his next at-bat will come. He never knows when he’ll see him name scribbled on the lineup card that’s posted each afternoon in the Hillcats’ clubhouse. It’s not exactly easy for the former third-round draft pick to find and stay in a groove.

Yet this is a tack Prasch elects not to take, an excuse he refuses to make. He still takes batting practice every day. He still works feverishly with hitting coach Dave Howard on his swing. He’s just struggled to find any sort of consistency this season.

Maybe Wednesday night’s 3-for-4 performance in Lynchburg’s 6-3 win over Potomac was a blip. Maybe it’s the start of a strong closing stretch for Prasch. Whatever Wednesday represented, Hillcats manager P.J. Forbes smiles when he sees a player’s hard work is rewarded, even for just a night.

“He and Dave have been working really hard on his preparation to hit,” Forbes said. “You should see it in BP. I know it‘s only BP, but when you see a guy barrel balls and hit line drives to both sides of the field, you know he‘s getting a feel for what he‘s doing.”

The depth of Prasch’s season-long slump was astonishing. Only five times this season has he strung together a two-game hitting streak, and his longest run of success came June 13-16 when he hit safely in three straight games. He last had a multi-hit game last September, when he picked up two hits against Salem in the season finale.

His last three-hit game? You have to go back to June 8, 2008, more than 13 months ago.

“It’s been just kind of tough getting things rolling,” Prasch said. “The biggest thing is just finding a consistent approach. … You’ve got to be ready to play every day. When you get a chance, you’ve got to be ready.”

Prasch entered Wednesday’s game hitting .142 and raised his average nearly 20 points to .161 with a single, double and triple. He drove in two runs and hit the ball to both sides of the field, showing the same things in a game setting that has been present in BP.

Prasch hit .271 in a full season in Lynchburg a year ago, so the precipitous drop in batting average has been startling. With six weeks to play, though, he hopes Wednesday’s game will represent a turning point.

“Basically, I’ve struggled all year, and this last month and a half is real important,” Prasch said. “I’ve got to start hitting the ball more consistently and just start doing a better job, and just try to turn it around a little bit.”

The bottom three hitters in Lynchburg’s lineup—Erik Huber, Prasch and Ciro Rosero—went a combined 8-for-11, and the Hillcats went 7-for-12 with runners in scoring position. Erik Huber, who was promoted from Low-A West Virginia last Saturday, continued his hot start, going 3-for-4 with an RBI to raise his average to .438.

“He’s held his own,” Forbes said. “He’s come in here and has been aggressive and played a very good right field to this point and has swung the bat. He’s been a very good addition.”