Winston-Salem Warthogs First Baseman Brandon Allen HIts for Cycle, but Lynchburg Hillcats Prevail 12-11

MLN - THE RAW FEED - www.mlntherawfeed.com - WINSTON-SALEM, NC – Warthogs first baseman Brandon Allen went 5-for-5 including the rare feat of hitting for the cycle, but it was not enough as the Lynchburg Hillcats outslugged Winston-Salem 12-11 on Wednesday afternoon with the wind blowing out at Ernie Shore Field.  Allen raced for a triple to lead off the ninth inning to complete his monstrous day that included a solo home run in the second inning, a single in the fourth and doubles in the fifth and seventh inning.  He scored four runs, tallied two RBI and extended his hitting streak to 14 games.



The Hillcats roared to an early lead with five runs in the first inning off Warthogs starting pitcher Matt Long.  The outburst was highlighted by a bases-clearing ADVERTISEMENT double by Tony Mansolino.  Allen’s solo home run in the second inning and three more runs in the third inning off Lynchburg starter Daniel Moskos brought Winston-Salem within a run at 5-4.



The Warthogs completed the comeback with a pair of runs in the fifth inning on back-to-back RBI doubles by Javier Colina and Allen to take a 6-5 lead.  The advantage was short-lived as Lynchburg responded emphatically with four runs in the sixth inning and three more runs in the seventh to take a 12-6 lead.



Another RBI double by Cruz in the bottom of the seventh inning and a two-run home run by John Shelby II, who extended his hitting streak to 12 games, pulled Winston-Salem with three runs entering the ninth frame.  Allen completed the cycle with a leadoff triple against Hillcats closer Adam Simon.  An RBI ground out by C.J. Retherford brought Allen across the plate and a solo homer by Anderson Gomes with two outs cut the Warthogs deficit to one at 12-11, but Simon got Francisco Hernandez to fly out to end the game.



The teams combined for 25 hits with 19 extra-base hits.  Lynchburg tallied eight doubles and a home run, while the Warthogs smacked six doubles, a triple and three home runs.  Moskos allowed six runs in 4 1/3 innings, but didn’t factor in the decision as Kyle Pearson tossed 2/3 of inning of relief to collect the win.  Long took the loss for the Warthogs after surrendering eight runs in five innings.



These two teams will conclude their four-game series on Thursday night at Ernie Shore Field.  Winston-Salem will send RHP John Ely (1-4, 3.51) to the mound, while Lynchburg will counter with LHP Brian Holliday (1-1, 3.21).  The first pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m.

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