For three months, the Hillcats patiently waited for everything — solid pitching, timely hitting and reliable fielding — to come together in one enjoyable, prolonged stretch, even if it was for just a week.

It doesn’t bother Hillcats right fielder Jamie Romak that he tied Frederick’s Matt Wieters for the league’s home run lead a week after the Orioles’ catcher of the future earned a promotion to Double A.

It was a little sloppy, which matched the conditions on umbrella giveaway night, but the Lynchburg Hillcats ral-lied from a 7-3 deficit to pick a 8-7 victory over visiting Winston-Salem on Saturday.

It took the Hillcats more than 50 games to string together their first three-game winning streak this season. Since then, they’ve done it two more times, including three W’s that sandwiched this week’s all-star break.

The Hillcats so enjoyed last week’s walk-off win — their first all season — that they figured they’d try it again Thursday.

With the all-star break just innings away and the Hillcats rolling to an easy victory, storm clouds perched on the horizon, ready to soak away a perfectly good Sunday afternoon and delay what to that point had been a quick game.

Pomp and circumstance usually accompany a walk-off win.

There was hope that the Carolina League’s one-day first half break would serve as an Etch A Sketch for the woeful Hillcats. Just shake things up a little and voila! Fresh starts all around.

The first half of the Carolina League season is officially over, and to that the Hillcats say good riddance.

Today marks the end of the first half of a Carolina League season that, by all measures, has been mostly regrettable for the Hillcats.

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of one of the most dominant teams in Carolina League history — a 1983 Lynchburg Mets squad that featured Dwight Gooden and Lenny Dykstra — the Hillcats donned retro L-Mets jerseys for their game against Kinston on Friday.

Jake Cuffman’s pitch came high and tight, and Kinston’s Carlos Rivero twisted to the ground like someone who had just avoided a bruise.

The Lynchburg Hillcats were trying to extend their winning streak to a season-long four, but instead they were battered for 11 hits in an 11-3 loss to the Myrtle Beach Pelicans Tuesday night at BB&T Coastal Field.

SALEM — Lynchburg came out on top of its three-game series with the Salem Avalanche, 2-1, thanks to Sunday afternoon’s 8-3 victory.

Mike Steele knows how quickly a career can end. The new Hillcats pitching coach recited this fact from memory: The average pro baseball career is over at age 26.