Carolina League baseball on a tear

By Andy Bitter

Published: July 8, 2008

Jamie Romak set 30 home runs as his preseason goal, one that seemed to be out of reach when the Hillcats slugger missed the first month of the season while rehabbing from offseason elbow surgery.

With two more blasts in the Hillcats’ 5-1 win against Frederick on Monday, that goal might not seem so farfetched.

Romak hit home runs No. 16 and 17 at City Stadium, the seventh multi-homer game of his career. It was his fifth multiple home run game as a Hillcat and his second this year.

But is 30 attainable?

“Yeah, absolutely,” said Romak, who hit 20 between Low-A Hickory and Lynchburg in an injury-shortened 2007. “What are we, one week into July? That gives me pretty much the entire month of July and August. If I do my job, then it should be.”

The home runs moved Romak past Frederick catcher Matt Wieters for the Carolina League home run lead. Wieters hit 15 before earning a promotion to Double-A Bowie at the end of June.

The Hillcats’ single-season home run record is 29, set by current Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramirez in 1997. While an imminent promotion to Double-A Altoona would preclude Romak from reaching that mark, with a few more big swings, he could be the first Hillcat since Pat Magness in 2005 to club 20 in a year.

His first homer came in his first at bat. Frederick (6-12) had thrown him almost exclusively sliders the day before with some success, so Keys starter Jake Renshaw (7-9) continued that trend. Romak saw a handful of sliders in the count, which ran to 3-2 before he jumped all over one that caught too much of the inside part of the plate and hit it out to left.

“Good hitters make an adjustment during an at bat,” Romak said. “Decent hitters will make adjustments during a game. It took me a day to make an adjustment.

“It’s a little late. I’d like to make it quicker, but at least I was able to get it done tonight.”

Two innings later — with another full count — Romak did it again, launching an inside changeup toward the left field foul pole. It snuck just inside of it for a two-run homer that gave the Hillcats (11-7) a 4-0 lead.

“I want to be aggressive early (in the count), but if you watch the game, I’m not getting a lot of good pitches to hit,” said Romak, who had a full count in all four of his at bats. “That’s the challenge of hitting in the four hole. That’s how they’re going to pitch you.”

Romak had two more chances at becoming the first Hillcat to hit three home runs in a game since Adam Boeve did it against Winston-Salem on May 14, 2005. But he struck out looking in the fifth and flied out to right in the eighth.

His homers were more than enough for Lynchburg starter Brian Holliday (3-8), who continued his string of solid starts by striking out a season-high seven and giving up one run in six innings.

Holliday had just one inning where nobody reached base (he gave up seven hits and walked one), but the left-hander never looked rattled, stranding six Keys in as many innings, four of which were in scoring position.

“You always feel good when you strand guys out there,” Holliday said. “But at the same time, you don’t want to put yourself in that situation.”

Though his ERA remains at 5.93 for the season, Holliday has allowed three runs or fewer in four of his last five starts. It’s his second win in a row after losing nine straight decisions.

“Every outing that he goes out, you can see more and more confidence in him,” Lynchburg manager Jeff Branson said. “Regardless of the situation, he’s making sure he’s staying focused.”

NOTES: Renshaw earned an ejection from home plate umpire A.J. Johnson for arguing that Romak’s second home run was a foul ball.

… The Carolina League released its annual Top 30 prospects list, and four Hillcats made the cut — LHP Daniel Moskos, SS Brian Friday, 3B Jim Negrych and Romak. … Eric Krebs and Jake Cuffman combined for three shutout innings. Krebs had three strikeouts in his two innings. … Lynchburg has won 11 of 14 since starting the second half 0-4.