Hillcats save face, lose game

By Andy Bitter

Published: August 17, 2008

Three outs separated the Hillcats and their first win in a week, a one-run lead serving as their only buffer between victory and a four-game sweep at the hands of visiting Winston-Salem.

But a chance to snap a five-game losing streak took a backseat for a moment Sunday.

Saving face became the top priority.

With that, reliever Eric Krebs drilled Warthogs catcher Adam Ricks with a pitch, prompting an immediate ejection and both benches to clear. Nothing more than staredowns and posturing followed, but the message, despite an eventual 6-5 Lynchburg loss, became clear:

“I’m not going to sit here and let you abuse me and then not do anything back, regardless of the score,” Hillcats manager Jeff Branson said.

Warthogs shortstop Gregory Paiml scored on a wild pitch by Derek Antelo (2-2) in the 10th inning to send the reeling Hillcats (20-36) to their 20th loss in 23 games. But it was of secondary interest to the five innings of escalation that led to the ninth-inning fracas.

The seeds for the staredown were sown in the fifth, when Hillcats designated hitter Miles Durham unsuccessfully attempted to jar the ball loose at home plate by bowling over Ricks. James Barksdale had tried the same thing — with a similar result — in the third inning.

During Durham’s next at bat in the seventh, Warthogs starter Matt Long whizzed a fastball high and tight past Durham’s head, straight to the backstop.

Intentional?

“Ain’t no doubt in my mind,” Branson said. “When it’s that obvious, you have to do what’s right.”

“I guess they thought (running into the catcher) was a dirty play,” said Durham, who hit a two-run double in the fifth that gave the Hillcats a 4-3 lead. “It’s part of the game, playing hard, doing your best to score. There’s nothing dirty about that.”

The situation seemed to be defused until the ninth, when Branson called for Krebs, one of the hardest throwing pitchers in the Hillcats bullpen, on one day’s rest.

The first batter he faced was — guess who? — Ricks. Krebs buzzed him with the first pitch, throwing behind the left-hander’s knees, several feet wide of the catcher’s target. Home plate umpire Wayne Shelton, a replacement for Matt Arcovio, who was on leave for personal reasons, issued warnings to Krebs and both managers.

Krebs’ next pitch was in the same spot with no consequences. His third pitch drilled Ricks in the thigh.

Shelton immediately ejected Krebs and Branson. A few Warthogs trickled onto the field, taking exception to the beanball. Both sides began jawing before the umpires stepped in as the dugouts and bullpens cleared.

“That’s part of the game. You have to be able to protect your teammates,” said Branson, who has been ejected three times this season. “It’s not a good part of the game and you don’t like to see it happen, but it’s inevitable that it’s going to happen at some point in time.”

The bit of baseball policing cost Lynchburg. Salvador Sanchez pinch ran for Ricks, stole second and scored on Freddie Thon’s single off the right field wall to tie the game at 4. Two batters later, Joe Persichina hit an RBI single that put Winston-Salem up 5-4.

Lynchburg tied things on Brian Friday’s two-out single in the ninth, but it merely delayed defeat for another 15 minutes.

Regardless, it was the first time in weeks the Hillcats have shown so much as a pulse on a baseball field, and it came a day after the departure of Pirates farm director Kyle Stark, who issued some parting words to the team.

“When Kyle was here, he expressed to these guys, these last few weeks you’re playing for jobs here next year,” Branson said. “Should it come down to a guy having to say that? No. But when it comes out of the farm director’s mouth, it makes you say, ‘OK, I better pick it up.’”

NOTES: Winston-Salem (32-24) is 1½ games back of Kinston for the final playoff spot in the Southern Division. … Hillcats starter Matt McSwain gave up three runs (two earned) on seven hits in six innings. He struck out three. … Durham had his third straight multi-hit game. … Barksdale was 3-for-4, his third three-hit night of the year. He scored twice and stole a base. … LF Jared Keel (finger) missed his third straight game.