TGIF for the Hillcats: Friday spearheads attack

By Andy Bitter

Published: May 7, 2008

After three at bats Wednesday, Brian Friday had a single, a double and a triple on his résumé. All that remained for the cycle was a home run, the most difficult leg for the Hillcats shortstop, who has just three long balls in his brief minor league career.
So when he stepped to the plate with a runner on in the sixth in his first opportunity to put one over the wall, one thing naturally popped in his head.
Bunt.
“That was stupid,” said Friday, whose team had a five-run lead at the time. “I definitely don’t think about hitting home runs and I figured it was still a ballgame and we’re playing for that one run because that’s my role.
“Looking back, I wouldn’t have done it”
Friday doubled in his final at bat, settling for a 4-for-4 day with three runs scored in Lynchburg’s 10-2 win against Winston-Salem (13-16).
A night after being stymied by Warthogs ace Aaron Poreda, the Hillcats (14-18) busted out for 15 hits, scoring a run in every inning except the second and seventh.
“We got good pitches to hit, and we didn’t miss them when we got them,” Lynchburg manager Jeff Branson said.
“Nobody is worried about (Tuesday’s) game when we got one-hit,” Friday said. “We’re confident and in the last week or so, we’ve been swinging it pretty well.”
Kent Sakamoto went 3-for-5 with a double and three RBIs and Jim Negrych was 1-for-3 with a double, two runs and two RBIs.
Jamie Romak finished things off by crushing a home run in the eighth, his second homer in five days since joining the team from extended spring training.
But it was Friday who was the most locked in. The leadoff man broke his bat in his first two at bats, singling up the middle in the first and clubbing a ball off the left field wall in the third.
In the fourth, he laced a ball down the right field line and into the corner. Friday rounded second and was dead set on third, disregarding Branson, who was giving him the stop sign as third base coach.
“To be honest with you, I don’t look,” Friday said. “If I think I need help, I look. I generally go off instincts. … If I looked up I probably would have stopped.”
“It’s all right,” Branson said. “It worked out.”
Angel Gonzalez, who was 2-for-5, singled Friday home to give Lynchburg a 6-2 lead.
Hillcats starter Michael Crotta got within one out of the decision. The right-hander gave up solo home runs to Salvador Sanchez and Francisco Hernandez in his 4 2/3 innings before coming out of the game because of a pitch count.
Though reliever Jake Cuffman got the final out of the fifth, it was Eric Krebs (1-1) who was credited with the win after pitching shutout innings in the sixth, seventh and eighth.
The only drama that remained was whether Friday could finish the cycle, something he’s never done.
He didn’t get the homer, instead lacing a double to left in the seventh to complete his first four-hit day since being drafted last June.
“It’s tough to get a triple and a home run combo going,” Friday said. “You definitely have to get that out of the way first and then worry about the other stuff.”
NOTES: Winston-Salem starter Jacob Rasner (2-3) gave up six runs on eight hits in four innings to take the loss. … Romak’s home run off Matt Zaleski was one of the longest in City Stadium this year. It also served as a nice bit of revenge. Zaleski hit him with a pitch two innings earlier. “He wasn’t too happy about them hitting him,” Friday said. “That (homer) was very far.”