Hillcats split doubleheader against Dash

Li-Jen Chu delivered a walk-off double in the opener to lift Lynchburg to a 4-3 victory, but the Dash responded with a dominating 9-3 win in the nightcap to split the doubleheader at Calvin Falwell Field.

The split, coupled with Salem’s sweep of Frederick, allowed the Red Sox to take a half-game lead in the Northern Division standings over the Hillcats (11-8).

In the opener, Conner Capel drew a leadoff walk against Mike Morrison (3-1), and Chu followed with a double to right field to easily score Capel.

Dalbert Siri (1-1) pitched a scoreless seventh inning to pick up the victory in the opener.

The Dash (11-9) tied the game with two runs in the top of the fifth on Yermin Mercedes’ RBI double and Yeyson Yrizarri’s sacrifice fly.

Micker Adolfo hit a two-run fifth-inning homer and drove in five runs in the nightcap, a game in which the Dash rattled off 16 hits, including seven doubles.

Adolfo and Luis Alex Basade each had a pair of two-base hits.

Alex Call went 4 for 4.

Capel hit an RBI double to extend his hitting streak to 10 games, and then scored on Jodd Carter’s single in the first inning to tie the nightcap at 2, but the Dash scored twice in the third and three times in the fifth to pull away.

Hillcats starter Tanner Tully entered the nightcap with a 2.00 ERA, but it jumped nearly two runs after he allowed five earned runs on 10 hits in 4 1/3 innings.