Hillman pitching better than record

It wasn’t the 21st birthday present Captains pitcher Juan Hillman wanted.

Making his eighth start of the season on May 15 against the South Bend (Ind.) Cubs at Classic Park, Hillman surrendered four runs on six hits in 6 2/3 innings. He took the loss in what ended as a 4-3 victory for the visitors.

The left-hander from Texas, now 0-6 with a 5.86 ERA, had two bad innings and four-plus good innings. He gave up two runs in the top of the first inning and two more in the top of the seventh. In between scoring outbursts, he posted seven strikeouts, did not issue a walk and showed better than his won-lost record and ERA would suggest.

“This felt like my best outing of the season,” Hill said. “I was able to throw all three pitches for strikes. It’s my first start this year with no walks, and that’s good,” Hillman said.

Hillman might have eked out his first win of the season had the Captains not run into South Bend lefthander Ricky Tyler Thomas on a night when the 22-yearold left-hander from Texas was dealing.

Thomas (2-3, 2.86 ERA) was nicked for two runs on one hit, a leadoff single in the bottom of the fourth inning by Captains shortstop Ernie Clement, Later in the frame, Clement scored on an RBI fly by Jorma Rodrigues. The Captains scratched out another run in the bottom of the seventh. Beyond that, Thomas dominated Lake County batters and fin-