Alvarez homers twice, Astros win season series over Twins
August 23, 2012 - Appalachian League (ApL)
Greeneville Astros News Release
Elizabethton, TN - Catcher Luis Alvarez homered twice to help lead the Greeneville Astros to a 4-3 win over the Elizabethton Twins at Joe O'Brien Field on Wednesday night. The win also gave the Astros the season series as they will finish the year with a 5-4 record against the Appalachian League's top-ranked Twins.
While Elizabethton has already clinched a playoff berth, Greeneville still needs to make up 1.5 games on the Johnson City Cardinals over their final six contests in order to qualify. However, at 34-28, the Astros have already equaled their highest win total in a season since they finished 34-33 in 2006.
After splitting time between Greeneville and the Class A Lexington Legends, Alvarez came into the night having only 10 at-bats for the Astros over four games this season. On Wednesday, however, the native of Venezuela came through in a big way as he connected on solo homers in both the second and fifth innings. Meanwhile, Greeneville's other two runs came on sacrifice flies from Brian Blasik, who was returning to the field for the first time in a week following a hand injury.
Like it has been for most of their games this season, the Astros and Twins battled in a close one all the way through to the end. With the Astros holding a 2-0 lead heading into the bottom of the second inning, Elizabethton responded with a run apiece over the next two innings. Romy Jimenez hit a solo homer and a sacrifice fly by Max Kepler following a Byron Buxton triple evened the game at 2-2.
After the Astros took back a two-run lead in the fifth inning on Alvarez's second homer followed by Blasik's second sacrifice fly, the Twins got a D.J. Hicks RBI-single with two outs to pull back within one run at 4-3. However, Greeneville's Tanner Bushue, Richard Rodriguez and Michael Hauschild came on in relief and combined to allow one hit, no runs, no walks and had four strikeouts over the final 4.1 innings.
Bushue, who earned the win, entered the game to get the final out in the fifth inning and continued to pitch over the next two innings as well. Over his last 13.0 innings spanning six games, Bushue has now given up just one earned run while striking out 18.
Meanwhile, Hauschild has been impressive in his last six outings as well. After pitching the final inning and picking up his third save of the year, Hauschild has now consecutively gone 8.2 scoreless innings while striking out nine.
The Astros will make their final road trip of the season when they visit the Danville Braves and begin a three-game series on Thursday. For more information on the Greeneville Astros, please visit www.greenevilleastros.com or call (423) 638-0411.
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Appalachian League Stories from August 23, 2012
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