Astros blast Mets in 8-0 shutout, no-hitter broken up in 8th inning
Published on June 28, 2013 under Appalachian League (ApL)
Greeneville Astros News Release
Greeneville, TN "" The Greeneville Astros shutout the Kingsport Mets, 8-0, on Thursday night at Pioneer Park and fell just four outs shy of completing a combined no-hitter. Right-hander Jandel Gustave pitched six no-hit innings and Sebastian Kessay pitched one before the Mets finally got a two-out single in the eighth inning off J.D. Osborne. Altogether, the three Greeneville pitchers combined for two hits, three walks and 14 strikeouts on the night.
Gustave gave up a leadoff walk to start the game, but struck out the next two batters before getting a fly out to centerfielder Tanner Mathis. Then, in the bottom of the first, Mathis led off with a single, advanced to second on a balk and third on a passed ball before scoring on a Juan Santana sacrifice fly.
Holding a 1-0 lead, Gustave hit the Mets' leadoff batter to start the second inning before striking out the side. In the third and fourth innings, he picked up two more strikeouts while a walk and fielding error provided the only baserunners. Then, after three up and three down in the fifth inning, Gustave gave up a lead-off walk in the sixth before sitting down the next three.
After allowing no hits over six innings with seven strikeouts and three walks, Gustave was replaced by left-hander Sebastian Kessay in the seventh inning. Kessay worked a quick inning with a ground out and two strikeouts to keep the combined no-hitter intact.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, Alfredo Gonzalez led off with a double for the Astros and advanced to third on a Jack Mayfield sacrifice bunt. Then, Tanner Mathis hit a sacrifice fly to right field allowing Gonzalez to head home and give the Astros a 2-0 lead.
Another lefty, J.D. Osborne, replaced Kessay in the eighth inning for Greeneville. After a strikeout and a ground out, the Mets got their first hit on a Yeixon Ruiz single to left field after 7.2 innings. However, Osborne got a strikeout on the very next batter to end the threat.
Holding a narrow 2-0 lead, the Astros' offense then exploded in the eighth inning to put the game away. Darwin Rivera got it all started with a solo homer, his second of the young season. Then, three runs off RBI-singles from Alfredo Gonzalez and Juan Santana were sandwiched in-between a run-scoring error and a wild pitch to give the Astros a six-run inning.
Up 8-0, Osborne returned for the Astros in the ninth inning, gave up one more single and struck out three. He finished with a total of five strikeouts over two innings with two hits and earned his second save of the season. Meanwhile, for Gustave, he picked up his first win in two starts.
Greeneville will be looking for a sweep of Kingsport in game three of the series on Friday. First pitch is set for 7:00pm. There will be a pre-game performance from the Caribbean Cowboys Band at 5:30pm. For more information on the Greeneville Astros please visit www.greenevilleastros.com or call (423) 638-0411.
Appalachian League Stories from June 28, 2013
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- Astros blast Mets in 8-0 shutout, no-hitter broken up in 8th inning - Greeneville Astros
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