Astros Fall to Cardinals on Extra Innings Walk-Off

July 17, 2015 - Appalachian League (ApL)
Greeneville Astros News Release


Johnson City, TN - The Greeneville Astros (12-11) lost on the road in walk-fashion to the Johnson City Cardinals (11-10), 5-4, in an eleven-inning affair at Howard Johnson Field. With the loss, the Astros are now tied for first place with the Kingsport Mets in the Appalachian League West division.

The game was a stalemate until the bottom of the fourth inning when Johnson City took the 1-0 lead on a Riley Drongesen sacrifice fly to the Astros' centerfielder Luis Payano to score Eliezer Alvarez.

The Astros bounced back to tie the score at 1-1 in the top of the fifth inning as catcher Marlon Avea blasted at home run to left field off of Cardinal starter Ramon Santos.

The shootout continued in the bottom of the fifth as the Cardinal leftfielder Malik Collymore sent one out over the leftfield fence off the Astros' reliever Alejandro Solarte to put Johnson City up by one.

In the top of the sixth Greeneville evened the score at 2-2. The Astros effort began when shortstop Osvaldo Duarte bunted his way on then advanced to third on a throwing error. Duarte scored on a single to centerfield by Ford Stainback.

The game remained deadlocked until the top of the eighth inning when the Astros struck for two runs. Greeneville's Gabriel Bracamonte led off the inning with a line drive double to leftfield then was moved to third during a sacrifice bunt by Payano. Duarte followed by singling Bracamonte in with a knock to left. Stainback smacked a single to left to give the Astros two runners on with the 3-2 lead.

Duarte took third on a wild pitch by Johnson City reliever Chandler Hawkins then scored on an RBI groundout by Brauly Mejia to put the Astros up by two.

The Cardinals answered with two runs in the home half of the eighth to tie the game at 4-4 with Edmundo Sosa scoring on a single by Allen Staton, who proceeded to score the tying run on a groundout by pinch hitter Luke Doyle. They went on to take the series in inning eleven as Alvarez scored the game-winner on a sacrifice fly by Ricardo Bautista.

The Astros were led offensively by Duarte who went two-for-five at the plate with two runs scored and his thirteenth run batted in. Greeneville third basemen Randy Cesar contributed two hits, including a double to extend his hitting streak to six consecutive games. Stainback recorded his pair of singles in four at-bats and his fifth RBI while extending his hitting streak to six games as well.

Avea went one-for-two at the plate as the designated hitter with his first home run and RBI on the year. Bracamonte went one-for-four with his double and his fifth run on the season. Astros right fielder Hector Roa added one hit in five at-bats.

Twenty-year-old right-hander Jose Hernandez started on the mound for Greeneville pitching three and one-third innings allowing just one run on three hits and striking out five.

Lefty Solarte followed in relief tossing one and one-third inning allowing a run on two hits. Acosta, a product of Bonao, Dominican Republic was the third Astro to take the mound and tossed two and one-third innings allowing three hits and two runs while striking out four batters.

Greeneville side-armer Jacob Dorris took the Astros into extra-innings throwing two and two-thirds flawless innings as he struck out three. The final blow by Johnson City came off 20-year-old Joselo Pinales who took the loss with one-third of an inning pitched and one run allowed.

The Astros return home on Saturday for the first matchup of a ten-game home-stand beginning with a three-game set against the Kingsport Mets. First pitch is set for 6 PM and sole possession of first place in the division will be on the line.

The Astros are the Appalachian League affiliate of the Houston Astros. For more information, visit www.greenevilleastros.com or call (423) 638-0411.



Appalachian League Stories from July 17, 2015


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