Astros Fall to First-Place Yankees
Published on July 11, 2015 under Appalachian League (ApL)
Greeneville Astros News Release
Greeneville, TN - The Greeneville Astros lost Saturday night's home ballgame to the Pulaski Yankees by a score of 9-3. The loss brings Greeneville's record to an even 9-9 on the season and places them in a two-way tie for second place in the Appalachian League West Division with the Elizabethton Twins.
The Astros threw young Yhoan Acosta on the mound to start game one of the three-game series with the Yankees. Acosta, who entered the night with a 2.92 ERA, worked his way through the first inning unscathed, picking up two strikeouts in the process. However, the Yankees' bats struck hard in the top of the second inning as they plated six runs thanks to five hits.
Joselo Pinales entered the game in relief in the top of the second and forced a groundout to end the inning. He remained in the ballgame for the next two innings, allowing only two hits and striking out one. The 6'1 right-hander, who joined the team part way through the season, now boasts a 2.70 ERA with two strikeouts on the year.
Greeneville got a couple runs on the board in the bottom of the third inning to bring the score to 6-2. Luis Payano led off the inning with a blast over the scoreboard in left-centerfield for his second home run of the season. Myles Straw and Ford Stainback then smacked back-to-back singles to right, followed by a walk from Aaron Mizell to load up the bases. A wild pitch from Yankee pitcher Melvin Morla allowed the speedy Straw to score from third on a head-first diving slide into home plate. However, the Astros did not score any more runs as the inning ended with the bases loaded, the first of three times this would occur in the ballgame.
Alejandro Solarte entered the game for the Astros in the fourth inning and pitched two strong innings, surrendering only one run. He was relieved by Andrew Thome in the sixth, who made his first appearance at Pioneer Park Saturday night. Thome, a 22-year-old right-handed pitcher from the University of North Dakota, was promoted from the Gulf Coast League last week and has now pitched three innings of scoreless baseball for the Astros.
Greeneville picked up another run in the bottom of the seventh. Myles Straw led off the inning by drawing his 11th base on balls of the season, placing him in second place in the Appalachian League in the category. Connor Goedert then ripped a liner down the left field foul line that scored Straw from second. For Goedert, it was his 17th consecutive game successfully reaching base on the season. He now leads the Appalachian League in hits, doubles, RBI, OBP, and batting average.
Pulaski picked up another two runs in the top of the ninth inning when Nathan Mikolas homered on a fly ball to right field. Mikolas hit for the cycle on the night, having ripped a double and a single in the first inning, and a triple in the fifth.
Eduardo Rivera recorded the win for the Yankees, pitching three innings in relief, allowing one run and striking out six.
The Astros will take on the Yankees again Sunday, July 12th at Pioneer Park for game two of the three-game home stand. The first pitch is set for 6:00 PM, gates will open at 5:00 PM.
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 11, 2015
- Astros Fall to First-Place Yankees - Greeneville Astros
- Astros Blast Cardinals for Second Straight Win, Take Series - Greeneville Astros
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
