Astros lose 5-run lead, fall to Royals 9-8 on walkoff
Published on July 1, 2014 under Appalachian League (ApL)
Greeneville Astros News Release
Burlington, NC - The Burlington Royals (6-6) and Greeneville Astros (4-8) squared off in a wild game to conclude their three-game series at Burlington Athletic Stadium on Monday night. After the Astros had built a 7-2 lead, the Royals rallied back to go ahead 8-7 by the end of the eighth inning. Then, with two outs in the top of the ninth, the Astros fought to tie the game only to have the Royals win it in the bottom of the ninth on a walkoff single to complete a series sweep.
In this back-and-forth match-up, the Royals struck first with two solo homers. Chase Vallot hit his in the first inning and D.J. Burt matched it in the third to give Burlington the initial 2-0 advantage.
In the fourth inning, the Astros exploded with a six-run inning to take a healthy four-run lead. It all began with a Jacob Nottingham RBI single after consecutive walks to start the inning. Ramon Laureano added a second run with a sacrifice bunt. Then, with the bases loaded, Jason Martin cleared them all with a three-run triple. Finally, Sean McMullen hit a sacrifice fly to put the Astros up 6-2.
The Astros added to their lead in the sixth inning. With two outs and Juan Santana on first after a single, Sean McMullen singled and advanced to second on an error while Santana came around for a score to give the Astros a five-run lead.
In the seventh inning, the Royals cut into the lead with an Amalami Fukofuka RBI triple, but it was the eighth inning when they did the most damage.
Chase Vallot led off with a double and Brandon Dulin followed with a two-run homer. Then, Jose Martinez hit a two-run double to suddenly tie the game at 7-7. However, before the inning was over, a D.J. Burt RBI single gave the Royals a five-run inning and an 8-7 lead.
Needing to score a run in the ninth to keep their hopes alive, the Astros' Trent Woodward came through with a two-out double to get into scoring position. Then, Yonathan Mejia singled on a ground ball into center field to bring Woodward home to even the game back up.
In the bottom of the ninth, the Royals quickly found themselves with two outs before Cristian Cano got on base with a fielding error. Then, after a bunt single put runners at first and second, Angelo Castellano singled on a line drive into right field for the walkoff single.
Burlington's Andrew Brockett (2-1) was the winning pitcher for the Royals after going the final two innings and giving up one earned run on three hits with one strikeout.
The Astros will head to Kingsport on Tuesday to face the Mets before the first league-wide off day of the season on Wednesday. Game time is set for 7:00pm.
Appalachian League Stories from July 1, 2014
- Astros lose 5-run lead, fall to Royals 9-8 on walkoff - 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.
