Astros Roll to 12-4 Win over Pirates
July 29, 2015 - Appalachian League (ApL)
Greeneville Astros News Release
Bristol, VA - The first place Greeneville Astros put on a hitting clinic Tuesday evening in Bristol against the Pirates in a 12-4 triumph over their Appalachian League West division rivals. The Astros recorded a season-high 18 hits and 12 RBI on the night as they increased their season record to 19-15 at the season's midpoint, placing them two games ahead of the Kingsport Mets in the West division.
Greeneville's offense was productive from all parts of the batting order as every player in the starting lineup reached base at least once, and seven Astros recorded multi-hit nights. Arturo Michelena, Randy Cesar, and Hector Roa lead the attack by going a combined eight-for-fourteen at the plate with eleven RBI. Other Astros with multiple hits included Brauly Mejia at three-for-five as well as Ford Stainback, Justin Garcia, and Kevin Martir with two hits apiece.
The Astros plated five of their twelve runs in the top of the sixth inning behind four hits and two drawn walks. Ford Stainback led off the inning by reaching on an errant throw and advanced to second on a wild pitch from Bristol pitcher Shane Kemp. Randy Cesar then sent a groundball to left field that easily scored Stainback from third for the first run of the inning. Following a Connor Goedert walk, Justin Garcia smacked a single to right field to bring Cesar home from second. Hector Roa came up next and got ahold of a pitch, sending it over the left field wall for a three-run homer, his team-leading fifth home run of the season.
Jose Hernandez picked up the win for the Astros behind another solid outing, pitching for five innings and allowing only five hits while striking out six. The six-foot right-hander has had opponents spinning like tops since joining the team, having struck out 20 batters in his first 13.2 innings pitched for Greeneville. Yhoan Acosta and Starlyng Sanchez combined to pitch the last four innings of the ballgame, striking out a combined four batters while giving up just three total base hits.
Utility infielder Arturo Michelena has come into his own recently. With his four RBI and three-for-five performance at the plate on Tuesday, Michelena increased his hit streak to four games and has six hits in the last three days.
Randy Cesar, hitting in the three hole, had another stellar game at the plate for the Astros. Going three-for-four on the day, Cesar added four RBI to his season total of 16 and cranked his third home run of the year, a two-run blast, on a deep fly ball to left field in the fourth inning.
The Astros will take on the Pirates in Bristol again on Wednesday at 7:00 PM for game two of the three-game series. They will return to Greeneville on Friday, July 31st to take on the Kingsport Mets.
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 29, 2015
- Early Deficit Too Much for Astros to Overcome - Greeneville Astros
- Astros Roll to 12-4 Win over Pirates - Greeneville Astros
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