Astros' Sixth Inning Magic Leads to Twin Bill Sweep
July 16, 2016 - Appalachian League (ApL)
Greeneville Astros News Release
Greeneville takes series from Yankees with fifth straight win
Greeneville, TN - After a rained out contest on Thursday night, the Greeneville Astros (11-11) continued their hot streak with back-to-back late inning comebacks against the Pulaski Yankees (9-12) on Friday. The Astros' doubleheader sweep extended the Astros season-high win streak to five games as they notched their first series sweep of the year.
Greeneville sent the Yankees down in order to start the first game of the day and set themselves up to strike early. A hit batter, fielding error and stolen base led to runners on second and third with only one out in the first inning. However, the Yankees froze the Astros' offense and recorded a strike out and ground out to end the threat.
It would not be until the third inning that Greeneville opened the scoring. Left fielder Vicente Sanchez drew a leadoff walk and was put into scoring position after a Miguelangel Sierra sacrifice bunt. An error on a pickoff attempt moved Sanchez to third and a wild pitch gave the Astros the lead at 1-0 through three innings.
The Yankees quickly answered back in the top of the fourth with a leadoff double and a walk setting the stage for a comeback. After a strike out, a single on a ground ball to right field tied it up at 1-1. Astros starter Carlos Hiraldo was able to settle down and retire the next two batters and end the Yankees scoring opportunity. Hiraldo finished his night with five innings pitched giving up one run, four hits and one walk while notching two strikeouts.
A quiet rest of the game saw little offense until the bottom of the sixth inning when first basemen Troy Sieber led off with a single. Sieber was then replaced by Frankeny Fernandez who entered as a pinch runner. The tactical move ended up doing little as Luis Payano stepped up to the plate and belted the eventual game-winning homerun to left field for his third of the season. Reliever Devin Raftery (1-0), who had entered the game in the sixth, secured the 3-1 victory after only surrendering a walk and one hit in the top of the seventh.
Game two of the twin bill featured much of the same action as the first, but this time the Astros capitalized on their first inning base hits. Sieber, who was one-for-three with a double in the first game, singled on a line drive to left field with two outs. Then he scored the opening run after a Gabriel Bracamonte double, his team-leading fifth of the year which extended his current hitting streak to seven games.
Pulaski struggled offensively as they recorded a single in the first inning, but nothing again until the top of the fifth. After Astros starter Carlos Sanabria recorded a strike out and a fly out to left field to start the fifth, he would walk the next batter and end his night pitching. He was replaced by right-handed reliever Lucas Williams who forced an infield grounder, but an error gave the Yankees a chance to get on the board. Blake Rutherford, recently drafted by the Yankees as the 18th overall selection in the 2016 MLB Draft, made sure to take advantage as he slashed a triple to center field scoring two runs and giving Pulaski a 2-1 lead into the sixth.
Taking a page out of their book from the game one, the Astros rallied in the bottom of the sixth inning scoring four runs and taking back their lead with their eyes set on the sweep. Second baseman Tyler Wolfe started the inning with a single and then scored following a Sieber RBI double. A sacrifice bunt gave the Astros a runner at third base with one out. Vicente Sanchez, pinch running for Sieber, scored following a fielding error by Pulaski that would also put third baseman Abraham Toro-Hernandez in scoring position at second base. The next batter to step up to the plate was Connor MacDonald, who notched his second hit of the night, an RBI double to centerfield. The Astros finished their scoring that inning with a Fernandez RBI single to left field.
Greeneville closed the game out with lefty Devon Carr (1-1) on the mound. Carr surrendered a leadoff double to Rutherford and a walk to Estevan Florial, but also registered three strikeouts to secure the 5-2 Astros win.
Greeneville now holds a one and a half game lead in second place in the Appalachian League West Division. The Astros, who begin a new three-game series against the Bluefield Blue Jays on Saturday, will send Patrick Sandoval (1-0) to the bump for the 6:00 game.
Appalachian League Stories from July 16, 2016
- Rays Late Burst Leads to 5-1 Win - Princeton WhistlePigs
- Astros' Sixth Inning Magic Leads to Twin Bill Sweep - Greeneville Astros
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