ApL Kingsport Axmen

K-Mets Sweep Bristol with Wild 11-9 Win

August 17, 2014 - Appalachian League (ApL)
Kingsport Axmen News Release


KINGSPORT, Tenn. (August 15, 2014) - The last meeting of the 2014 Appalachian League season between the Kingsport Mets and the Bristol Pirates was a wild one. The K-Mets emerged victorious, holding off Bristol in the ninth to win 11-9 on Friday at Hunter Wright Stadium, sweeping this three-game series.

Kingsport (29-26) now has won four straight and eight of its past nine, and remains in sole possession of second place in the West Division, 2 1/2 games behind division leader Elizabethton. The top two teams in each division make the playoffs but the race is far from over. Kingsport leads the Johnson City Cardinals by a half-game and the Greeneville Astros by a full game, and still has seven combined head-to-head meetings to go with both those teams.

This game had a little of everything, as the two teams combined for 21 hits, 18 walks, three home runs, seven stolen bases, three errors, eight total pitching changes and the ejection of K-Mets manager Jose Leger. Kingsport led 11-3 through six innings, but Bristol came back to nearly complete the rally. The Pirates scored one run each in the seventh and eighth, then plated four runs in the ninth after three consecutive two-out hits.

Kingsport changed pitchers twice in the ninth inning, before David Roseboom came on to finally end it on a three-pitch strikeout of Bristol outfielder Candon Myles. Roseboom tallied his fourth save.

Eight of Kingsport's nine starters reached base at least once, and all members of the lineup contributed either a hit, a run scored or an RBI.

Zach Mathieu's hot hand continued. He annihilated the very first pitch from freshly entered Bristol reliever Palmer Betts in the bottom of the fifth inning, the highlight in a 2-for-5, three-RBI, two-run game. Mathieu continues to hit well over .300 in the month of August and now has 22 RBIs. Mathieu's home run sparked a three-run inning for Kingsport that saw the K-Mets take a lead that held up the rest of the way.

The K-Mets blew open the game in the bottom of the sixth, a wild half-inning that also saw Leger ejected by bases umpire Cody Clark after expressing his displeasure over a called strike by the home plate umpire Andy Glenn.

Ivan Wilson also homered, clouting his 10th in the eighth inning on a solo shot. Wilson moved into a three-way tie for the league lead in home runs. Wuilmer Becerra drove in three runs for Kingsport, as part of a 1-for-3 night at the plate. Luis Guillorme had two hits and a run scored from the leadoff spot.

Bristol nearly mounted a very unlikely comeback thanks to four hits, two walks and a throwing error in the ninth inning before Roseboom finally closed the door.

Kingsport hosts the Greeneville Astros on Saturday in a pivotal game with regard to the divisional race. The Astros can tie Kingsport in the standings with a win, or would fall two games back of second with a loss.

First pitch is 6 p.m.

K-METRIC: Kingsport outfielder Vicente Lupo had the most unlikely of batting lines on Friday. He had five plate appearances, and walked all five times. Lupo scored two runs, and stole home as part of a double steal in the second inning that accounted for Kingsport's first run.

NOTES: Blake Taylor started for Kingsport and went 4 1-3 innings, allowing three earned runs on seven hits and a pair of walks. ... Ruben Reyes (2-0), the first man out of the bullpen for the K-Mets, got the win after two solid innings of relief. Ty Williams and Nicco Blank also pitched for Kingsport, and both were replaced during the wild ninth. ... John Sever, a left-handed reliever for the entire season up until now, made his first start for Bristol and went four innings. ... Betts (0-1) took the loss, allowing six runs in one official inning of work. He faced three batters in the sixth without tallying an out. ... Carlos Ozuna belted a two-run home run to left field in the second that helped the Pirates build a 3-1 lead. He finished 2-for-5 with three RBIs and was one of four Pirates with two hits.

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Appalachian League Stories from August 17, 2014


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