Mets beat Astros with Walk-off Homer
July 9, 2013 - Appalachian League (ApL)
Greeneville Astros News Release
Kingsport, TN - For the third time in seven games against each other this season, the winner between the Greeneville Astros and Kingsport Mets was decided by a single run and by a walk-off home run for the second time. The difference on Tuesday night at Hunter Wright Stadium was that the Mets were the team on the winning end as Jeff Diehl, the leadoff batter for the Mets in the bottom of the ninth inning, sent a solo shot over the left field wall to give Kingsport a 3-2 win.
It was only 13 days ago that the Astros' Ariel Ovando hit his walk-off homer at Pioneer Park to defeat the Mets, 5-3, and jumpstart the Astros recent winning ways. However, in this back-and-forth game, the Mets made the biggest play when it counted the most.
The Mets scored first in the second inning. Adrian Abreu got on base with a walk and stole second to get in scoring position. Then, Michael Bernal singled to right field, allowing Abreu to come around for the score and put the Mets up 1-0.
Two innings later, after Tanner Mathis got on base with an error and stole second, the Astros were threatening. With two outs, Bobby Borchering connected on a grounder to left field to bring Mathis in for the tying run.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, some costly mistakes hurt the Astros. After Michael Bernal singled for the Mets, a passed ball and a balk moved him to third. Then, a sacrifice fly from Jeff McNeil put the Mets back in the lead.
The Astros kept battling and it paid off in the eighth inning. With two outs and no one on base, Darwin Rivera singled to give the Astros some hope. Chase McDonald immediately followed with another single and moved the tying run to second. Finally, following a pitching change by the Mets, Angel Ibanez hit a line drive to right field to plate the tying run before McDonald was left stranded at third.
With the game still even at 2-2 in the top of the ninth, the Astros got a leadoff walk from Ariel Ovando and moved him over to second on a sacrifice bunt by Jack Mayfield. However, the next two Astros batters struck out to end their last chance to take the lead and clear the way for the late-inning heroics from Kingsport's Jeff Diehl with his bottom of the ninth walk-off homer.
Ricardo Jacquez was credited with the win for the Mets after pitching 1.1 innings, giving up one hit, one walk and striking out two.
The Mets and Astros will face each other again with four games at Pioneer Park in August, but the Astros will travel to Princeton over the next three days before returning home on Saturday, July 13 against the Elizabethton Twins. For more information on the Greeneville Astros please visit www.greenevilleastros.com or call (423) 638-0411.
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