ApL Bristol State Liners

Ortiz Lifts Pirates past Elizabethton

Published on July 26, 2019 under Appalachian League (ApL)
Bristol State Liners News Release


Another strong outing by starter Luis Ortiz helped lead the Bristol Pirates on Friday night, as they defeated the Elizabethton Twins 3-1 in the series opener.

The Pirates have now won three of their four games this year against the defending Appalachian League Champions. Friday marked the first time since 2016 that the Pirates won three or more games against the Twins in a season.

Catcher Ethan Goforth put the first run of the night on the board in the second inning, when he drove a 2-2 pitch over the left field fence for his first career home run. Bristol added to their lead in the third inning, when second baseman Josh Bissonette scored on an error, and third baseman Matt Morrow hit an RBI single to right to drive in shortstop Francisco Acuna. The Twins broke up the shutout in the sixth inning on an RBI double by right fielder Matt Wallner, and in the top of the ninth inning the Twins closed the gap to one run on a two-out single by first baseman Parker Phillips. With two runners on base, Samson Abernathy induced a fly out to right to end the game and give the Pirates their second win in a row.

Ortiz improved to 2-1 on the season by throwing five scoreless innings against the Twins, allowing just four hits and two walks. After striking out a career-high five batters in his last start, Ortiz set a new career mark with six strikeouts on Friday. He has now allowed one run over his last 11 innings, and he has not allowed a run over his last 9 1/3 innings of work.

Enrique Santana earned his second hold of the season, allowing one run on five hits with one strikeout over two innings. Abernathy allowed one run on three hits over the final two innings of the game, striking out three batters en route to his second save of the year.

Bissonette led the Pirates with a 3-for-4 performance at the plate, finishing with a double and a run scored in the win. Acuna finished 2-for-4 with a run scored, while Morrow was 2-for-3 with a double, a walk and an RBI. Goforth's home run was his only hit on the night, as he went 1-for-3 while recording his second career RBI.

The Pirates (17-19) moved into sole possession of third place in the Appalachian League West Division, as they now sit two games behind Johnson City for second and three games behind Elizabethton for first place. The Pirates will send Tahnaj Thomas to the mound on Saturday as they look to secure their second series win of the year against Elizabethton -- an accomplishment Bristol has not achieved in over 14 years.

Thomas has recorded five or more strikeouts in each of his last four starts, and he currently leads the Pirates' rotation with 26 strikeouts.

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Appalachian League Stories from July 26, 2019


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