Pal Powers Astros to Win
July 21, 2016 - Appalachian League (ApL)
Greeneville Astros News Release
Johnson City, TN - The Greeneville Astros (15-13) never trailed on their way to a 6-1 win over the Johnson City Cardinals (15-11) on Thursday night. With the win, the Astros remain in second place in the Appalachian League West Division as they trail the Cardinals by one game.
Astros leftfielder Chaz Pal helped lead the way, but several players contributed to the victory. In total, the Astros tallied their six runs on 12 hits with five players totaling two hits apiece. All of which came off a Cardinals pitching staff that had a league-best 3.53 team ERA heading into the day.
Pal finished the day going two-for-three with two runs scored, a double, a homer, and three RBI. However, it was the combination of catcher Gabriel Bracamonte and shortstop Jonathan Arauz who gave the Astros their initial lead in the second inning. Bracamonte led off with a single, and Arauz doubled to left field to score the first run.
In the fifth, the Astros extended their lead as Pal got on base after being hit by a pitch to start the inning and advanced to third on a failed pickoff attempt. Then, Vicente Sanchez hit a line drive single into center field to bring Pal home.
The Cardinals did cut the Astros 2-0 lead in half with a Bryce Denton solo homer to lead off the bottom half of the fifth. However, that would be their lone run of the game on their seven hits.
The Astros, who had their previous four games end on walk-offs in some form or fashion, made sure that would not happen a fifth consecutive time. In the sixth inning, after Bryan De La Cruz and Bracamonte got on with singles, Pal crushed a two-out, three-run homer to left field to put the Astros back firmly in control of the game.
Pal's homer was his second since being selected in the 38th round of the 2016 MLB June Draft. Meanwhile, for the Astros, it was their league-leading 29th home run of the season, just two shy of last year's season total of 31.
Already leading 5-1, the Astros added one more score in the seventh for good measure. The run came on Troy Sieber's fourth double of the year in just his ninth game with the club.
Astros starting pitcher Diogenes Almengo (1-1) picked up his first win of the season as he totaled five innings of work. During that time, he surrendered one run on three hits with two walks and two strikeouts.
Left-hander Patrick Sandoval came on in the sixth and pitched three and one-third shutout innings before giving way to Angelo Serrano to close the game. Serrano went the final two-thirds of an inning to earn his first save of the year after the Cardinals had loaded the bases with just one out.
The Astros will return home to begin a six-game homestand on Friday against the Bristol Pirates. Game time is set for 7:00pm with Friday Night Fireworks immediately following the game.
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Appalachian League Stories from July 21, 2016
- Pal Powers Astros to Win - Greeneville Astros
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- Rays Drop Series Finale 8-5 to Royals - Princeton WhistlePigs
- Cardinals Outlast Astros in 13 - Greeneville Astros
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