Strom's Three-Run Double Downs Astros
July 31, 2016 - Appalachian League (ApL)
Kingsport Axmen News Release
KINGSPORT, Tenn.-After a back and forth contest for the greater portion of Sunday afternoon, Kingsport's Ian Strom delivered the deciding blow by doubling off the right field wall to clear the bases for a three-run, go-ahead double in the bottom of the eighth inning with two outs to defeat the Greeneville Astros 8-5 in Game 1 from Hunter Wright Stadium.
The exciting come-from-behind win is a step in the right direction for Kingsport (15-23) as the squad lost 11 of their last 14 games and their past four series coming into the contest. The win was also against the team who was leading the Appalachian League's Western Division coming into the day which allowed the K-Mets to gain a game back in the standings.
The K-Mets came to the plate in the bottom of the eighth inning down a run at 5-4. Greeneville's (20-18) Patrick Sandoval (1-2), who pitched two scoreless innings prior to the eighth, ran into trouble immediately by walking both Jeremy Woolf and Walter Rasquin with one out.
Jose Miguel Medina would then single to load the bases for Dionis Rodriguez. After falling behind, Rodriguez would work the count back to a full 3-2 offering and would take first base on the pitch that followed to allow the tying run to cross home plate.
The score was now 5-5 after the bases-loaded walk issued by Sandoval and the Astros would call on Reggie Johnson to come in following the walk with hopes of escaping trouble in the frame.
Johnson would do just that in the first batter he faced, Yeffrey De Aza, as the No. 9 hitter in Kingsport's lineup popped out to Miguelangel Sierra right in front of the second base bag for the second out of the inning.
Now with two outs, Greeneville's infield backed up and could play in its normal alignment with the option of a force out at any base with the bases still loaded with two outs in the inning.
Strom would then come to the plate and deliver the game-winning hit on a 1-0 fastball from Johnson. The drive off the right field wall just missed being a grand slam, but the three-run, bases-clearing double was good enough as it served as the winning-hit for the K-Mets.
With a three-run cushion at 8-5 in the top of the ninth inning, Ronald Guedez (2-0) found no trouble slamming the door shut in what was his second inning on the mound. Kingsport's exciting 8-5 come-from-behind win captured win No.1 for the K-Mets in the series in Game 1 of the three-game slate.
Prior to the late-inning heroics, the Astros would strike first thanks to one hit and two defensive errors from Kingsport in the top of the first inning.
Frankeny Fernandez singled to left field and then took second base on a failed pick off attempted by Jake Simon and Jeremy Wolf at first base. Simon stepped toward the first base bag and caught Fernandez in-between first and second. Wolf's throw down to De Aza at second base was off the line and into left field.
Moments later, Fernandez would attempt to steal third base. The throw down to Reed Gamache at the third base bag from Rodriguez behind the plate was high and off the top of the third baseman's glove and into left field once again. The errant throw allowed Fernandez to cruise passed home plate for the first run of the game.
Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the second inning, Kingsport would answer back to tie the game at a run apiece following consecutive doubles from Medina and Rodriguez. The latter's hit was good enough to allow Medina to score from second base and to tie the game.
The K-Mets would then take the lead a couple of innings later in the fourth when a fielder's choice off the bat from De Aza allowed Rasquin to score from third base. Kingsport led the Astros 2-1 after four innings of play.
Greeneville would then answer in a big way in the inning that followed as Connor MacDonald hit his fourth home run of the season over the left field wall. The blast also drove in Fernandez who reached base on Simon's walk a batter prior. The Astros retook the lead at 3-2 midway through the fifth inning.
Kingsport would again tie the game once again in the bottom of the frame when Gamache flew out to Fernandez in center field. The sacrifice fly was deep enough to plate Ricardo Cespedes who doubled a batter prior and moved up to third base on a passed ball a few pitches into Gamache's at-bat.
Tied at 3-3 in the top of the sixth inning, Greeneville would score another two runs to hold a 5-3 advantage. Kingsport's new pitcher, Placido Torres, would hit Abraham Toro-Hernandez on an 0-2 breaking ball to lead off the inning. A batter later, Bryan De La Cruz would hit a routine ground ball on the ground to second base, but Rasquin mishandled the ball to allow everyone to be safe.
Jonathan Arauz would then deliver the then deciding hit of the game by lacing a double down the right field line to score both Toro-Hernandez and De La Cruz from first and second base to make the score 5-3 in favor of Greeneville after five and a half innings.
Kingsport would then cut into the deficit once more in the bottom of the frame thanks to an RBI infield single off the bat of Rasquin that score Wolf from third base. Wolf led off the inning with a triple to center as the ball sailed over the head of Fernandez at the wall.
The score was then 5-4 and would hold court until the bottom of the eighth inning when Kingsport would plate four runs off two hits, including the winning-double from Strom.
Guedez picked up his second win of the season after pitching the final two innings of scoreless baseball. Simon, who started the contest for the K-Mets, last five innings after giving up six hits and only two earned runs. The southpaw tallied eight strikeouts in his first four innings on the mound.
Gregorix Esteves also pitched an inning for Kingsport during the win, the seventh, while allowing only one hit but no runs during the appearance.
Sandoval was tabbed with the loss after yielding five runs off four hits in 2.1 innings of work. The right-hander struck out two batters but walked three in the process-all in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Greeneville's starter, Diogenes Almengo, tossed four innings of two-run ball while walking two and striking out four batters.
Strom's lone hit of the day was the three-run double that cleared the bases in the bottom of the eighth inning. Rodriguez finished the contest 1-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored while Gamache tallied the other RBI on a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning. Wolf, Cespedes and Medina each tallied two hits in the win.
Arauz led the way for Greeneville on the night, going 3-for-3 with 2 RBIs and a walk. MacDonald recorded the only home run of the day, a two-run blast in the fifth inning and Toro-Hernandez picked up two hits in the Astros' loss.
Game 2 of the series is set for Monday night at 7 p.m. Adonis Uceta will take the mound for Kingsport as the K-Mets look to win their first series in their last five tries. Coverage on the Kingsport Mets Baseball Network will begin at 6:45 p.m. and can be found at kmets.com as well as on the TuneIn application. This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.
Appalachian League Stories from July 31, 2016
- Strom's Three-Run Double Downs Astros - Kingsport Axmen
- Mets Top Astros with Four-Run Eighth - Greeneville Astros
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