E-Twins claim game one, DSL Twins done

Elizabethton 7 at Pulaski 4

W: D. Rondon (1-0, 0.00); L: N. Czyz (0-1, 18.00); SV: S. Blevins (1)
HR: ELI: E. Bigley (1).

The Elizabethton Twins took early lead, held off a mid-game rally and went on to defeat the Pulaski Mariners, 7-4 in game one of the best-of-five Appalachian League Championship series.

Reliever Danny Rondon would claim the win for the E-Twins, while Steve Blevins, a 2008 promotion to the E-Twins from the GCL, handled the save.

With two outs on the board in the first inning, Jon Waltenbury would take a walk. Evan Bigley would then double him in to put the Twins on the board.

They extended their lead in the top of the second with Angel Morales singling his way onto base. Jeff Lanning would fly out, but James Beresford knocked a ground ball single to left and Dominic De La Osa took a walk to load the bags. Nick Romero then hit a ground rule double to center to plate Morales and Beresford. Waltenbury sacrificing in De La Osa to give the Twins a 4-0 lead.

Brad Tippett left the game after only two outs in the first with an injured elbow, with Curtis Leavitt replacing him on he mound. The California hurler found trouble in the bottom of the fourth, allowing back-to-back doubles to Kris Sanchez and Jose Rivero, getting the Mariners on the board. Guy Welsh took a walk. A sac-bunt by George Soto advanced the runners, and a ground out by Jacob Shaffer plated Rivero to cut the Twins lead in half.

Waltenbury singled in the top of the 5th, and Bigley reached on a force attempt in which Soto at second misplayed the ball. Mike Harrington then doubled to drive in Walt for an insurance run.

They'd need it, as Gabriel Noriega walked to start the the bottom of the fifth. Mario Martinez singled, which prompted Ray Smith to call for a pitching change getting Leavitt off the hill and putting Rondon in. The GCL Twins ace closer from 2007 would allow a double to Juan Fuentes which scored Noriega and Martinez, making it 5-4 Twins. He'd get Kris Sanchez to fly out however and Rivero and Welsh to strike out, ending the inning.

Lanning would get plunked by a pitch, with Baby Bearcat singling him to second. De La Osa would also get plunked, loading the bags. Romero would sacrifice in Lanning, but Waltenbury would pop out and Bigley line out, retiring the side.

Leavitt would get charged with 4 runs on four hits and a pair of walks while striking out 4 over 3.1 innings. Rondon would give up 2 hits and fan 3 over the next 2 innings with Jarred Eacott coming in for the seventh and eighth, allowing one walk and fanning three.

Bigley would homer in the top of the 9th, a solo shot, for the Twins 7th run of the night. Blevins would strike out Noriega and Martinez in the bottom half of the final set, with Fuentes claiming a single. Sanchez hit into a force out however, ending the contest.

Beresford was 2-for-4 with a run, and Bigley, the game's yard bird, was 2-for-5 with a double, a run and two RBIs. Walt finished up 1-for-3 with a pair of runs and 1 RBI. Lanning was also 1-for-3 with a run.

Romero, Harrington, and Morales were all 1-for-4, Romero with a double and 3 RBIs, Harrington with a double and a run scored, and Morales with a run.

The two teams rematch tonight at Joe O'Brien Stadium for game two of the series. The first pitch is due out at 7:00 P.M.

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DSL Mariners 1 at DSL Twins 0

W: F. Bautista (1-0, 0.00); L: E. Santana (0-1, 3.00); SV: H. Perez (1)
HR: None.

The DSL Mariners blanked the DSL Twins at Baseball City Thursday, ending the Twins bid for a DSL Championship.

Victor Ozuna took a triple off reliever Eddy Santana and scored on a missed catch by Manuel Soliman at 3rd base.

The D-Twins actually out hit the Mariners, but could not convert on their chances. Yorby Martinez would double in the bottom of the fifth, and after Soliman went down on strikes, try to go home on a Wilfy Gil single to left. He was taken out at the plate however, as Angel Zapata riffled the ball in to Mariners' catcher Hassiel Jimenez, who got the tag on Martinez.

Danny Santana would single in the bottom of the sixth, then steal 2nd. He'd get caught trying to take 3rd however.

Six different Twins had hits, with Carlos Vasquez, Martinez and Gil going 1-for-3 at the plate; Vasquez with a walk, and Martinez with a double. Santana, Jean Carlos Mercedes and Jairo Rodriguez finished up 1-for-4, all one-hit wonders.

Jhonatan Arias is already schedule to make an appearance State-side at Fall Instructional League, but it will certainly be interesting to see which of this talented group of young men will join the 2009 GCL Squad.

The DSL Angels will face the DSL Nationals1 in the Semi-final round, while the DSL Mariners take on the DSL Giants. Thanks to the DSL Twins for all their hard work this season, and a big thanks ti Director of Latin American Operations Jose Marzan for answering countless questions as we explored the Latin American Leagues in depth for the first time, here at Rookie Whites.

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Thanks also to everyone who has stopped in to see how our Twins farm system was fairing. I hope I have not failed you too badly despite the hardware problems that have plagued me this summer.

While the regular seasons winding down for our twins prospects, we will continue to follow our boys through Arizona Fall League, Fall Instructional League and of course, Venezuelan Winter League.

E-Twins clinch, Apply League All-Star list released

Elizabethton 12 at Danville 3

W: T. Wright (4-0, 3.20); L: P. Clemens (3-3, 3.39); SV: S. Blevins (1)
HR: None.

The Elizabethton Twins clinched their playoff berth Friday night with a resounding defeat of the Danville Braves.

Chris Shehan singled off Elizabethton starter Thom Wright in the bottom of the 2nd, then stole 2nd. A wild pitch by Wright moved Shehan to 3rd and Mike Elkerson doubled him in to give the Braves an early one run lead.

Nathan Hanson reached on a fielding error in the top of the 3rd. James Beresford laid down a sac-bunt, but a throwing error by Braves pitcher Paul Clemens sent Hanson to 3rd and Beresford to 1st. Dominic De La Osa singled, loading the bases. Nick Romero's follow up single scored Hanson. Jon Waltenbury sacrificed Beresford in, and one out later, a wild pitch by Clemens allowed De La Osa to score. Romero would be left stranded when Michael Harrington was called out on strikes.

Shehan again singled in the bottom of the sixth then stole 2nd base. With 2 outs on the board, Mike Elkerson singled. Elizabethton Field manager Ray Smith called for a pitching change, getting Steve Blevins onto the mound to replace Wright. Jesus Sucre singled off Blevins to plate Shehan, but the former GCL Twin then struck out L. V. Ware, leaving two men stranded.

Hanson took a walk in the top of the 7th with one out on the board. The Braves would bring Brandon Beachy in to replace Clemens, and Beresford greeted the new hurler with a single. De La Osa drew a walk. and a wild pitch by Beachy moved the pair. Romero sacrificing in Beresford to make it 4-2 Twins.

Evan Bigly would reach on a fielding error by Ware in the top of the 8th. Harrintong would single and a fielding error by Camilo Parra advanced the runners. Alex Soto singled out to left to drive in Bigley, and a wild pitch by Beachy put Harrington over the plate. Angel Morales would fly out to right and Hanson would be hit by a pitch before the Braves replaced Beachy with Derick Himpsi, who got Beresford to ground into a double play to retire the Twins.

Shehan would take a triple of Blevins in the bottom of the 8ths and come home on Parra's ground out. Blevins got Shayne Moody to ground out as well then struck out Mike Elkerson to send the Twins up to bat again.

With a 7-3 lead, De La Osa and Romero would take back-to-back walks to start the ninth. Waltenbury ground into a force out, that put runners at the corners. Evan Bigley reached on a fielder's choice, but the Braves could not make the play at the plate, and De La Osa scored. Harrington doubled in the the remaining runners to make it 10-3 Twins. Soto took a walk, and wild pitch by Himpsi put Harrington on 3rd. Morales then walked the bases full. Hanson reached on a force attempt that scored Harrington. De La Osa, batting around the order, took a walk as well to force in Soto to make the game 12-3. The Braves would have to call in pitcher Rico Reid to get Romero to pop out, getting them out of the bases loaded jam.

Romero was 2-for-4 at the plate with a walk and a pair of RBIs. Harrington was 2-for-5 with a double, two runs and two RBIs. De La Osa was 1-for-3 with 3 walks, a pair of runs and a run scored. Soto and Beresford were 1-for-4 each; Soto with a walk, a run and a run scored, a Beresford with a pair of runs.

The win was Wright's fourth, Blevins picked up the save, his first since his promotion from the GCL Twins.

In defeating the Braves, the Twins also allowed Pulaski to clinch, so the 2008 Appalachian League playoff match is now set.

Elizabethton faces Danville one more time on Saturday night with a 7:00 PM start, then hosts Princeton for a three game homestand to complete their regular season.

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The Elizabethton Twins dominated the Appalachian League's All-Star Team list, filling eight selections. Dan Osterbrock was named Pitcher of the Year. The University of Cincinnati product leads the league with 100 strikeouts and 73 innings pitched and ranks second with seven wins. The 21-year-old southpaw is 7-2 with a 3.08 ERA in a dozen starts, was named Pitcher of the Week on July 7 and has held opponents to a .239 batting average.

Osterbrock struck out 12 batters in consecutive starts on July 24-30. He's fanned at least 10 in five of his last seven starts, allowing 15 earned runs in that span.

GCL alumni Mark Hamburger was named Reliever of the Year; outfielders Evan Bigley and Angel Morales were named to the list as was first baseman Jon Waltenbury in the designed hitter role. Brad Tippett was also added to the All-star pitchers' list.

Elizabethton's Ryan Hedwell was named trainer of the year by the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society.

Bigley ranks second in the league with 14 homers and 46 RBIs. He hit .394 in June and cemented his spot on the All-Star roster last week when he hit two homers and drove in five runs against Princeton.

Tippett opened eyes last season for the Twins with an 0.93 ERA. The Australian was 8-3 with a 2.63 ERA in 13 starts this season. Hamburger, a Minnesota native, has 13 saves and 39 strikeouts over 35 2/3 innings.

Morales was the Twins' third-round pick in 2007 and hit .313 in his second Minor League season with Elizabethton. The center fielder, who spent his first professional season with the GCL Twins, leads the Appy League with 15 homers to go with 28 RBIs.

Waltenbury, a 2006 seventh-rounder and member of the 2007 GCL Twins squad, is hitting .331 with 10 homers and 43 RBIs. (TriCities Sports)

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DSL Twins 5 at DSL White Sox 1

W: C. Ciurcina (3-2, 3.68); L: Y. Rodriguez (2-2, 2.65)
HR: None.

The DSL Twins defeated the DSL White Sox while the DSL Indians did the Twins a favor, blanking the DSL Yankees2 to leave the Twins alone atop the DSL Boca Chica North Division.

The Twins wasted no time getting on the board as Wilfy Gil reached on a fielding error and made his way to 3rd base. Danny Santana sacrificed him in to put the Twins on the board. A fielding error by Lara would prove costly however, as Santana, who would have been safe at first tried to make it to second, but was take out at the base. Oswaldo Arcia doubled before Jairo Perez reached on a fielding error, moving Arcia to 3rd. Jairo Rodriguez singled Arcia home. A passed ball by Daniel Yepez moved the two runners. Eliel Sierra hit into a ground out, allowing Perez to score and giving the Twins a 3-0 lead.

The Sox took out back in the bottom of the inning with Jeffer Patinod doubling, then coming home on a Angel Ferreiras single.

The Twins answered back in the top of the 2nd however, as Yorby Martinez drew a walk to lead off. Yancarlo Franco would ground into a force out, but Gil was then hit by a pitch, moving Franco to 3nd. Sanatana singled, but Franco would be taken down at home leaving runners on 2nd and 3rd. Arcia singled to bring in Gil. Santana would try to come home as well, but was taken down at the plate, sending the Sox up to bat again.

No worries though. Cesar Ciurcina would hold the White Sox to only 4 hits over five innings while striking out six. Renzi Reveroi took over for the next two allowing 2 hits and walk and striking out 4. Jhonny Garcia struck out 2 in the 8th inning.

Ronny Juma would be on the mound for the Twins in the top of the 9th and would take Manuel Soliman and Martinez out on strikes before walking Franco, who then stole 2nd. Gil then tripled him in for an extra marker before Santana popped out, putting the Twins defensive unit back into play.

Edison Alvarez used three quick outs to end the game.

If the Twins can defeat the Indians on Saturday at Baseball City, or if both the Twins and the Yankees2 drop their final games, the Twins, who have won their last six, will clinch their playoff berth.

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Bromberg shines as Beloit shuts down Kane County

Beloit 6 at Kane County 2

W: D. Bromberg (7-9, 5.04); L: J. Richmond (7-9, 4.54)
HR: None.

David Bromberg has been nothing if inconsistent this season. After getting shelled in his last outing, he turned around Friday night at Kane County to shut the Cougars out for the first five innings.

Brombert scattered 5 hits and 4 walks, while striking out eight for his seventh win of the season. Mike Allen worked the next 1.2 innings before giving way to Blake Martin.

The Snappers couldn't even find a hit through the first three innings, and after Ben Revere flew out, the fourth looked it might be more of the same. But Estarlin De Los Santos singled his way onto base. Yangervis Solarte flew out before Rene Leveret singled out to right to drive in De Lo, giving the Snappers an early lead.

With two outs on the board in the top of the fifth, Jeanfred Brito singled then stole 2nd. Chris Cates laced a double out to right to drive in Brito.

It would stay that way until the 8th inning, when things got interesting. Ben Revere reached on a fielding error, then stole 2nd base. De Lo's ground out moved him to 3rd. Jamie Richmond would then intentionally walk Yangervis Solare and Leveret would get plunked with a pitch to load up the bags. This also brought a pitching change as Brad Hertzler took over on the hill for the Cougars. MarK Dolenc's line drive plated the first two runners and moved Leverett to 2nd. He'd go to 3rd on a throwing error by Hertzler. A balk would then put Leveret over the plate and advance Dolenc to 2nd. Ramon Santana and Alan de San Miguel would both go down on strikes however, giving Kane County a turn at the plate.

With one out on the board, D.J. Hollingswoth singled as did Shane Keough. Adam Klein would go down on the strikes before Justin Frash's single plated Hollingsworth. A ground ball to right by Larry Cobb scored Keough to make it 5-2 Beloit.

Cates would walk, move to 2nd on a Revere ground out and score on De Lo's line drive single to finish off the scoring.

De Lo finished up 3-for-5 at the plate with a run and a rune scored. Leveret was 2-for-3 with the same. Dolenc, Dirty and Brito were all 1-for-4, Brito with a run, Dolenc with a pair of RBIs, while Cates finished up 1-for-3 with a walk, a double, a run and a run scored.

Revere, 0-for-5 at the plate, and Solartes, 0-for-4 with a walk, each had a run in the contest.

The Snappers now return to Pohlman field to host the Peoria Chief's on 80's night, with Fireworks.

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Burlington 3 at Elizabethton 11

W: B. Tippett (7-2, 2.45); L: S. Runion (2-3, 3.86)
HR: ELI: A. Morales (11), N. Romero (6).

Elizabethton Twins starter Brad Tippett limited the Burlington Royals to only one run, earned, scattering 4 hits over seven innings while striking out five. Meanwhile E-Twins off offense showed off some impressive fire power, knocking out 11 runs on 13 hits in route to a blow out at Joe O'Brien Stadium.

Dominic De La Osa singled and moved to second on a wild pitch by Royals starter Sam Runion. Nick Romero's ground out got him to 3rd and he'd score on a Jon Waltenbury ground out. Evan Bigley and Michael Harrington then hit back-to-back doubles to put another run on the board, and Jeff Lanning singled in Harrington to make it 3-0 Twins.

Julio Aparicio singled in the top of the 2nd inning and Diego Cruz doubled him in for the Royals one run off Tippett. A wild pitch would put Cruz at 3rd, but Jason Morales went down swinging and Miguel Moctezuma ground out, stranding the man on base.

With two outs on the board in the bottom of the second, De La Osa singled and advanced to 2nd on a throwing error by Burlington's Morales at 3rd base. Romero then singled De La Osa in, making it 4-1 Twins.

Lanning would single in the bottom of the 3rd while the Twins Morales, Angel, knocked his 11th home run of the season over the right Center field wall adding a pair more to the tally.

Jacob Rodriguez replaced Runion in the bottom of the fourth and sat the next three Twins batters down. The Twins would not tally again until the bottom of the 7th when Edwin Mieles replaced Rodriguez on the hill. He'd walk De La Osa before giving up a home run to Romero. Nick's sixth professional home run went over the center field wall to make it 8-1 Twins.

Danny Berlind's struggles continued as he replaced Tippett in the top of the 8th. He'd walk Jorge Gutierrez and Hilton Richardson before allowing a fly ball single to Angel Franco that plated Gutierrez. Allen Caldwell would sacrifice in Richardson. Josh Vittek took a walk before Danny Rondon replaced Berlind. There is something seriously wrong with Mr. Berlind right now. I'm certain the Twins have looked into injuries, but it seems to me that he needs to be shut down for the remainder of the season. Rondon would take Aparicio out on strikes to retire the side.

Nathan Hanson greeted Victor Jorge with a line drive single and James Beresford followed it up with a single of his own. De La Osa would fly out, advancing Hanson to 3rd, and Romero sacrificed him in. A passed ball by Moctezuma moved Beresford to 2nd before Waltenbury took a walk. Evan Bigley then doubled to drive in the pair for the 10th and 11th Twins runs.

Rondon would pitch the ninth to finish off the game. Tippett improved to 7-2 on the season with the win.

Lanning was 2-for-3 with a run and a run batted in, De La Osa and Romero were both 2-for-4, De La Osa with a walk and 3 runs, Romero with a run and 4 RBIs. Bigley would finish up 2-for-5 with a pair of doubles, a run and 2 RBIs. Waltenbury, Harrington, Morales, Hanson and Beresford were all 1-for-4 with a run each, Walt with a walk and a RBI, Harrington with the same, plus a double, and Morales with a pair of RBIs.

The two teams rematch Saturday at 7:00 PM.

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Friday: E-Twins split with Astros

Elizabethton 4 at Greeneville 3

W: C. Leavitt (5-1, 4.05); L: C. Pitkin (2-2, 4.18); SV: M. Hamburger (6)
HR: None.

The Elizabethton Twins would come out on top during the resumption of Thursday's game which had been suspended by rain. Adan Severino and James Beresford lead the attack against the Greeneville Astros.

Brad Tippett would work just 2 innings before the game was halted. When it resumed, Curtis Leavitt took over the mound, and went on to work the next 5.2 innings. Greeneville would get on the board first, in the bottom of the fifth.

Pedro Gonzalez singled and Jose Altuve reached on a fielding error by Beresford. Ricardo Bonfante moved the pair on a sac-bunt. A second fielding error, this one by Dominic De La Osa, allowed Wilton Infante to reach and Gonzalez to score. Jay Austin would ground into a force out that scored Altuve, leading to a pair of unearned runs for the Astros.

Adan Severino doubled in the top of the sixth and Angel Morales took a walk. James Beresford's single advanced Severino to 3rd, and he'd score on De La Osa's ground out to first.

Jordan Lyles had started for the Astros and was replaced in the top of the fourth by Zach Grimmett following the suspension. After giving up the run in the sixth Grimmett would be replaces by Greeneville's Colton Pitkin in the top of the 7th. Michael Harrinton singled and moved to 2nd on Jeff Lanning's ground out. Following a fly out to Danny Rams, Severino and Morales both drew walks. Beresford would then triple the runners in to give the E-Twins a 4-2 lead.

After a brief stint on the mound by Steve Blevins, Mark Hamburger would come in to close out the game for the E-Twins. He'd get Kody Hines and Ebert Rosario to ground out before allowing a single to Gonzalez. Chris Turner would come into the game as a pinch runner for Gonzalez and move to 2nd on Altuve's single. Bonfante's line drive brought in Turner, but Wilton Infalte would fly out, ending the contest.

Severino would go 2-for-3 at the plate with a double and a pair of runs, while Beresford was 2-for-4 with a triple and 3 RBIs. Harrington had one run on a 1-for-4 showing at the plate, while Morales chipped a run on 2 walks as he finished up 0-for-2.

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Elizabethton 0 at Greeneville 7

W: J. Trinidad (3-2, 2.65); L: A. Curry (0-1, 9.00)
HR: GRE: D. Montas (2).

The Elizabethton Twins would find themselves blanked in the night cap however, to split the road series with the Astros, 2 games to 1.

Alex Curry would hit Carlos Mojica with a pitch in the bottom of the 3rd, and then walk Jorge De Leon. A wild pitch then advanced the pair. After Chris Turner struck out swinging, Renzo Tello would reach on James Beresford's throwing error, which also allowed Mojica and De Leon to score. Ebert Rosario would walk and Kody Hinze ground out advanced the pair of runners before Nathan Metroka ground out to end the inning.

Dionel Montas took a solo shot home run off Curry in the bottom of the 4th, and Albert Cartwright and Mojica both singled. A line drive by De Leon saw Cartwright cross the plate, while Turner's ground ball single plated Mojica. Thom Wright would come in to replace Curry, who would exit after allowing 7 runs, six earned, on 7 hits and pair of walks while fanning 2.

Wright would allow a single to Tello that advanced the pair of runners still left on base. Wright would go for a pick off on Tello, but a missed catch by Waltenbury allowed De Leon to score. Ebert Rosario would ground out, but Hinze walked to load the bags. Metroka's ground out scored Turner before Dionel Montas went down on strikes, to let the Twins have a turn at the plate.

Severino, Waltenbury, Alex Soto and Nat Hanson were all 1-for-3, Hansen with a double, while Rams would go 1-for-2 with a walk and a double.

The Twins now face the Kingsport Mets for a three game set starting Saturday at 7:05 PM.

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Snappers fall to Silverhawks, E-Twin blast Astros

Beloit 4 at South Bend 5

W: J. Parker (9-5, 4.04); L: M. Tarsi (4-11, 5.67); SV: C. Zavada (2)
HR: SOU: T. Harbin (9).

The Beloit Snappers took an early lead against the South Bend Silverhawks on Friday, but could not hold off the home team's comeback, falling 5-4 at Coveleski Stadium.

With two outs on the board in the top of the second, Mark Dolenc singled, then stole 2nd. Greg Yersich followed that up with a line drive to right that plated Dolenc to open the scoring. Allan de San Miguel would get hit by a pitch and Jeanfred Brito tripled to bring the pair of catchers in. A missed catching error by second baseman Taylor Harbin got Brito over the plate as well. Ben Revere would walk, then be caught stealing 2nd to send Beloit out to field.

Snappers starter Henry Reyes would keep South Bend quiet until the bottom of the fourth inning. After getting Harbin out on strikes, Sean Coughlin doubled out to left. Chance Wheeless would go down on strikes, but Eli Rumler took a walk. Ramon Ramirez singled to score the pair, helped in part by Revere's fielding error. Ramirez would end up at second base and Jimmy Principe doubled him in before Reyes would get Matthew Oxendine out on strikes.

Harbin would tie up the game in the bottom of the 5th, sending a fly ball over the center field fence for this ninth home run of the season.

Mike Tarsi would replace Reyes in the bottom of the sixth, and after getting Wheeless out on strikes, allowed a single to Rumler. The runner would be advanced by Juan Richardson's throwing error. Ramirez singled to send Rumler to 3rd and Principe sacrificed him into put the Silverhawks on top.

Beloit would only manage five hits the game with only one coming after the sixth inning.

Yersich was 2-for-3 with a run and a run scored, Yangervis Solarte and Dolenc were 1-for-4 each, Dolenc with a run and Brito was 1-for-3 with a run, a triple and a pair of RBIs.

Reyes would work five innings allowing 4 runs, 3 earned on 5 hits and a walk while fanning five. Tarsi took the loss on 2 innings worth of work, allowing an unearned run on 3 hits while fanning 2.

The win the was the eighth straight for South Bend.

Having hawked enough silver, the Snappers now visit the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. The first pitch is set for 6:35 PM at Fox Cities Stadium.

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Greeneville 7 at Elizabethton 10

W: B. Tippett (6-2, 2.92); L: J. Lyles (1-2, 4.40); SV: M. Hamburger (4)
HR: ELI: A. Soto 2 (9), A. Severino (1).

The Elizabethton Twins bats were back and booming as they downed the Greeneville Astros in a slug fest Friday night. The teams knocked out a combined 20 hits for 17 runs.

Greeneville took and early lead with Jose Altuve singling and stealing second. Wilton Infante went down on strikes before Jay Austin singled to drive in Altuve. Austin then stole second and come home on Renzo Tello's double out to left.

The E-Twins answered back with Adam Severino sending his first home run of the season over the right field wall.

Jon Waltenbury and Alex Soto hit back-to-back doubles in the bottom the fourth. Michael Harrington's double plated the pair to give the E-Twins the lead. After Evan Bigley went down on strikes during which time Harrington advanced to 3rd, Jeff Lanning sacrificed in the Twins left fielder.

The top of the sixth saw Altuve take a walk, then move to 2nd on a wild pitch by E-Twins starter Brad Tippett. Infante's ground out advanced him to 3rd and he'd score on Jay Austin's fly ball single to center to cut the Twins lead to one.

James Beresford singled in the bottom half of the stanza however and advanced to 2nd on Austin's fielding error. Dominic De La Osa's ground out saw him to 3rd and Nick Romero singled to plate the Aussie. This would signal a pitching change for the Astros, who brought in David Dinelli to replace Jordan Lyles. Waltenbury singled out center before Alex Soto went yard, his 8th of the year over the center field wall to bring in the pair of runners with him.

An 8-3 lead seemed to do little to dent the Astro's enthusiasm. Ricardo Bonfante doubled in the top of the 7th and moved to 3rd on a Altuve fly out. The Twins would take the opportunity to replace Brad Tippett with Kyle Carr. Carr would unleash a wild pitch however, allowing Bonfante to score.

Tippett would leave the contest, having allowed four runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out 5 in 6.2 innings.

Waltenbury took a walk in the bottom of the 7th, and Soto took advantage of the thin mountain air to homered him in with his second yard ball of the contest, his 9th of the season.

Tello tripled off Carr in the top of the 8th, and would come home, one out later on Kody Hinze line drive single.

Lee Martin replaced Carr in the top of the 9th. He'd walk Fredrico Hernandez and Bonfante. A single by Altuve brought in the first runner before Mark Hamburger was brought in from the bullpen. He'd get Infante to ground out, but Bonfante scored on the play. Then took Austin out on strikes and got Tello to ground out to end the inning, and the game.

Soto was 3-for-4 in the slug fest with 3 runs and 5 RBIs. Waltenburh was 2-for-3 with a walk and three runs. Romero and Severino were both 1-for-4 with a run and a run scored, Severino with a triple. Harrington was 1-for-3 with a double, a run and 2 RBIs, while Beresford was 1-for-2 with a pair of walks and a run.

The E-Twins host the Kingport Mets for a pair of game on Saturday, making out a previous rain out. First pitch for the first game is due out at 6:00 PM Eastern time.

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Pulaski, Elizabethton split two

Friday: Pulaski 0 at Elizabethton 9

W: B. Lanigan (2-1, 2.74); L: T. Lewis (0-1, 9.72)
HR: ELI: E. Bigley (4), D. De La Osa (2).

Bobby Lanigan scattered 3 hits over 7 innings while fanning 8 as the Elizabethton Twins blanked the Pulaski Mariners, 9-0.

The Twins offense got off to a quick start in the bottom of the first, with Dominic De La Osa going yard right out of the gate. Nick Romero would go down on strikes before Jon Waltenbury took a walk. Michael Harrington then singled and Evan Bigley doubled to drive in Waltenbury. A wild pitch by Pulaski starter Taylor Lewis scored Harrington while Bigley scored on Juan Richardson's ground out.

The hits kept coming in the second as Angel Morales singled. James Beresford would hit into a force out however that took Morales down at 2nd. De La Osa and Romero both walked to load the bags. Waltenbury would go down on strikes before Harrington singled to drive in two of the three runners.

Jose Rios replaced Lewis at the top of the 3rd, and managed to keep the E-Twins quiet until the bottom of the 5th when Bigley put his fourth of the year over the right field wall. Juan Richardson and Danny Rams then hit back-to-back doubles to add another run to the total. Angel Morales was plunked by a pitch and a wild pitch off Rios advanced the pair of runners. Beresford went down on strikes before a fielding error by Gabriel Noriega allowed De La Osa to reach and Rams to score. Pulaski would turn to Brent Gaphardt to get the last out, and he got Romero to ground out to second.

Morales was 2-for-3 with a double in the game, while Harrington and Bigley were both 2-for-4, Harrington with one run and two RBIs, Bigley with a pair of runs and and matching RBIs. Richardson, Rams and Dea La Osa were 1-for-4 with De La Osa getting a walk, 2 runs and a RBI, while Richardson and Rams had a run and an a RBI each.

Kyle Carr and Mark Hamburger finished off the contest, working an inning each.

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Saturday: Pulaski 15 at Elizabethton 3

W: F. Williamson (2-2, 5.57); L: B. Tippett (5-2, 2.53)
HR: PUL: K. Sams 2 (10), D. Benitez (1). ELI: N. Romero (4).

The Pulaski Mariners abused Aussie starter Brad Tippett and pounded out a total of 15 runs on 16 hits as they romped over the Elizabethton Twins on Saturday night.

Dominic De La Osa singled, then stole 2nd, coming home on Nick Romero's double to put the Twins on the board in the bottom of the first. Pulaski answered back with Kalian Sams hitting his 9th home run of the season over the right field fence to tie up the game.

The top of the 3rd saw Tommy Johnson double. Gabriel Noriega lined out and Deybis Benitez ground out before Jacob Shaffer reached on a throwing error by Romero which also scored Johnson. Shaffer then stole 2nd and scored on a second throwing error by Romero.

Romero sort of made up for the errors in the bottom of the stanza when he went yard over the left center field fence, but that was only one run and he'd allowed a pair.

The top of the 4th saw Sams going yard again, this time over the center field wall.

Despite being well hit at this point, Tippett stayed in for the 5th. Benitez homered off the Aussie, his first of the year. Shaffer was called out on strikes before Mario Martinez singled. Juan Fuentes doubled and a wild pitch by Tippett brought in Martinez. Jose Rivero would sacrifice in Fuentes before Thom Wright came to get the final out.

That did not seem to work as well as one might hope however, as Guy Welch came back in the top of the six the a double. Tommy Johnson singled and Noriega walked to load up the bags. A single by Benitez scored Welch and Wright would walk Shaffer to force in Johnson. Martiez singled to bring in Noriega. Nathan Fritz came into replace Wright, but Fuentos would sacrifice in Benitez and Rivero would do the same with Shaffer. A wild pitch by Fritz scored Martinez before Sams would get called on strikes to retire Pulaski.

Welsh singled in the top of the 7th and Johnson doubled. Noriega ground out which served to plate Welsh and a double by Benitez brought in Johnson.

The Twins would get lucky in the bottom of the 8th with Romero taking a walk. After Bigley was called out on strikes, reliever Tommy Johannesen-Ellis unleashed a piar of wild pitches, and a throwing error by Johnson behind the plate allowed Romero to score.

The E-Twins were limited to only five hits, with Romero (2-for-4) getting two of them as well as a pair of runs and matching RBIs. De La Osa (1-for-5), Rams (1-for-4) and Morales (1-for-1) had the other 3 hits, De La Osa with a run, Rams with a triple and Morales with 3 walks.

Elizabethton says goodbye to Pulaski and heads over to neighboring Johnson City to face the Cardinals. The E-Twins continue to lead the West Division with a 19-10 record, 3.5 games ahead of Bristol. Pulaski leads the East Division with a 21-10 record, 3.5 games head of Danville.

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This just showed up on a Google Alert. The event was July 10th, but I found it amusing:
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