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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Twins down Reds, 6-2

GCL Reds 2 at GCL Twins 6

W: M. Mopas (2-1, 4.15); L: L. Machuca (0-1, 6.75); SV: K. Nanney (2)
HR: TWI: A. Diaz (3), M. Gonzales (3).

The two big guys on the team, Andres Diaz and Mike Gonzales, each clobbered their 3rd home run of the year to help lead the Twins to 6-2 pasting of the GCL Reds at the Lee County Sportsplex on Tuesday.

Diaz took a singled off Reds starter Luis Machuca with one out in the top of the second inning. A wild pitch moved Diaz to 2nd, and Reggie Williams singled advanced him to 3rd. Jae-Hyung Jang doubled to bring in Diaz and while Hyun-wook Choi's singled plated Williams. Jon Goncalves then sacrificed in J.J. to give the Twins a big lead early.

The top of the fourth saw Samuel Vasquez single for the Sarasota based squad and following a fly out to Brodie Pullen, Theodis Bowe singled as well. A wild pitch by Twins starter Miguel Munoz advanced the runners. Mauricio Pimentel singled in Vasquez while Alexis Oliveras' ground out plated Bowe to give the Reds their two runs.

Gonzalez hit a solo shot homer run over the right field fence to start out the bottom of the 6th. Diaz followed that up with a double and advanced to 3rd on Vasquez's fielding error. Williams would ground out before J.J. singled to drive in Diaz, to make it 5-2 Twins.

Diaz went yard off David Torcise, putting a fly ball over the left field fence in the bottom of the 8th to finish off the scoring.

Diaz was 3-for-4 at the plate with 3 runs, falling a double short of the cycle, with a run batted in. J.J. was also 3-for-4 but with 1 run and 2 RBIs. Goncalves was 2-for-3 with a RBI while Juan Sanchez, Gonzalez, Williams and Wook were all 1-for-4, Gonzales with the home run, Williams with a run, and Wook with a RBI to leave the one hit wonder title to Sanchez.

Munoz worked four innings, allowing 2 runs, earned on six hits and 3 walks while fanning 5. Mike Tonkin worked a scoreless fifth and Ian Mopas picked up the win, his second of the year, while fanning 4 over 2 innings. Khol Nanney picked up his 2nd save for the GCL Twins, allowing 3 hits and fanning a pair over two innings.

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The Elizabethton Twins defeated the Bristol White Sox in the Appalachian League action. Evan Bigley and Jon Waltenbury both put a pair of home runs each over the wall in the game. Former GCLer Thom Wright picked up the win in 2.2 innings of relief, allowing 1 run, earned on five hits while striking out one. Mark Hamburger earned his 8th save of the season for the E-Twins (Box/Log).

The DSL Twins fell to the DSL Cubs1, 6-1 Tusday, Yorby Martinez walked and was plated when Jhonatan Arais ground into a double play. Danny Santana was 2-for-4 at the plate but did not factor into the scoring. Orlando Villaroel took the loss, allowing 4 runs, 2 earned, on 5 hits while striking out 3 in three innings worth of work (Box/Log.

E-Twins take series from K-Mets

Saturday: Elizabethton 5 at Kingsport 3

W: B. Lanigan (4-3, 3.74); L: G. Leduc (2-3, 5.27); SV: M. Hamburger (7)
HR: ELI: E. Bigley (9). KNG: J. Garber (1).

Bobby Lanigan worked 7 innings allowing 3 runs on 8 hits while fanning four to help the Elizabethton Twins to a 5-3 win over the Kingsport Mets.

The Twins took a liking to Mets starter Oscar Melendez. Nick Romero singled to lead off the Twins attack in the top of the 1st. Jon Waltenbury would reach on a fielding error by Kyle Suire and Evan Bigley singled out to left to score Romero for an early Twins lead.

Danny Rams would strike out, but would make it to first anyway on a wild pitch by Melendez. After Severino ground out, moving Rams to 2nd, Angel Morales would be plunked with a pitch. James Beresford then doubled in the pair of runners to make it 3-0 Twins.

The bottom of the 3rd would see Justin Garber go yard off Lanigan over the center field fence to give the K-Mets a run.

Waltenbury would double in the top of the fifth and Evan Bigley would take a walk, before Jorge Rodriguez came in to replace Melendez. Michael Harrington singled out to right to load up the bags, but Rams and Adan Severino would both go down on strikes to strand the runners.

Rodriguez would be replaced by Guillaume Leduc in the top of the sixth, but despite a Beresford single and a Dominic De La Osa double, the Twins would still come up empty.

With one out on the board in the bottom of the sixth, Doug McNulty would triple off Lanigan. Singles to Stefan Welch, Pedro Zapata and Michael Moras would score both McNulty and Welch to tie up the game before Jean Luc Blaquiere and Justin Garber would get called out on strikes.

It would not stay tied long however as Evan Bigly put a solo-shot home run over the left field fence in the top of the seventh to put the E-Twins on top again.

In the top of the ninth, Nick Romero singled and moved to second on a wild pitch. Waltenbury's fly out saw him to 3rd, and Bigley would sacrifice him in for the insurance run.

Mark Hamburger would allow a single to Moras in the bottom of the ninth, but got Blaquiere out on strikes, took Garber down on a line out and finished the game on a Rafael Fernandez fly out.

Bigley would end up 2-for-2 with a pair of walks, a run and 3 RBIs. Beresford was 2-for-3 with a double and a RBI, while Romero was 2-for-2 with a pair of runs. De La Osa (1-for-5) and Waltenbury (1-for-4) both added doubles, while Harrington chipped in a single to become the one hit wonder of the game.

Despite being O-fer at the plate, Rams (0-for-4) and Morales (0-for-3) both had runs in the contest.

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Sunday: Elizabethton 14 at Kingsport 9

W: D. Berlind (2-2, 11.83); L: M. Alvarez (0-4, 8.82)
HR: KNG: K. Suire (5).

It was only a matter of time, but Danny Berlind was finally moved back to the bullpen. He would pick up the win Sunday in 1.1 innings of relief however, allowing only 2 hits and striking out 2 as the Elizabethton Twins won a slug fest against the Kingsport Mets.

Elizabethton opened the scoring with Nick Romero taking a single off K-Mets starter Colin McHugh. Jon Waltenbury's fly ball single moved him to 2nd and following a fly out to Evan Bigley, Jeff Lanning doubled the pair in.

Kingsport answered back however when Brad Tippett plunked Kyle Suire with a pitch. Suire would move to 2nd on Wilmer Flores line drive and score on a fielding error by Elizabethton's Dominic De La Osa at second.

Adan Severino singled in the top of the 2nd, then stole second base. Angel Morales singled, but James Beresford hit into a force out that took Morales down at second. With men at the corners, De La Osa would knock a line drive to right to plate Severnio. Romero's grounder to right drove in Beresford before Waltenbury took a walk to load the bags. Bigley singled in De La Osa, but Lanning would line out and Alex Soto ground out to strand the remaining runners.

A fielding error by Romero allowed Michael Moras to reach and Tippett would walk Gabriel Zavala. After Imbewer Alvarez was called out on strikes, Justin Garber would reach on a throwing error by Romero that scored Moras, and Rafael Fernandez singled in Zavala. Suire then put this fifth home run of the season over the right field wall to add 3 more to the K-Mets total, making the score 6-5 Kingsport after two.

The Twins tied it up in the top of the fourth. De La Osa and Romero hit back-to-back singles. After Waltenbury and Bigley went down on the strikes, Lanning's line drive plated De La Osa. That would signal a pitching change for the Mets, who sent Manuel Alvarez out to the hill to replace McHugh.

Severino would triple in the top of the 5th and Morales would get hit by a pitch. Beresford reached on a fielder's choice that took Severino out at home, saving the run. Morales would advance to 3rd on a throwing error by Moras, but would be left stranded when De La Osa popped out and Romero flew out to send the K-Mets to the plate.

Kyle Carr replaced Tippett in the bottom of the stanza and worked a quick 1-2-3 inning taking out McNulty, Welch and Rogelio Del Campo, who as brought in to replace Moras. The K-Mets pitcher was injured in a fifth inning wreck at home plate when he was run over by Severino.

Waltenbury would single to open up the top of the sixth, and moved to send on a wild pitch by Alvarez. Bigley would walk, and Lanning would single to load the bags. Following a pop out to Alex Soto, Severino doubled to bring in Walt and Bigley. Morales would go down on strikes, but a Beresford ground ball single drove in Lanning and Severino, to make it 10-6 Twins.

Zavala singled and moved to 3rd on a wild pitch by Carr. Alvarez would go down on strikes and Garber walk before Frenandez's ground out brought in Zavala. Suire would take a walk which prompted Ray Smith to walk out to the mound, removing Carr and bring in Berlind. A wild pitch by the new reliever advanced the runners, and Berlind would give up a double to bring in Garber and Suire before McNulty popped out to end the inning.

Travis Babin would allow a double to Romero in the 7th, and a Waltenbury single plated the Twins 3rd baseman to give Elizabethton an insurance run.

Welch would double in the bottom of the inning, but a fly out and a pair of strike out by Berlind left him on second with no further damage done.

Soto would single, Severino would be hit by a pitch and Morales would walk to load the bags in the top of the 8th. Beresford drew a walk to force in a run, and De La Osa would get hit by a pitch to bring in another one. Romero sacrificed in Morales, which concluded the scoring in the game.

Romero was 4-for-5 with a double a pair of runs and a pair of runs scored. Waltenbury was 3-for-5 with a walk, a pair of runs and a RBI. Severino would go 3-for-4 falling a home run shy of the cycle with 3 runs and 2 RBIs. Lanning was 3-for-6 with a double, a run and 3 RBIs. Bigley and Soto were both 1-for-5 with a run each; Morales and Beresford were 1-for-4 with a walk and a run each. Beresford had 3 RBIs to boot. Mike Harrington, coming in as a pinch hitter, went 1-for-1 to become the one hit wonder of the game.

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Monday: Elizabethton 5 at Kingsport 6

W: M. Powers (2-0, 1.06); L: S. Blevins (0-2, 8.22)
HR: ELI: A. Morales 2 (9). KNG: J. Blaquiere (3), S. Welch (2).

The Elizabethton Twins would go into Monday night's contest looking for a sweep in the series, but home field advantage would work to Kingsport's favor in extra innings and the Twins would have to settle for a 2-1 split.

Raul Batis took the start for the K-Mets. He'd work 3 scoreless innings before Michael Harrington took a double from him. Angel Morales then put his 8th home run of the short season over the left field wall to give Elizabethton 2.

Stefan Welch would return the same in the bottom of the stanza, with his second of the year for the K-Mets going over the right field wall. Pedro Zapata would follow that up with a single, steal 2nd and then attempt to steal 3rd, but Danny Rams rifled a ball to Nat Hanson to take him down at third.

Justin Garber singled off Dan Osterbrock in the bottom of the 5th and Rafael Fernandez singled to move him to second. Kyle Suire's ground out put runners on 2nd and 3rd. Following a pop out to Wilmer Flores, Douglas McNulty reached on a throwing error by Hanson that also allowed Garber and Fernandez to score.

Kingsport would add another run each of the 7th and the 8th innings off Twins reliever Lee Martin.

With the K-Mets up by three, Evan Bigley took a walk in the top of the 9th. Harrington singled and following a Rams' strike out, Morales would go yard for the second time in the game, his 9th of the season clearing the right field wall to tie up the contest.

Steve Blevins would take over from Martin in the 10th inning and would strand Zapata after he reached on throwing error. Wilmer Flores double in the bottom of the 11th saw him taken out at 3rd on a fielder's choice.

Sadly, the E-Twins were not making much noise offensivly during this time. Romero would strike out in the 12th and Lanning and Bigley would both ground out bringing the K-Mets up to bat in the bottom half.

Blevins would get Zapata to ground out, but Jean Luc Blaquiere would go yard, his 3rd of the year going over the left field fence to make the K-Mets winners.

Harrington and Morales were both 3-for-5 with a pair of runs, Morales with 5 runs scored as well. Bigley was 2-for-5 with a walk and a run. Beresford (1-for-4), Waltenbury (1-for-5) and De La Osa (1-for-6) all chipped in singles to share the one hit wonder title.

Osterbrock would finish up allowing 3 runs, only 1 earned, on 7 hits and a walk while fanning 8 over six innings. Blevins' loss would be his second of the season, coming on 3 hits over 2.1 innings worth of work.

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With a 27-18 record, the E-Twins remain n first in the West Division, 1.5 games in front of Bristol. The White Sox come in to Joe O'Brien Stadium starting Tuesday for a 3-game series. The first pitch gets tossed at 7:00 PM to get the battle for the West Division underway. The Bri-sox have won their last seven.

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Beloit, E-Twins both win

Great Lakes 3 at Beloit 4

W: C. Anderson (2-0, 6.06); L: R. Blevins (2-5, 2.45)
HR: BEL: G. Yersich (7).

"Great Lakes" sounds much better than "Midland" for a team location - the Midland Loonies anyone? - but in either case, "Beloit Snappers take a win" sounds the best.

It took them 10 innings, but they did just that, defeating the Loons for a 4-3 victory.

Rene Leveret reached on a throwing error in the bottom of the 2nd and moved to 2nd on a passed ball. Mark Dolenc reached on a fielder's choice that took Leveret down at 3rd, but Juan Richardson then doubled, plating the speedy Dolenc to put the Snappers on the board.

Preston Mattingly singled and Parker Dalton walked off Snappers starter Henry Reyes. A wild pitch advanced the pair and an Erik Kanaby singled drove them both in. Kanaby would be picked off, but Francisco Lizarraga drew a walk. Andrew Lambo ground into a force out, taking Lizarraga out at 2nd. Eduard Perez drew a walk, moving Lambo to 2nd and a throwing error by Greg Yersich on a pick off attempt put the ball into the outfield and allowed Lambo to score. (Good job Greg.)

Yangervis Solarte drew a walk with 2 outs in the bottom of the fifth and moved to 2nd on a Leveret single. After a pitching change saw Rob Zimmermann replace Bryan Morris on the mound, a fielding error by Dalton allowed Dolenc to reach and Solarte to score.

Robert Blevins took over for Zimmermann in the bottom of the 8th. Yersich then made up for his earlier error by launching his 7th home run of the season over the center field wall to tie up the game.

Leveret doubled in the bottom of the 10th and would be replaced by pinch runner Allan de San Miguel. Dolenc would go down on strikes and Richardson would line out before a Yersich single drove in de San Miguel for the game winning run.

Chris Anderson picked up his second win of the season, working one inning in relief. Mike Tarsi and Santos Arias worked a pair each, scattering 3 hits and a pair of walks over four innings.

Yersich was 2-for-5 with a run and pair of RBIs. Leveret was 4-for-5, Dirty had the run for him. Solarte was 1-for-3 with a pair of walks and a run, and Richardson as 1-for-5 with a run batted in.

Game three of the series is Thursday night at Pohlman field as the Snappers look for a sweep. First pitch is due out at 7:00 PM Central Time.

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Elizabethton 10 at Greenville 4

W: D. Osterbrock (4-2, 3.23); L: H. Villar (1-4, 4.67)
HR: ELI: E. Bigley (8), D. Rams 2 (5).

Dan Osterbrock, Evan Bigley and Danny Rams were all instrumental in Elizabethton's 10-4 victory over the Greeneville Astros Wednesday night as they opened up a 3-game set at Pioneer Park. The win, coupled with a K-Mets loss, puts the the E-Twins back on top, 2 games ahead of Kingsport.

Osterbrock surrendered the first run in the game with Ebert Rosario reaching on a fielding error by Nathan Hanson. Federico Hernandez then doubled, moving Rosario to third. An Albert Cartwright sac-fly would bring in Rosario, putting Greeneville on the board.

Astro's starter Henry Villar would hold out until the top of the 4th inning. Michael Harrington took a walk before Danny Rams went yard, blasting his 4th of the year, a line drive, over the left field wall. Angel Morales would single, but then be caught stealing and Nat Hanson would fly out. James Beresford took a walk before Dominic De La Osa and Adam Severino hit back-to-back singles to plate Beresford.

Bigley would homer in the top of the 5th, his eighth of the year finding its way over the left center field fence. Villar then found his way back to the dugout, being replaced by David Dinelli.

Jorge De Leon doubled in the bottom of the 5th and Wilton Infante singled him in, to make the score 4-2 Elizabethton.

The top of the seventh would not go well for Patrick Urckfitz, who took over for Dinelli in the bottom of the sixth. He'd give up a home run to Rams, the second of the game for the Twins slugger and his fifth of the season, which went over the right center field wall. Morales would go down on strikes before Hanson singled and Bereford reached on Rosario's throwing error. De La Osa then walked to load the bases. Sevarino singled to plate Hanson and Breseford, while Urckfitz unleashed a wild pitch to advance De La Osa and Sevarino. Jon Waltenbury sacrificed in De La Osa and a Bigley line drive single scored Severino before Harrington lined out to give the Astros a turn at the plate.

Hernandez walked and Cartwright tripled him in. A wild pitch by Osterbrock brought in Cartwright but De Leon when down on strikes while Infante would ground out. Austin singled and advanced to second on a throwing error by De La Osa, but Renzo Tello struck out to end the inning, with the Twins leading 9-4.

Joel Romero pitched the 9th for Greeneville and Andrea Lucati replaced him for the top of the 9th. De La Osa drew a walk to lead off, then one out later, stole 2nd base. Waltenbury doubled him in to give the E-Twins an even 10.

Osterbrock finished off allowing 4 runs, 3 earned on six hits and one walk while striking out 12 over seven innings. Danny Rondon worked the last two scoreless innings for Elizabethton, scattering 3 hits and a walk while fanning 2.

Game two of the three game series is Thursday night starting at 7:00 PM. It s a Thirsy Thursday for the 'Stros as well as the Andrew Johnson bobble head give away.

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E-Twins lose third straight to JC Cards

Monday: Elizabethton 2 at Johnson City 3

W: S. Freeman (2-1, 3.86); L: M. Hamburger (1-1, 3.86)
HR: ELI: A. Morales (7).

While the Johnson City Cardinals did not crank out the number of hits and runs they did on Sunday, they still took a 3-2 win over the Elizabethton Twins who outhit them 7 to 5.

Red Birds starter Kevin Thomas keep the Twins off the board for the first four innings, giving way to Carlos Gonzalez in the top of the 5th. Angel Morales greeted the incoming pitcher with his 7th home run of the short season.

Shooter Hunt would be equally good at keeping the Cards off the scoreboard for 4, but Paul Cruz would reach on a fielding error by James Beresford. Edgar Lara singled and the pair then orchestrated a double steal. Alex Castellanos was hit by a pitch, and wild pitch scored Cruz to each up the game.

Hunt would exit the mound after allowing 1 run on 2 hits, but walked four and fanned six during his five innings of work.

With two outs on the board in the top of the 6th and Reynier Gonzalez on the mound, Evan Bigley doubled, advanced to 3rd on a wild pitch and then scored on a second wild pitch to put the E-Twins on top again.

Scott Blevins Would take over the mound for the sixth and stayed there for the second, allowing a single to Castellanos. Brett Liley then doubled the Cards' third baseman in to tie up the game again.

The Twins would load the bags in the top of the 8th, but Morales when down on strikes to end the inning. Instead Mark Hamburger would allow a walk to the Cardinal's Osvaldo Morales, who was then lifted from the game in favor of pinch runner Jarred Bogany. A passed ball by Danny Rams moved Bogany to 2nd, and a Jairo Martinez single would allow Boganey to score for the game winning run.

Bigley finished up 2-for-4 for the twins with a pair of doubles and a run; Romero was 2-for-5. Adam Severino was 1-for-2 with a double and a pair of walks, while De La Osa and Morales were both 1-for-4, Morales with a run and a run batted in.

The series concludes on Tuesday at Howard Johnson Field. The Twins return home on Wednesday to host the Greeneville Astros for a 7:00 PM game at Joe O'Brien Stadium.

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E-Star

Shooter Hunt has being promoted to Class A Beloit following Monday's game. The Westwood, NJ, native allowed just one earned run in over 19.0 innings for a 0.47 ERA. He struck out 34 while walking only six in four starts.

Alex Curry has been promoted from the GCL Twins to take his place on the E-Twins roster. Curry as 2-0 for the GCL Twins in six games, with a 1.46 ERA in 24.2 innings pitched. The Villa Park, California, right-hander struck out 23 and walked 3.

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Tuesday: Elizabethton at Johnson - Suspended (Rain)

Tuesday's game between the Elizabethton Twins and the Johnson City Cardinals as suspended due to rain. The game was scoreless after one inning of play before it was called. The two teams do not meet again this season and a make up date has not yet been announced. It is likely that the game will be cancelled.

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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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Mariners slip by E-Twins, 4-3

Pulaski 4 at Elizabethton 3

W: B. Mohr (3-1, 2.83); L: D. Osterbrock (2-2, 3.78); SV: B. Nation (4)
HR: PUL: K. Sams (8), D. Britton (2).

The Pulaski Mariners tagged Dan Osterbrock for 4 runs in the top of the 5th inning to go on to defeat the Elizabethton Twins, 4-3.

Dominic De La Osa and Nicholas Romero hit back to back doubles off Brooks Mohr to open up the bottom of the first. After Jon Waltenbury went down on strikes, Alex Soto took a walk. Michael Harrington ground out before Evan Bigley doubled to bring in two more runs. Danny Rams would get called on strikes to end the inning.

And after that the E-Twins offense just stopped.

Mohr scattered 8 hits and a walk over 5 innings while striking out 7. Three Mariner relievers combined to one hit the the E-Twins for the last four.

Meanwhile, Pulaski's attack on Osterbrook started when Kalian Sams homered, his 8th of the of the season over the center field wall. Jonathan Arias and Blake Tinkler hit back-to-back singles and a wild pitch by Osterbrock advanced the pair. Dwight Briton then homered, his second of the season, over the left field wall to put the Mariners on top.

Bigley was 2-for-4 with a double and 2 RBIs. Bereford was 2-for-3 but did not factor into the scoring. Rams (1-for-4) and Angel Morales (1-for-3) were both one hit wonders.

Harrington and Waltenbury both went hitless in the contest.

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Thursday:
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E-Town clobbers Pulaski, 10-2

Elizabethton 10 at Pulaski 2

W: D. Berlind (1-0, 4.09); L: F. Williamson (0-1, 8.64)
HR: ELI: E. Bigley 2 (2), R. Leveret (1), A. Morales (1).

Things were popping in the Appy League Sunday night as the Elizabethton Twins used four home runs and 14 hits to put 10 runs on the board in a 10-2 drubbing of the Pulaski Mariners.

The E-Twins would open the scoring in the top of the second inning with Rene Leveret and Evan Bigley hitting back-to-back home runs off Pulaski starter Fabian Williamson.

In the top of the 3rd, Jeanfred Brito reached on a fielding error by Mariner's shortstop Fred Bello. He would then steal 2nd and move to 3rd on Dominic De La Osa's ground out. Juan Richardson singled to plate Brito for the Twins third run.

Danny Berlind took the start for the E-Twins, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits and a walk while striking out 7 over six innings. The first run came in the bottom of the 3rd when Juan Fuentes doubled then moved to 3rd on a Bello bunt single. Anthony Phillips would sacrifice Fuentes home.

Williamson would not fair as well. Bigley opened the top of the 4th with his second homer of the game. Michael Harrington singled and would be plated by Jeff Lanning's double. Angel Morales would ground out before Nathan Hanson took a walk. Williamson took a walk too, back to the dugout while Tommy Johannesen-Ellis trotted out of the bullpen. The E-Twins wanted to make the new pitcher welcome, so Brito doubled off him to score Lanning. De La Osa took a single that scored Hanson, and Richardson's double brought in Brito and De La Osa. Leveret would ground out and Bigley fly out to end the fun.

Jacob Shaffer tripled off Berlind in the bottom of the forth. The E-Twins pitcher then walked

Jose Rivero before Mario Martinez would sacrifice in Shaffer. Kris Sanchez would get called out on strikes, and Kailian Sams would hit into a double play to end the inning.

Angel Morales would hit his first home run of the year, a single shot over the left field wall in the top of the 7th to finish off the scoring.

The last two innings would fall to Jarrad Eacott and the Aussie closer walked one and struck out one to finish off the contest which would be called slightly early due to rain.

The E-Twins head over to Bluefield now for a 3-game set. Start time for game one is 7:00 PM

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