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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Beloit, E-Twins, DSL Twins all victorious

Beloit 5 at Kane County 3

W: M. McCardell (8-3, 2.82); L: J. Friend (4-5, 4.33); SV: S. Arias (2)
HR: BEL: R. Leveret (2). KCC: L. Cobb (11).

Mike McCardell worked 8 innings allowing 3 runs, 2 earned, while scattering five hits and a walk and fanning 7 to help lead the Snappers to a 5-3 win over the Kane County Cougars. Estarlin De Los Santos lead the attack, going 3-for-3 at the plate with a walk and a pair of runs.

Justin Frash singled and Larry Cobb went yard, his 11th home run of the 2008 season, in the bottom of the 3rd for Kane County.

The Snappers answered back in the top of the 4th with De Lo leading off with a single then stealing 2nd. Following a fly out to Paul Kelly, Rene Leveret homered, his 2nd for the Snappers, over the center field wall to tie up the game.

Matt Ray singled but was taken out on D.J.Hollingsworth's force out in the bottom of the 5th. Greg Yersich would attempt to pick off Hollingsworth, but over threw the base, allowing Hollingsworth to score for the unearned run. That put the Cougars on top again and it would stay that way until the top of the 8th.

Justin Friend came to replace Scott Deal and Yersich hit a line drive single to left. He'd be replaced by Jeanfred Brito as a pinch runner, and Brito would move to 2nd on Yangervis Solarte's sac bunt. Andrew Schmiesing ground out, but a wild pitch by Friend let Brito come home to tie up the contest. Ben Revere singled and stole 2nd and De Lo took a walk. A passed ball by Kane County's Petey Paramore advanced the runners. Kelly then walked to load the bags. Leveret's line drive to right scored Revere and De Lo before Mark Dolenc was taken out on strikes.

Leveret finish off 2-for-4 with a run and 4 RBIs. Revere, Ramon Santana and Schmiesing were each 1-for-4, Revere with a run, Santana with a double. Yerisch was 1-for-3, with a single.

Santos Arias worked the final inning to pick up his second save of the season, while McCardell improves to 8-3 on the year.

The two teams rematch on Friday, August 8 for a 6:30 PM start. Jamie Richmond (7-8, 4.52) gets the start for Kane County against the Snappers' David Bromberg (6-9, 5.25).

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Bristol 1 at Elizabethton 3

W: B. Lanigan (5-3, 3.35); L: S. Buriff (3-1, 5.79); SV: M. Hamburger (9)
HR: ELI: M. Harrington (8).

Dominic De La Osa doubled in Angel Morales and Nathan Hanson in the bottom of the 7th inning, giving the Elizabethton Twins a win in a pitcher's duel between Bobby Lanigan and Brisol's Steve Upchurch.

Lanigan would work 8 innings scattering 4 hits and a walk while fanning five for the Twins. Upchurch allowed only one hit and 3 walks over the first five inning while fanning five before giving way to Shane Buriff.

Buriff would allow a home run to Michael Harrington in the bottom of the six. The 8th yard ball of Harrington's professional career went over the right field wall. Buriff would also give up the two runs in the seventh.

Jorge Castillo doubled in the top of the 7th inning, moved to 3rd on a Jorge Vargas sac bunt and came home on Kevin Dubler's single for Bristol's lone run.

Mark Harmburger worked one inning of relief for his ninth save of the of year.

With the win, the E-Twins maintain a 2.5 game lead over Bristol in the Appalachian League west division. They start a three game series against the Burlington Royals at Joe O'Brien Stadium Friday, with the first pitch due out at 7:00 PM.

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DSL Twins 17 at DSL Rockies 4

W: R. Doran (2-0, 2.45); L: J. Hernandez (0-1, 5.19); SV: L. Parra (2)
HR: DSL TWI: F. Caro (3).

I double there was any Rocky Mountain air for the balls to soar on Thursday, but the DSL Twins pounded out 17 runs on 17 hits, 6 walks and 7 Rockies errors to wallop the Colorado farm team 17-4.

Jairo Perez and Lesther Galvan were both 3-for-4 in the contest, Perez with a double, 4 runs and 1 runs scored, and Galvan with a pair of walks, a pair of runs and a RBI. Felix Caro was 4-for-6 at the plate with a double and a home run, two runs and 4 RBIs.

Caro's home run, in the fourth inning, brought in two for the DSL Twins.

Eliel Sierra finished up 2-for 3 with a walk, a pair of doubles, 3 runs and 1 RBI. Randy Pina was 2-for-5 at the plate with a walk, a run, and a RBI.

Oswaldo Arcia and Yorby Martinez finished up 1-for-5 each, Martinez with 1 run, Arcia with two. Each had a walk and a RBI as well. Wilfy Gil was 1-for-4 with a pair of runs.

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The GCL Twins had Thursday off. They return to action Friday at Noon against the GCL Pirates.

Snappers swept

Lansing 11 at Beloit 8

W: B. Letko (3-3, 3.70); L: S. Hirschfeld (7-4, 4.03); SV: T. Collins (11)
HR: LAN: J. Tolisano (6).

About the time Steve Hirshfeld was giving up 8 runs for the Beloit Snappers in the 2nd inning of Sunday's contest, I was sitting at the drink rail in Hammond Stadium trying to remember who the fifth member of the Beloit rotation was. How could I forget?

Hirschfeld would probably like to forget Sunday's performance.

Manuel Rodriguez, Jonathan Jaspe, John Tollsano, Johermyn Chavez, and Moises Sierra all took singles off Hirschfelt to start the top of the 2nd inning, which put three runs on the board. Darin Mastroianni doubled to add a fourth before Justin Jackson ground out, adding a fifth. A fielder's choice allowed Raul Barron to reach and took Mastroianni out at home. Dave Cooper singled and Rodriguez, batting around the order, doubled to add six and seven. Jaspe's single to center plated Rodriguez for the 8th run before Tolisano finally lined out to center.

Mark Dolenc tripled in the bottom of the stanza and came home on a Yangervis Solarte ground out to put the Snappers on the board. It seemed almost a footnote after the top of the inning.

Sierra would reach in the 3rd on a fielding error by Juan Richardson. After Mastroianni flew out, Jackson doubled Sierra in for the Lugnuts 9th run.

Back-to-back singles by Rene Leveret and Dolenc, combined with a fielding error by Sierra, put Leveret over the plate for the second Snappers run. Solarte would ground out, plating Dolenc. It was going to take a lot of chipping away for the Snappers to get out of that hole, but chip they did.

Chris Anderson replaced Hirschfeld for the fifth and allowed a double to Chavez. He'd be taken out at 3rd though on a fielder's choice. Mastroianni would then fly into a double play to to end the inning.

The Lugnuts made a pitching change in the sixth, with Joe Wice replacing Brian Letko on the mound. Newly reactivated Paul Kelly doubled and Leveret singled. Dolenc would hit into a double play at scored Kelly to make it 9-4 Lansing.

With one out on the board in the top of the 7th, Jaspe walked and Tolisano launched his sixth home run of the season over the left field wall to add the final pair to the Lugnuts total. Chavez would go down on strike sand Sierra walk before Michael Allen came in to replace Anderson getting Mastroianni to ground into a force out to retire the side.

Michael Barbara took to the mound in the bottom of the 8th, and after getting Chris Cates to pop out, allowed a double to Kelly. Leveret singled to plate Kelly to make it 11-5 Luggies.

Allan de San Miguel singled to start out the ninth inning rally. Richardson followed it up with a single of his own and Andrew Schmiesing's ground out advanced the runners. Jeanfred Brito singled to plate de San Miguel, and Cates doubled in Richardson and Brito. Tim Collins would take over the mound for the Lugnuts at that point and would get Kelly and Leveret to both ground out, ending the inning, with Beloit still down by three.

Brito and Dolenc were both 2-for-4 at the plate, Brito with a walk a run and a RBI, and Dolenc with a triple and a pair of runs. Leveret finished up 3-for-5 with a run and a RBI, while Kelly, serving as the designated hitter, was 2-for-5 with a pair of doubles, and a pair of runs. Cates would go 1-for-4 at the plate with a walk, a double and a pair of runs scored. Richardson and Dirty were both 1-for-3 with a run, Richardson with a walk as well.

Hirschfeld's final line score was 9 runs, 8 earned, on 10 hits and 2 walks while fanning 2 over 4 innings.

The 3-game losing streak puts Beloit at 21-22 on the season, sixth in the 8-team Western division, 4.5 games out of first.

Beloit takes Monday off before heading out on the road for a four-game series against the Kane County Cougars. Tuesday's game begins at 6:30 PM.

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Kelly Activated from DL

The Minnesota Twins have activated Paul Kelly from the disabled list in time for today's game between the Snappers and Lansing Lugnuts. Kelly is coming off of a right hamstring injury sustained in the June 20th game against the Peoria Chiefs. Before he was injured, Paul played in just two games for the Snappers with four hits in six at-bats.

Kelly played for the Snappers during parts of the '05 and '06 seasons, making the Midwest League All-Star team in 2006. From there, the infielder battled a left knee injury that kept him out of the majority of the 2007 season, and the first half of the '08 season.

Prior to this season, Kelly had a career batting average of .280 with 30 doubles and 73 RBIs in 142 minor league games. The Twins' 2nd round pick in the 2005 First-Year Player draft is a graduate of Flower Mound (TX) High School.

The move puts the Beloit active roster at 25. (Snappers)

Snappers offense lullabyed by Lugnuts pitching

Friday: Lansing 3 at Beloit 1

W: L. Perez (5-8, 3.48); L: M. McCardell (7-3, 2.86); SV: T. Collins (10)
HR: None.

Before they even get to the Miracle, the Twins prospects become used to losing to the Blue Jays prospects.

Welcome to Pohlman Field in Beloit where the Snappers managed only 3 hits against the Lansing Lugnuts.

Mike McCardell, a guy I fully expect to see in the Miracle line up next season, pitched very well, allowing only two runs on 6 hits and a walk while fanning 10 over six innings. It wasn't well enough though as the Snappers managed little or no offensive production.

David Cooper would walk before Kevin Ahrens flew out and Manuel Rodriguez struck out. Johermyn Chavez's line drive moved Cooper to second, and a double by Moises Sierra drove the pair in, putting the Luggies on the board.

Estarlin De Lo Santos doubled in the bottom of the fourth, and moved to 3rd Yangervis Solarte's sac bunt. Rene Leveret then sacrificed in De Lo for the lone Beloit Run.

Jonathan Jaspe singled in the top of the 8th off Beloit reliever Chris Anderson. Following a strike out to Cooper, Ahrens took a walk. Manuel Rodriguez's ground ball to right scored Jaspe, and signaled the end of Anderson's time on the mound. Nelson Prada called Charles Nolte out of the bullpen. After getting Chavez to fly out, Nolte would walk Sierra. With the bases loaded, he'd get Eric Eiland to ground into a force out, stranding the runners.

Aside from De Lo, Allan de San Miguel doubled for the Snappers, going 1-for-2 at the plate, while Cates, who was 1-for-3, contributed a single.

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Saturday: Lansing 11 at Beloit 0

W: M. Rzepczynski (6-4, 2.74); L: D. Bromberg (6-9, 5.25)
HR: LAN: M. Sierra (9).

One of the other Beloit Snappers pitchers who's name has come up for promotion to the Miracle next season is David Bromberg. Bromberg was the unhappy participant in one of "those" games on Saturday, giving up 8 runs, 7 earned, on 10 runs a walk while fanning 4 over 3.1 innings.

Justin Jackson tripled to lead off for Lansing and John Tolisano drew a walk. David Cooper doubled Jackson in, and Manuel Rodriguez's ground ball single scored Tolisano and Cooper. After Kevin Ahrens was taken down on strikes, Bromberg unleashed a wild pitch that moved Rodriguez to 2nd. C.J. Ebarb then doubled the runner in. Jonathan Baksh reached on a fielding error by Chris Cates that put Ebarb on 3rd. A second wild pitch by Bromberg would allowed Ebarb to score. Happily, Bromberg finally got Moises Sierra and Eric Eiland to ground out to end the inning.

Jackson singled in the 2nd, and moved to 2nd on another wild pitch. Cooper's ground ball to center then plated him to make it 6-0 Luggies.

With one out on the board in the 3rd, Baksh doubled and a passed ball by Greg Yersich moved him to 3rd. Sierra would go down on strikes before Eiland singled Baksh in. A wild pitch by Bromberg put Eiland on second, but he got Jackson to fly out to end the inning.

A fielding error by Estarlin De Los Santos saw Tolisano reach in the top of the 4th, Cooper would go down on strikes before Bromberg uncorked another wild pitch, moving Tolisano to 2nd. Manuel Rodriguez doubled out to left to score Tolisano before Nelson Prada saw fit to get Mike Tarsi on to the mound. Tarsi would put Ahrens and Ebarb down on ground outs to get out of the inning.

The pitching change wasn't much of a respite as the Lugnuts added two more in the 5th and saw Sierra crack a solo-shot home run out of the park in the 7th.

Rene Leveret was 2-for-4 with a double, while Andrew Schmiesing and Ben Revere were both 1-for-3, with singles.

The Lugnuts look to sweep Sunday with the first pitch coming at 2:00 PM central time.

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A correction to the information I had gotten last night, LEN3 is reporting in his blog that "Michael Cuddyer looks on his way to Class AAA Rochester on Monday for a bunch of rehab games, then will join the team when it returns from next week's road trip to Seattle and Kansas City." Too bad, we'd have like to see Cuddy-bear in a Miracle uni again.

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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Wednesday
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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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Snappers like Loons, win 7-5

Great Lakes 5 at Beloit 7

W: S. Hirschfeld (7-3, 3.25); L: T. Melgarejo (2-5, 4.02); SV: B. Martin (2)
HR: GLL: B. Taylor (5).

The Beloit Snappers found the Great Lakes Loons rather to their liking as they took a 7-5 win over the visitors at Pohlman Field Monday night in game that featured a combined 27 hits by both teams.

Steve Hirschfled took the start for the Snappers, allowing 4 runs on 9 hits and 2 walks while fanning 3 in 5.2 innings. Beloit would get to Great Lakes' Thomas Melgarejo first however, snagging pair of runs in the first inning off the Dogers' affiliate.

With a pair of outs on the board, Yangervis Solarte singled and was doubled in by Rene Leveret. A wild pitch by Melgarejo moved Leveret to 3rd and a fielding error by Eduardo Perez allowed Mark Dolenc to reach and Leveret to score before Juan Richardson ground into a force out to end the inning.

Perez would single for the Loons in the top of the second, and Jaime Ortiz doubled. Kenley Johnson's ground out served to score Perez. After a fly out to Preston Mattingly, Brandon Taylor went yard to give Great Lakes a 3-2 lead.

The Snappers tie it up in the bottom of the 2nd when Chris Cates singled, moved to second on a Andrew Schmiesing single and came home on Jeanfred Brito's grounder to center.

They would extend their league in the bottom of the 3rd with Leveret and Dolenc both singling. Richardson hit into a force out which, combined with a throwing error Mattingly allowed Leveret to score. Allan de San Miguel doubled in Richardson and Cates singled to drive in Dirty.

The next couple of innings would be quiet. In the top of the sixth, Mattingly singled with a pair of outs on the board. A wild pitch by Hirschfeld put Mattingly on second and Taylor doubled him in. Parker Dalton would walk, and Snappers field manager Nelson Prada took a walk out to the mound, calling Charles Nolte in from the Snappers bullpen.

The top of the 8th saw Kenley Jansen double off Nolte and be replaced by pinch runner Jovanny Rosario. After Mattingly went down on strikes, Taylor singled to score Rosario, helped in part by Dolenc's fielding error. Dalton would go down on strikes and Prada called for another pitching change, putting Blake Martin on the mound.

The Snappers took the run back in the bottom of the eighth, with Dolenc singling, then moving to 3rd on Richardson's ground out. Dirty singled to score Dolenc. He'd try to get to second but would be tagged out at the base.

Melgarejo worked only 3 innings for Great Lakes before giving way to Miguel Sanfler, who finished the contest. Melgarejo still took the loss however, while Hirshfeld improved to 7-3 on the season.

Solarte, Leveret, Dolenc and Dirty were all 2-for-4, Solarte with a run, Leveret with a double, a pair of runs and a run scored, Dolenc and Dirty each with a run and Dirty with a double and a pair of RBIs as well. Cates was 3-for-4 with a run and a RBI. Brito finished up 1-for-4 with a RBI, and Schmiesing was 1-for-3, as the contest's one hit wonder.

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LSU: Blake Martin

From MiLB.com:

THE SEASON SO FAR: The Snappers are 17-17 in the second half and in fourth place in the Western Division.

WHO'S HOT: OF Ben Revere tied for sixth among league batting leaders last week, hitting .429 (9-for-21) with three RBIs and two runs scored in five games. In 69 games this season he's batting .399 (113-for-283) with 17 doubles, nine triples, 39 RBIs and 42 runs scored.

WHO'S NOT: LHP Michael Tarsi dropped to 4-11 with a 5.67 ERA after being tagged with a pair of losses last week. In 21 games (including 20 starts) he has allowed 84 runs (71 earned) on 151 hits (including 12 home runs) over 112 2/3 innings.

OLYMPIC GLORY: RHP Loek Van Mil left the team last week to represent his country -- the Netherlands -- in next month's Beijing Olympic Games. Van Mil (2-2, 3.22 ERA) is not expected to return to the Snappers until the last week of the season.

DID YOU KNOW: The 7-foot-1 Van Mil has struck out 42 batters while issuing 25 walks in 28 relief appearances. He was signed by the Twins as a non-drafted free agent in 2005. He and 5-foot-3 teammate Chris Cates are the tallest and shortest players in baseball.

ROSTER MOVES: RHP Shooter Hunt, the Twins' supplemental first-round pick and the 31st overall selection in the June Draft, joined the Snappers last week after going 0-0 with a 0.47 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 19 innings for the Rookie-level Elizabethton Twins. He struck out nine batters in his debut against Wisconsin on Saturday.

IF Yangervis Solarte was received from Class A Advanced Fort Myers to fill Van Mil's roster spot. In 42 games with the Miracle, he hit .259 with three home runs and 16 RBIs.

The Elizabethton Twins had Tuesday off. They return to work on Wednesday as they travel to Greeneville to face the Astros.

Kingsport Times News
E-Star

Snappers wipe out Whitecaps

West Michigan 3 at Beloit 5

W: S. Arias (5-3, 3.08); L: T. Weber (0-2, 4.24); SV: C. Anderson (2)
HR: WMI: K. Kaiser (5). BEL: D. Romero (3).

Billed as the rematch of last year's finals series, it was good to see the Beloit Snappers get back on the winning track against Lakeland Tigers to be - West Michigan.

Thad Weber took the mound for the Detroit farm while Twins prospect Santos Arias handled the pitching for the Snappers. Both kept the opponent off the board through the first two innings.

In the top of the 3rd, Brandon Douglas singled with one out on the board, then moved to 3rd on a throwing error by Arias on the pick off attempt. Keith Stein would take a walk before Justin Henry ground into a force out that scored Douglas and took out Stein. Henry would to 2nd on a throwing error by Santos. The Twins young Dominican then unleashed a wild pitch that saw Henry try to come home but he'd be nabbed at the plate, retiring the side.

After Greg Yersich flew out to center, Andrew Schmiesing's line drive got him on board. Mark Dolenc singled to move Schmiesing to 2nd, and Jeanfred Brito would reach on a force attempt. The Whitecaps tried to catch Schmiesing, but to no avail, as he would score to tie up the game. Estarlin De Lo Santos ground into a force out that took down Brito and scored Dolenc. De Lo would advance to 2nd on a throwing error, but Ben Revere flew out to end the inning.

Kody Keiser took a home run off Arias in the top of the 4th to tie up the game again. His fifth of the season went over the left field fence.

Deibinson Romero then homered over the left field wall to take the lead back for the Snappers. Rene Leveret singled and, after Ramon Santana went down on strikes, Yersich would lace a line drive double to center. Allan de San Miguel would come into the game to run for Leveret, and a wild pitch by Weber scored the Aussie catcher. Schmiesing then sacrificed Yersich in. Dolenc would single before Emmanuel Miguelez replace Weber on the mound, getting Brito to pop out to end the inning.

Arias worked six innings allowing 2 runs, earned, on 5 hits and a pair of walks while striking out 9. Mike Allen worked the next two innings allowing 3 hits and striking out 2.

Craig Anderson would be on the mound for the ninth inning when Henry singled, then came home on Kaiser's double to give the Whitecaps one more. They would still end up a couple shy as Tucker went down on strikes to end the contest.

Dolenc finished off 2-for-3 with a run while Romero was 2-for-4 with a run and a run batted in. Leveret and Schmiesing each had a single, while Yersch was 1-for-4 with a double and a run.

Game two of the three-game series is Thursday at 7:00 on an Applebee's Kids Club Day.

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Greeneville 6 at Elizabethton 4

W: C. Pitkin (2-0, 1.61); L: L. Martin (2-2, 6.00)
HR: GRE: K. Hinze (4). ELI: D. Rams (3).

Shooter Hunt worked a nice six innings, allowing 2 runs, one earned on a pair of hits while striking out - get this - 12. That's right - 12 strike outs and NO walks. Sadly, Hunt wasn't enough to get this game done as the Elizabethton Twins bullpen gave it up to the Greeneville Astros.

James Austin would reach on a throwing error by James Beresford, then stole 2nd and 3rd. A throwing error by catcher Jeff Lanning, who was attempting to catch him stealing allowing Austin to score. (Good going guys, way to support Shooter!)

The Twins would not tie it up until the bottom of the fifth, when Evan Bigley doubled off Austin starter Jose Trinidad, then moved to 3rd on Juan Richardson's ground out. Lanning would single one out later to score Bigley.

Greeneville responded in the top of the sixth with Jose Altuve doubling with one out on the board. A wild pitch by Hunt moved Altuve to 3rd and a second wild pitch would allow Altuve to score. Hunt just managed to miss the rare four-strike out inning when he got Ebert Rosario to ground into a force out to end it.

Jon Waltenbury doubled out to center off Trinidad, then came home on a Michael Herrington single. Bigley ground into a force out that nabbed Harrington at 2nd, then proceeded to steal 2nd. A throwing error by Astro's catcher Carlos Mojica allowed Bigley to advance to 3rd. Richardson would sacrifice him in, putting the E-Twins on top again.

Thom Wright replaced Hunt in the top of the 7th, and following a ground out to Devon Torrence, walked Carlos Mojica. Jorge De Leon singled and Wright would plunk Wilton Infante with a pitch to load the bags. Kyle Carr would come into take over from Wright, and walked Jay Austin to force in a run, tying the game. Lee Martin then stepped up to the mound and got Altuve to fly out and Frank Almonte to ground out to retire the Astros.

Colton Pitkin replaced Trinidad on the mound in the bottom of the stanza and after giving up a single to Lanning, induced Beresford to hit into a double play. He'd then take Dominic De La Osa out on strikes to end the inning.

Kyle Miller walked off Martin in the top of the 8th and would be replaced by Albert Cartwright as a pinch-runner. Cartwright then stole 2nd. Rosaro's single to right plated Cartwright. Rosario would then steal 2nd, and Torrence would take a walk. Mojica's sac-bunt advanced the runners but Rosario would be taken down at the plate, allowing Jorge De Leon to reach on a fielder's choice. A throwing error by Alex Soto on the pick off attempt moved Torrence to 3rd. Infante took a walk and a passed ball by Soto allowed Torrence to score. Steve Blevins would come in to replace Martin and unleashed a wild pitch that send De Leon to 3rd and Infante to 2nd. They'd be stranded there, as Austin ground out to first.

Kody Hinze homered in the top of the 9th, and Danny Rams did the same for the E-Twins in the bottom of the inning, but the Twins bats could not over come the 2-run deficit from the 8th inning.

Lanning was 2-for-3 with a RBI, Waltenbury was 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles and Harrington was 2-for-4 with a RBI. Beresford was the one hit wonder of the game going 1-for-3 at the plate. Bigley and Rams were both 1-for-4, Bigley with a double and a pair of runs, and Rams with the home run (1 R, 1 RBI).

The E-Twins finish up the 3 game series 1-2, and host the Pulaski Mariners for a 3 game series starting on Thursday at 7:00 PM.

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Snappers stun Wizards

Beloit 13 at Fort Wayne 2

W: D. Bromberg (6-6, 5.03); L: W. Pelzer (7-4, 3.39)
HR: None.

The Beloit Snapper offense erupted for 13 run on 13 hits to bury the Fort Wayne Wizards, 13-2.

David Bromberg worked seven scoreless innings for Beloit, allowing only 3 hits and a walk while striking out 9 - the sort of performance that got him named to the All-star game, but which as been lacking of late.

The Snaps began their offensive onslaught in the second inning, with Deibinson Romero reaching on a throwing error by Lance Zawadzki. Reve Leveret singled to move him to second and Mark Dolenc would get hit by a pitch. Allan de San Miguel hit into a force out that brought Romero and Leveret home, but took Dolenc out at 2nd. A throwing error by Lawadzki moved Dirty to 2nd. Andrew Schmiesing then reached on a fielding error that scored the Snappers Aussie catcher. Estarlin de Los Santos ground out and Jeanfred Brito struck out to end the inning.

Chris Cates opened the bottom of the 3rd with a line drive to right, and Ben Revere followed it up with a line drive to left. Romero would reach on force attempt to load the bags. Leveret hit into a force out that scored Cates and took Romero out at 2nd. Dolenc would go down on strikes before Dirty's line drive plated Revere. A throwing error by Danny Payne advanced the runners and Schmiesing doubled them in. De Lo took a walk but Brito ground out to give the Wizards a chance.

Cates opened the bottom of the 4th by reaching on a fielding error - one of seven the Wizards would make over the course of the game. Revere then singled and Romero would get hit by a pitch to load the bags up again. The Wizards finally called for a pitching change, replacing the heavily hit Wynn Petzer with Matt Teague. Teague did not fair much better however, as Leveret double off of him to clean off the bases. Dolenc would single to put two men on before Dirty lined out. Schmeising walked and De Lo would get hit by a pitch to again load up the baggies. Omar Gutierrez was pulled out of the bullpen to replace Teague and would get Brito to hit into a ground out that scored Dolenc. As the team batted around the order, Cates then ground out to end retire the Snappers with the score 12-0.

Things would calm down after that, and the Snappers would not score again until the top of the sixth with De Lo taking a walk with one out on the board. Brito flew out and Cates reached on a throwing error that also put De Lo over the plate.

The bottom of the 8th saw Dutchmen Loek Van Mil come into replace Bromberg. He'd get Yetri Carvajal to line out before waking Parrino. Anthony Contreras singled and wild pitch from Van Mil advanced the pair. Luis Martinez walked before Brad Chalk reached on a force attempt. A throwing error by Van Mil allowed Parrino to score and spoiled Beloit's shut out. Robert Perry would then sacrifice in Cantreras. Zawadzki would walk to load the bags before Van Mil would get Danny Payne to line to end the inning.

Danny Hernandez came in to close the game for the Snappers, striking out two.

Revere and Leveret where 3-for-5 at the plate, Revere with a walk and a pair of runs and Leveret with a double, 3 runs and 4 RBIs. Dolenc was 2-for-4 with a run and a run scored. Brito, Cates, Romero, and Dirty all had singles, while Schmeising had a double.

Having had their full of Wizards, the Beloit continues their trip through the realms of Myth to take on the Dragons in Daytona on Saturday. First pitch is due at 6:00 PM.

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Elizabethton 3 at Johnson City 4

W: S. Maertz (2-0, 4.00); L: L. Martin (2-1, 5.27)
HR: None.

It would take 15 innings, but the Johnson City Cardinals slipped by the Elizabethton Twins 4-3.

The E-Twins got onto the board first when Dominic De La Osa singled, Nick Romero took a walk and Jon Waltenbury singled to load the bags. After Danny Rams went down on strikes, Michael Harrington sacrificed in De La Osa.

Shooter Hunt took the start on the mound for the Elizabethton and dealt through five innings, walking only 2 and striking out 10. Thom Wright would take over the sixth and the Cards saw their first hit when Brett Lilley singled. He'd not go far as Guillermo Toribio ground into a force out, Nico Vasquez's ground out to Toribio at 2nd, and Rams passed a ball, moving him to 3rd. Curt Smith then singled out to left to score Toribio, tying up the game.

And it would stay tied until the 14th inning. Santo Maertz came onto the mound for the Cards, and after a pop out to Bigley, Juan Richardson took a single off of him. A throwing error on the pick off attempt saw Richardson to 3rd. Angel Morales would get plunked by a pitch before James Beresford singled to drive in Richardson putting the Twins on top. But baseball is not sudden death. So the Cards got a chance.

Mark Hamburger was on the mound for the Twins and pitching well. He'd take Ivan Castro down on strikes before Edgar Lara singled. Jarred Bogany replaced Lara as a pinch runner, and Hamburger walked Osvaldo Morales. A passed ball by Alex Soto moved the pair, and a Paul Cruz ground out put Bogany over the plate.

On to the fifteenth inning. Waltenbury walked and Soto double. Harrington was issued an intentional walk to load the plate before Bigley went down on strikes. Richardson would single to drive in Waltenbury, but Soto would be taken out at home and Morales would strike out before more damage could be down.

Lee Martin replaced Hamburger on the mound and allowed a single to Lilley and walk to Toribio. Vasquez advanced the runners with a sac bunt, Martin then intentionally walked Curtis Smith. Invan Castro singled out to center to bring in Lilley and Toribio, ending the game as the Cards had home field advantage.

The teams rematch on Saturday, hopefully for a somewhat shorter contest, as I'm sure they are all worn out from this one. Game time is 7:00 PM Eastern.

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E-Twins double up Bristol

Elizabethton 6 at Bristol 3

W: D. Osterbrock (2-0, 1.57); L: O. Paniagua (1-1, 5.21)
HR: ELI: A. Morales (5).

The score was a little more down to earth, but the Elizabethton Twins picked up an early lead and held off Bristol Sox late to go on to win 6-3.

Dan Osterbrock would pitch all nine innings for the E-Twins, allowing only 3 runs, 1 earned, on 3 hits while fanning nine.

Singles to Dominec De La Osa, Nick Romero and John Waltenbury put a run on the board for the Twins, helped by Misael Tavarez's throwing error. Danny Rams singled to drive in Romero, but a pair of pop outs and a ground out left the runners stranded.

Angel Morales knocked his fifth homer of the season over the right field wall in the top of the 2nd, making it 3-0.

Willy Mota would replace Bristol starter Onarkys Paniagua in the top of the fourth with 2 runners on, but would get three straight outs to retire the side. He'd keep the Twins off the board again until the sixth inning.

Following a ground out to Michael Herrington, Alex Soto singled and Adam Severino would be hit by a pitch. Morales was plunked as well to load the bags. James Beresford singled to drive in Soto before Mota would hit De La Osa with a pitch to force in Severino. Dan Puls would come in to replace the laboring Sox hurler, and got Romero and Waltenbury out on strikes.

With one out in the bottom of the stanza, Kevin Dubler, John Kateon and Justin Greene all singled off Osterbrock to load the bags. Jordon Kendall would strike out swinging, but Soto dropped the pitch and Dubler scored on the play. Juan Silerino then reached on Bereford's fielding error, letting Kateon score to give the Sox a pair of runs.

De La Osa walked in the top of the 8th, and Romero and Waltenbury both singled, driving in De La Osa. That would finish it for the Twins scoring. The Sox had one last hurrah left.

Jorden Kendall reached on a throwing error by Beresford, and moved to 2nd. He'd go to 3rd on Juan Silverio's ground out, and score on a similar play by Jose Castillo. Osterbrock would get Jedon Matthews out on strikes to end the game.

Soto finished up 3-for-5 for the twins with a run. Romero, Waltenbury and Rams were all 2-for-5, Romero with a run, and Waltenbury and Rams each with a run scored. De La Osa and Morales were each 1-for-3, De La Osa with a pair of runs and a run scored, and Morales with a run and run scored. Beresford was 1-for-4 with a run scored.

The Twins finish up in Brisol on Sunday with a 7:00 PM contest. They will then take Monday off before returning to Elizabethton for a three-game home stand against Kingsport.

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Beloit 6 at Wisconsin 5

W: C. Anderson (1-0, 6.43); L: N. Dilone (0-1, 4.82); SV: C. Nolte (1)
HR: BEL: R. Leveret (1).

The Beloit Snappers bounced back after giving up an early lead to the Timber Rattlers to go on to win 6-5 in Appleton.

Juan Diaz would double for Wisconsin in the bottom of the 3rd and advance to third on a fielding error by Mark Dolenc. Blake Ochoa took a walk before Maximo Mendez singled in Diaz to put the Timber Rattlers on the board. After Gavin Dickey was called on strikes, Edilol Colina singled to load the bags. Beloit starter David Bromberg would take Almonte out on strikes before he unleashed a wild pitch, allowing Ochoa to score.

Alex Liddi singled out center, then stole 2nd base in the bottom of the 4th. A throwing error by catcher Allan de San Miguel saw Liddi to 3rd. After Diaz went down on strikes, Ochoa singled to plate Liddi. Mendez then doubled to put Ochoa on 3rd. He'd be sacrificed in by Dickey, making it 4-0 Timber Rattlers.

Kenneth Renaud scatter five hits and 3 walks over five innings while striking out 4 to keep the Snappers off the board. He'd give way to Joseph Kantakevich in the top of the sixth. Rene Leveret would greet the new pitcher with his first home run of the season in a Snappers uniform, going over the left field wall. Following a pair of ground outs, de San Miguel singled and Mark Dolenc doubled him in.

Chris Cates lead off the top of the 7th with a walk, and Ben Revere singled. Natividad Dilone would replace Kantekevich at that point. The newcomer allowed singles to Deibinson Romero and Leveret that drove in Cates and Revere to tie the game. Justin Souza would come out of the bullpen next and get Andrew Schmiesing and Greg Yersich out on strikes before de san Miguel's ground ball to center drove in Romero and Leveret.

Colina doubled off reliever Chris Anderson in the bottom of the 7th. Spencer Steedley would take over for the lefty, and allowed a double to Denny Almonte to give Wisconsin one more but that's all they'd get.

Anderson would pick up on win on 1.2 innings worth of work. Charles Nolte worked the last 1.1 innings, to pick up his first save of the season.

De San Miguel was 3-for-4 for the Snappers with a run and 2 RBIs, while Leveret was 3-for-5 with 2 runs and 3 RBIs.

The two team rematch on Sunday afternoon at 1:05 pm with Michael Pineda (5-4, 1.83) going to the mound for Wisconsin against Beloit's Santos Arias (4-3, 2.70).

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Injuries Keep Piling Up for Snappers

A Beloit Snappers Press Release

The roster for the Beloit Snappers keeps turning over as the Western Division leaders lost three players to injury and add two more from the Elizabethton Twins.

Outfielder Chris Parmelee (left hand), outfielder Joe Benson (lower back) and catcher Jair Fernandez (right wrist) have all been placed on the disabled list. To help fill the void left by those three, the Minnesota Twins have promoted outfielder Andrew Schmiesing and infielder Rene Leveret from Elizabethton to the Snappers.

Parmelee is batting .239 with 14 home runs and 49 RBIs so far this year. Chris is just one home run shy his season total from a year ago and has played in roughly half as many games (69 to 128). The outfielder from California was the Twins’ first round pick (20th overall) in 2006.

Benson is currently hitting .248 with 16 doubles, 39 runs and 17 stolen bases in 69 games. Last season, Joe had 18 doubles and 18 stolen bases in 122 games played. Benson was the Twins’ second round pick in the 2006 draft.

Fernandez is batting .283 with eight doubles and 20 RBIs in 36 games. Jair was also named to the Midwest League All-Star Team that took place earlier this month in Midland, Michigan. Fernandez was acquired by the Twins from the Seattle Mariners this past offseason.

Andrew Schmiesing comes to Beloit after spending just seven games in E-town. The 6-4 outfielder was hitting .379 with 11 hits and five RBIs while slugging .517 for the Elizabethton Twins.

Schmiesing was the Twins’ 11th round pick in the 2007 draft out of St. Olaf College. Last season he was with the GCL Twins where he led the team in on-base percentage (.421) and tied for the team lead in walks (18).

Rene Leveret joins the Snappers after playing in nine games for the Elizabethton Twins. While he was there, Leveret hit .306 with three doubles, two homers and six RBIs.

Rene was signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Twins on August 28, 2003. Last year at E-town, Leveret led the league in RBIs (65), tied for third in walks, tied for fourth in hits and tied for sixth in home runs.

Both Parmelee and Fernandez’s injuries are retroactive to June 26th with Benson’s retroactive to June 27th.

The moves leave Beloit’s active roster at 23, two below the Midwest League maximum.

In a related move, the Elizabethton Twins added David Martin to the roster. Martin, a left handed pitcher as the Twins 17th round draft pick, 516th overall from Louisiana State University. Martin did not pitch in LSU's 2007 season following hip surgery. He pitched in the summer of 2007 in the Northwoods League, recording a 2.72 ERA in 39.2 innings while posting 38 strikeouts. The 6'2" 193 pound native of Boaz, Alabama, was named the No. 9 prospect in the Northwoods League by Baseball America magazine – the magazine cited his plus-90s fastball and his loose arm action.

Martin was 5-3 with a 5.08 ERA in 88.2 innings pitched for LSU last season. He walked 37 and struck out 81.

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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Seeing Red Socks Again

Rene Leveret stopped me prior to the game about his new nickname "Tiny". He said J.W. started calling him that, and because I'd blogged on it, he got a call from St. Maarten on it.

"Well, what would you like to be called?" I asked him.

"They always called me 'Big Papi Junior' at home."

See...that's the problem. They all want to be the second coming. No one wants to be the first coming. And being an original is so much more fun.

I mean, if we're gonna call him "Junior", we may as well stick with "Tiny".

The boys were calling Ivan "Big Papi" last year and he didn't like it.

Tyler Roberston's new nickname is "Socks" but we'll get to that in a bit.

The GCL Twins defeated the GCL Red Sox in an extended spring training game that Lee County Sports Complex, 4-1. Big Papi was not there, although I'm sure the Red Sox coach felt differently about it.

The only run the Sox (not to be confused with "Socks") scored was an unearned run off Elliott Biddle in the fifth inning. I'd just gotten done telling Jose "Cheo" Hernandez, catcher David Hernadez's father, about 3rd baseman D.J. Romero's lack of hands when he kindly demonstrated the problem for us.

Otherwise it was the pitching that carried the day, and the Red Sox never really threatened.

Matt Lawman hit a nice single in the first inning and was driven home by catcher Wilson Ramos who doubled out to center field. It was a nice hit by Ramos, who should be Elizabethton bound in another month.

Liam Hendricks pitched two strong innings to start the game for the Twins. My notes for the first inning are very garbled, but I recall Ramos caught someone stealing second, and I believe we ended that inning on an outfield fly, so I'd say he only faced three batters. He had one strike out in the second inning, which I Youtubed, and which I will put up shortly.

Carlos Garcia pitched a third, getting a groundout and two flies. Kevin Harrington hit a nice single to get on base, and J.W. Wilson laid down a nice sacrafice bunt to move him to second. Esterin De Los Santos smacked a double, drive Harrington home, making the score 2-1.

Mike Rogers, who I'd not seen pitch in about forever, thrilled me by getting out on the mound for the fourth inning. I was talking to Cheo and missed the first out when I said "Who is that on the mound? Please excuse me..." Rog allowed a single, got the next batter to ground out and took the final guy on a strike out (dropped 3rd K, Ramos tagged him).

Ramos singled to start off the fourth, and Romero followed in suit. Tiny singled as well, pushing Ramos across the plate. Rodolfo "Rocky" Palacios ground out, and Wes Conner reached on an error (which makes 3 of Wes' 6 base hits that I've seen coming on an error or a fielder's choice). For the seven games I've seen him in so far, he's hitting over .300. He also had a nice diving catch in the outfield earlier in the game.

Harrington got up to bat and they decided the roll the inning. "Kevin, what did you do? You scared them all back into the dugout!" Beware the Shag-master!!!

Elliott Biddle got up for the fifth inning. Biddle is on the roster from Victoria, Australia, and is "visiting" us for extended spring training. I understand he has another year of baseball academy to attend so he won't be here for the GCL season. So...I've been trying to get to see him pitch before he heads back down under.

He got the first two batters out handily, but then got a little flustered and allowed a pair of singles. It was on the second one that Romero missed the catch at third and what should have been a ground out, ended up driving in the lone Red Sox run. He got the following batter to ground out, ending the inning. I tried to get both video and film in one inning, something that's really hard to do, as I'm only one person, and which I probably didn't do very well.

Tyler Robertson would take the next two innings. Socks had his socks down today, but he tells me Dave Ringler is getting him some short pants so he can wear his socks up. This will also give me something else to tease him about - not being old enough to get out of short pants. I still like watching Tyler pitch though. He faced three batters in the sixth, recording one strike out and five in the seventh, recording another strike out, hitting one batter (and that hurt too), walking the next, and taking the next two guys on ground outs, one of which was a stretch and some nice work by Tiny at first base to make the play.

Shaggy lined out in to start the fifth, and the offense slumbered until the seventh, when Romero hit a single and stoled second. Tiny ground out, and Rocky and Wes both singled, which brought Romero home. Shaggy hit into a double play to end the inning.

That would be it for the Twins offense (batting line up to follow).

Brad Tippett finished off the game, striking out one in two innings, allowing one single, and ending the game on a nicely handled double play.

For those who like such things: DeLo was 1-for-4 (with the double), Lawmy was 1-for-4, Rene Tosoni was 0-for-4, Ramos was 2-for-2, Romero was 2-for-4, Tiny was 1-for-3, Rockey was 1-for-3, Wes was 2-for-3, Shaggy was 1-for-3, J.W. was 0-for-3 and catcher David Hernandez was 0-for-2. Interestingly enough, not one of the Twins walked today.

Notes: The Beloit Snappers placed left handed pitcher Jose Lugo, on the Disabled List with left shoulder soreness. Lugo is 1-2 with a 4.68 ERA and 28 strikeouts in seven games this season.

Brian Kirwan and Matthew Fox were added to the Beloit roster from Extended Spring Training. Pitcher Armando Gabino was transfered from the Snappers to the Fort Myers Miracle.

I knew Foxy had gone, Tom Stuifbergen told me about Kirwan. "Great now I have to tell the Betsy Babes and break their hearts."

"Why are you going to break their hearts?"

"They're all in love with Kirwan up there."

"Why?"

I can't figure that one out either.

"Hammerin' Hank" Sanchez has started taking batting practice as he recovers from a hammate bone injury. Cheo wanted to know what the story was on him. Well, I said, he came in here late, and he was having trouble hitting the ball because (supposedly) his contact prescription was wrong. Which made me wonder, you know, how he was playing baseball previously if he couldn't see. Then he gets up to Elizabethton and experiences something which Jim Rantz said he'd never seen before. It was called a curveball.

So now I'm wondering, what program did he play in that they didn't throw curveballs? He's from California and I'm pretty sure they know how to throw curveballs out there. On top of that, he plays the position bass ackwards (that's the only way I can explain it) and he's got a bad attitude. He's also a horrible athlete, something that was well documented in this scouting report.

And if you've not figured it out by now, I'm not a big fan of Hammerin' Hank Sanchez. Heck, I'll take Tiny or Tosoni at first over Sanchez any day of the week and as per my last blog entry, I think we've already got a much better first base prospect in Jon Waltenbury.

Joel Lepel is in town so we played on fields 2 & 3 so he could watch both games of the split-field double-header from the tower. The wind was a factor as it was blowing against us. We had quite a number of outfield flies that fell short, but then...so did the Red Sox.

It's time for Terry Ryan's annual trip, so I look forward to seeing him next weekend.

The GCL boys have tomorrow off, the Miracle take on the West Palm Beach Cardinals, who all wear their socks up and look like a bunch of elves (Tyler). And it's really embarrassing to be beaten by guys who look like a bunch of elves, so...I'm hoping we can get the High-A team turned around. Maybe Joel can make Bolesy behave.