The 2018 Elizabethton Twins have shown a knack for the comeback, but not on Thursday night as the Greeneville Reds rallied for a 3-2 victory.
Andrew Cabezas got the start, and the right-hander was crisp giving up just two hits over five innings of work. He stuck out four and walked three and was backed defensively by three double plays.
“It is really not disappointing,” Cabezas said. “My teammates always do their best to get a win. My fastball command was really, really good and there were a couple of guys on that team that played against me and with me, so they know what I throw pretty well. I just tried to be efficient, and I don’t know if I have ever had a game where so many double plays were turned.”
Betsy turned three twin killings to back Cabezas and put an end to potential trouble.
The Twins (17-10) took a 1-0 lead on first baseman Chris Williams league-tying eighth home run of the season in the fourth frame against Reds starter Alexis Diaz. Johan Quesada came on in the sixth, and he pitched two frames with no hits. He struck out four and walked one.
In the eighth, left-hander Zack Neff came on, and shortstop Miguel Hernandez greeted him with a single to right. Neff retired Sachel McElroy on a pop fly in foul territory as catcher Andrew Cosgrove made the play.
Reds (10-17) centerfielder Micheal Siani then drilled a 1-0 pitch over the fence in rightfield for a two-run homer and staked Greeneville to a 2-1 lead. The Twins tied the game in the eighth on an RBI hit from top draftee Trevor Larnach. The Twins could not push the winning run across however, and we got to see the new ‘international tiebreaker rule’ where in extra innings a runner is placed at second base to open the inning.
That runner was Brandt Stallings, and he moved to third on a bunt single from Hernandez. Stallings scored on a fielder’s choice grounder from Satchel McElroy. Betsy put Lean Marrero on second to open the last of the 10th, and Yunior Severino hit a liner to first baseman Rylan Thomas who doubled Marrero off second for a double play.
Ryan Jeffers singled to keep the rally alive, but Williams grounded out to short to end the contest.
“We teach that if a liner is hit head or lower your first move is back to the base,” explained Twins manager Ray Smith. “Marrero was being aggressive on the bases, and he made a step toward third, and they were able to get him out. We try to learn from our mistakes, it is a teaching league.”
Greeneville 3-2 (10 innings)
Greeneville 000 000 020 1 – 3 5 0
Elizabethton 000 100 010 0 – 2 10 2
W – Bennett (1-0) L – Neff (3-1), Sv Heitler (1)