The Elizabethton Twins – having clinched the West Division of the Appalachian League on Sunday – returned to Joe O’Brien Field on Monday – and took a 6-2 decision over Pulaski.
“I didn’t swing a bat or throw a pitch,” joked Twins manager Ray Smith. “I make out the lineup card and watch the guys have fun playing the game of baseball. Those double plays we turned really bailed us out of some potentially deadly innings.”
The Twins (38-26) struck for a run in the last of the first when leftfielder Jean Carlos Arias tripled to center and came across on a grounder off the bat of third baseman Alex Robles. Pulaski starter Luis Medina suffered some control issues working many deep counts and walked five over his 3.2 innings of mound duty.
Medina has had control issues much of the season with 46 walks in 35.2 innings and that bug-a-boo struck in the third after a one-out single from Arias who promptly stole second. Robles drew a walk, and both runners moved up on a wild pitch.
Arias then scored on the second consecutive wild one from Medina to give the Twins a two-run lead. On the flip side, Elizabethton started Luis Rijo who has been unbeaten (2-0) since coming over to the Twins from Pulaski.
Rijo struck out four of the six batters he faced, and Brian Rapp came on in relief in the third frame. Medina uncorked two wild pitches for the Yankees (31-35) and made a two-run error on a ground ball off the bat of catcher Robert Molina. Medina gave up just three hits and struck out four before giving way to righthander Kenlly Montas in the fourth.
In the stanza, Colton Burns and Jared Akins walked and with one out Molina hit a slow grounder to second base where Griffin Garabito scooped but his throw was low, and Medina couldn’t handle it moving both runners up 90 feet.
Medina then compounded the error with a wild throw to third that went into the visitor’s bullpen allowing Burns and Akins to score to give Betsy a 4-0 lead. Rapp pitched well in the third and fourth before running into trouble in the fifth as Evan Alexander and Oswald Peraza each collected RBI hits to cut the Twins lead to 4-2.
Blair Lakso (6-2) got the win with three innings of shutout ball. Lakso struck out four and walked two and did not give up a hit.
“It has been really big this year for me to be able to repeat my delivery,” Lakso said. “It has become real comfortable for me. I worked all offseason on a changeup and being able to focus on my change even behind in the count has given me a lot more confidence.”
Molina singled home a pair of runs in the eighth for some insurance runs. Molina plated Akins who singled and Ricky DeLaTorre who doubled to left.
E-Twins 6-2
Pulaski 000 020 000 – 2 5 2
E-Twins 101 200 02x – 6 7 0
W – Lakso (6-2) L – Medina (1-3)