Royals Take Rain-Shortened Game 3

KINGSPORT, Tenn.- The Kingsport Mets dropped a rain-shortened Friday night contest 6-1 to the Burlington Royals after game officials made the call after a lengthy rain delay during Game 3 at Hunter Wright Stadium.
Since the game was in the top of the sixth inning, it registered as a complete game because five innings of defense were played. At the time of the delay and consequent final call, the Royals led 6-1 in the top of the sixth inning.
The contest was the first rain-shortened game of the season for the Mets and the first since Opening Day of 2016 where the game was called in the top of the 8^th inning during a 4-1 loss to the Elizabethton Twins.
Burlington now leads 2-1 in the four-game series that is set to resume Saturday night at 6:30 p.m. from Hunter Wright Stadium.
Burlington jumped out in front early on by plating two runs off three hits in the top of the first. A sacrifice fly off the bat of Reed Rohlman drove in Oliver Nunez for the first run while an RBI single from Dennicher Corrasco brought in the second.
Midway through inning No. 1, the Royals led 2-0.
Kingsport responded by loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the first thanks to three consecutive singles from Angel Manzanarez, Hansel Moreno and Rigoberto Terrazas, but back-to-back strikeouts from Jeremy Vasquez and Victor Moscote, along with a groundout from Dionis Paulino foil what could have been a monster inning. Burlington starter Daniel Tillo escaped the first inning bases-loaded, no out jam to keep the score at 2-0.
The Mets finally broke through in the bottom of the fourth inning when Gavin Garay singled in a runner from third base on a single to right field. The RBI drove in Victor Moscote who singled to lead off the frame and cut the Royals' lead in half at 2-1 after four innings of play.
The inning that followed saw Burlington plate four more runs off insurance off three hits with the big blow of the frame coming off the bat of Sebastian Rivero. The hit was a three-run home run to left that extended the two-run lead to five with one swing of the bat. Midway through five innings of play, Kingsport trailed the Royals by a score of 6-1.
In the top of the sixth inning, the game was delayed and then eventually called because of the impending rainfall in the area.
Ezequiel Zabaleta (1-2) took home the loss after surrendering five runs in five innings of work off nine hits. Connor Mayes (2-0) was awarded the win after completed just one inning of relief during the fifth frame.
Garay was responsible for the lone run of the contest for the Mets as the designated hitter drove in Moscote in the fourth inning. Kingsport managed only five hits during the rain-shortened loss.
Sebastian's big blow in the fifth drove in three runs off the round tripper for Burlington while Suely Matias finished the day 3-for-3 at the plate.
The series finale is set to begin Saturday at 6:30 p.m. at Hunter Wright Stadium. The game will have multiple promotions as it will be HMG Appreciation Night as well as Team Photo Giveaway Night for the first 500 fans in attendance. Coverage of the contest can be found on the Kingsport Mets Baseball Network beginning at 6:15 p.m.