Cards come back to avoid sweep

Johnson City overcame an early deficit with three runs in the sixth and two in the seventh. The comeback thwarted Burlington's attempt at a sweep, as the Cardinals took the game 6-4.

Down 4-1 entering the sixth, the Cardinals took advantage of a few Royals' mistakes to tie the game. During the comeback frame, Burlington hit a batter, walked one, threw a wild pitch and committed an error. The wild pitch scored one and the Cardinals plated the other two on RBI singles.

The next inning, another Royals' wild pitch unknotted the score in the Cardinals' favor. Immediately after taking the lead, Johnson City got an insurance run on another RBI single.

Burlington had jumped out to an early lead, scoring three runs in the first inning. Center fielder Bubba Starling singled up the middle in his first at-bat, plating a pair of runs to open the scoring. The runs, scored by Humberto Arteaga and Kenny Diekroeger, were Starling's first RBI's as a pro. He made it to third on the play after a fielding error, then scored on a sacrifice fly by Cameron Gallagher.

The Royals scored again the next inning, when Terrance Gore singled home Beau Maggi. Gore later added another hit, but his most significant contribution was on the bases. The left fielder stole two bases, his seventh and eighth of the season, propelling him into sole possession of the league lead in that category. Gore was caught stealing for the first time this season in the ninth inning.

Mariano Llorens got the win in relief for Johnson City. He was followed by Ronald Shaban, who nailed down his fourth save. Burlington reliever Freddy Rodriguez was charged with the loss and fell to 1-1 on the season.

Burlington travels to Danville for a three game set against the Braves, beginning Sunday at 4 pm. After the series with the Braves, the Royals come back home to face the Bristol White Sox on July 4th.