Astros clinch Appalachian League title

Princeton, WV - The Greeneville Astros, after an eleven-year wait, emerged as the Appalachian League champions on Tuesday after defeating the Princeton Rays, 8-7, at Hunnicutt Field.

The two clubs' offenses battled throughout as pitching clinched the title with the game on the line. With the victory, the Astros won their fourth playoff game as the visitor and solidified a 9-0 mark by all visiting teams in the Appalachian League post-season.

The Astros took a 1-0 lead after the first inning off of Princeton starter Eduar Lopez beginning with a Kyle Tucker single to centerfield. After stealing second base, Tucker came in to score on a groundball single by Connor Goedert.

Right-hander Erasmo Pinales started on the mound for Greeneville and pitched three innings, allowing four runs on two hits with a strikeout. Lopez tossed four innings for the Rays allowing five runs on eight hits with five strikeouts.

Princeton answered in the bottom of the second inning with a three-run home run by Landon Cray, which scored Brett Sullivan and David Rodriguez.

Down 3-1 in the top of the third, the Astros stole back the lead spurred by leadoff single by Myles Straw then another by Daz Cameron. Kyle Tucker then launched a three-run homer to deep left and give Greeneville the 4-3 lead.

In the fourth, Diogenes Almengo took the mound for the Astros and finished the night earning the win over two innings pitched while allowing two runs on three hits.

The Rays tied the game, 4-4, on a solo home run to right field by Peter Maris in the bottom of the third inning. But in the top of the fourth, Rodrigo Ayarza doubled on a deep fly to centerfield to score Arturo Michelena, who reached on a one-out single to make the score 5-4.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Rays countered with two runs to reclaim the lead, 5-6, first as David Rodriguez scored during a fielder's choice then David Olmedo-Berrera scored after a Jonathon Popadics single. 

In the top of the sixth inning, the Astros rallied with three runs beginning with Brauly Mejia scoring on a Michelena single after Mejia led off the inning with a single himself. Christian Correa doubled after Mejia to advance him to third. Correa then came around to score on an Ayarza line single to right.

The pair of runs retired Rays' reliever Albert Casanas after one inning with three runs on four hits allowed and two strikeouts. Astros right-hander Edgardo Sandoval earned the save after four innings with just one run allowed on one hit and seven strikeouts.

The eighth and final run for the Astros came in the top of the sixth when an intentional ball four became a wild pitch by Princeton reliever Ruben Paredes allowing Michelena to cross the plate and make the score 8-6.

In the bottom of the sixth, Cray homered to right for the second time to bring the Rays within one and make the score 8-7. Sandoval held out after allowing Cray's homer to close the game with a swinging strikeout of Zacrey Law three innings later.

After the strikeout, 35 orange-clad Astros stormed the field in jubilation to accept the Appalachian League Championship trophy and pennant from League President Lee Landers.

Several Astros will move upward in the Houston farm system to contribute to additional affiliates that have clinched post-season berths but do so with the knowledge of participating in a league championship effort already.

The Astros are the Appalachian League affiliate of the Houston Astros. For more information, call (423) 638-0411.