Big first inning plenty for Twins

After two tightly contested tilts, the Twins pulled away in the rubber match early and never looked back.

Elizabethton jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first and went on to cruise to a 7-1 triumph over the Royals Sunday night at Joe O'Brien Field.

The Twins (20-13) scored seven runs in the opening frame on eight base hits off Royals starter Michael Giovenco (0-4). The two big blows were Jhonatan Arias' three-run home run and Jamaal Hawkins' two-run double, both of which came with two outs. Giovenco exited after the latter of those two base hits, as Robert Penny retired a man after allowing a single. Elizabethton sent 12 men to the plate in the first, which was the highest scoring frame for a Burlington opponent this season.

In back of Giovenco, the bullpen for the Royals (17-16) did their best to keep the game close. Robert Penny worked five scoreless innings, surrendering only two hits and striking out five. Penny has now thrown 21 and two thirds innings of scoreless relief, dating back to late June. Claudio Bavera followed Penny and worked two and a third frames of scoreless baseball, stranding five runners.

But the Royals' bats did not muster much. In the fourth, Alex McClure, who had two of the Royals five hits, scored on a wild pitch to cut the lead to six. But Burlington stranded five and never mounted a significant rally.

Elizabethton starter Adrian Salcedo (4-2) was unhittable early on. He struck out nine of the first ten he faced and was perfect until the fourth inning. Salcedo finished with ten strikeouts over six innings, scattering four hits and allowing just one tally. Jean Mijares and David Gutierrez worked the final three to give Salcedo his fourth victory.

The Twins and Royals split the season series in 2010, with both squads taking two of three at home. Burlington is now one game back of first place in the Eastern Division, with both Danville and Pulaski one game better than the Royals.

The Royals are back home Monday night at 7 for the opener of a three-game series against the Johnson City Cardinals, the best team in the league thus far. Tickets are still available at (336) 222-0223. If you cannot make it to Burlington Athletic Stadium, you can catch all of the play-by-play action beginning at 6:30 right here on burlingtonroyals.com.