Astros fall in home opener to Twins in 10 innings
Greeneville, TN - The Greeneville Astros had their home opener on Sunday night at Pioneer Park against the Elizabethton Twins. Through seven innings, the Astros had played well and held a 3-0 lead. However, the Twins tied the game in the eighth and eventually found a way to complete the comeback in the 10th inning with a 5-3 win over Greeneville.
Edwin Gomez gave the Astros the initial lead in the game in the fourth inning with a two-run double that followed a leadoff walk by Bobby Borchering and a double by Darwin Rivera. After advancing on consecutive ground outs, Gomez put another run on the board to push the Astros lead to 3-0, and that's where the score stayed until the eighth.
Astros' starting pitcher Frederick Tiburcio and reliever Krishawn Holley combined to pitch a two-hit shutout through the first seven innings with seven strikeouts. Combined with a three-run fourth inning, the Astros appeared to be in a good position to take the win but that's when the Twins turned the game around.
With Twins runners on first and third in the eighth inning, an RBI-single by Bryan Haar followed by a two-run double from Rory Rhodes evened the game at 3-3. Then, after a scoreless ninth inning, the game headed into an extra frame.
In the tenth inning, after consecutive singles, a sacrifice bunt and an intentional walk to load the bases, Mitch Garver hit a ground ball single to center field to bring home two runs and give the Twins a two-run lead. The Astros answered with two hits in the bottom of the tenth, but ended up leaving both runners stranded.
Elizabethton's Dallas Gallant picked up the win for the Twins in relief and Luis Nunez earned the save.
Greeneville will host Elizabethton in game two of the three-game series on Monday. First pitch is set for 7:00pm. For more information on the Greeneville Astros please visit www.greenevilleastros.com or call (423) 638-0411.