Twins win another Appy title

The Elizabethton Twins captured their second Appalachian League championship in three years Friday, dethroning the Danville Braves with a 5-1 victory.

Michael McCardell (1-0) gave up five hits and a walk while striking out seven over six scoreless innings for the win. The 22-year-old right-hander went 5-1 with a 2.00 ERA in eight outings for the Twins. He won his last four regular-season decisions and carried a no-hitter through six frames on Sunday.

Spencer Steedley notched his first postseason save after yielding an unearned run on two hits and a walk with four strikeouts over three frames.

Ozzie Lewis lifted a sacrifice fly and Eric Santiago and Estarlin De Los Santos drew bases-loaded walks in the fourth to give the Twins a 3-0 lead. Santiago lined an RBI single in the sixth and Rene Tosoni walked and scored on a balk by reliever Edgar Osuna in the seventh.

Braves starter Jeffrey Locke (0-1) surrendered three runs on four hits and three walks while fanning six over 3 2/3 frames.

Carlos Lee doubled and scored Danville's lone run on a throwing error by first baseman Rene Leveret in the seventh.

Tosoni won the series opener with a two-run homer in the 10th. Elizabethton also defeated Danville to take the crown in 2005 but fell to the Braves in three games in last year's championship series.