Yanks Blank Twins in Rain Shortened Game, Win 1-0 to Take Series

Elizabethton, TN - The Pulaski Yankees won their fifth consecutive series with a road win in a rain-shortened contest against the Twins 1-0 on Tuesday night to conclude the three game series against Elizabethton.

The pitchers came out dueling tonight as both teams combined for one hit each through the first three innings. Yankees starter Leonardo Pestana worked through the first inning where he gave up a lead off single, hit a batter and walked one to load the bases but got the strikeout to end the inning. He worked the second inning in order before hitting another guy in the third inning but once again worked through it to keep the Twins off the board.
The first Yankees hit came in the third inning when Robert Javier singled through the middle but the Yankees couldn't capitalize as they were held in check the rest of the inning. Pulaski finally broke through in the top of the fourth inning when Ryder Green extended his on-base streak to 19 games with a single and now leads the Appalachian League after Greenveville's Ivan Johnson failed to reach base tonight. He stole second base then moved to third on a ground out. With two outs, Twins catcher Janigson Villalobos tried to throw down to third base and the throw got by the third baseman and allowed Green to score give the Yankees the 1-0 lead. Green killed two birds with one stone as the run moved him into first place in the league in runs scored with 38 on the year.
Pestana hit his third batter of the night in the fourth inning to give the Twins another base runner with two outs before a ground ball got him out of the inning with the lead still secure. Pestana retired the side in order in the fifth and he came out for the sixth inning. He gave up a single and a walk to end his night after 5.0 innings and three hits with three strikeouts. Newly assigned right-hander Kevin Milam made his debut and inherited a pair of runners with no outs. A wild pitch advanced both runners into scoring position before a walk loaded the bases for Milam in his Pulaksi debut. He dug deep and earned strikeout and a pop out for two quick outs before a lineout to Javier in right field ended the inning and got Milam out of the jam with the lead intact at 1-0.
Milam pitched the seventh inning and gave up a lead off walk before getting a ground ball and double play to take the runner off the bases and a strikeout ended the Twins half of the seventh.
On offense the Yankees weren't really able to produce anything as their two hits came in the third and fourth innings. The Yankees turned to Mitch Spence to pitch the eighth inning and he retired the side in order in just 10 pitches. The Yankees got two quick outs in the top of the ninth inning before the rain started to really come down and sent the game into a delay. The game was eventually called after rain soaked the infield at Northeast Community Credit Union Ballpark and made the field unplayable. The Yanks won the game despite getting outhit 3-2 on the night and won the season series against the defending league champions 5-1.  
The Yankees will enjoy an off day tomorrow before returning to action at Calfee Park on Thursday night as the Pulaski plays host to the Big-Apple-Achian Rivalry and hosts the Kingsport Mets for a three game series. It'll be 'Thirsty Thursday' at the park and the Yankees will be dawning special New York City themed jerseys for all three games.
The Pulaski Yankees are the Advanced Rookie level affiliate of the New York Yankees playing in the Appalachian League. Pulaski is celebrating its 54th season in the Appalachian League in 2019. Calfee Park has won league championships in 1948, 1969, 1986, 1991 and 2013. Motor Mile Field at Calfee Park opened in 1935 and was renovated for the team's first season as a Yankees affiliate in 2015. For more information, please visit www.pulaskiyankees.net or follow the Pulaski Yankees on social media, @PulaskiYanks (Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram). This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.