Left hander Austin Tribby (3-0, 3.86) pitched himself out of a tough jam in the top of the 12th and earned the win on Monday night as the Elizabethton Twins took a 4-3 victory over Danville at Joe O’Brien Field.
Left fielder Shane Carrier delivered the winning blow with a sharp single to centerfield that allowed pinch runner Ariel Montesino to score from first with the help of an errant throw that went into the Braves (20-24) dugout.
In the top of the 12th, with the score tied 3-3, Danville got singles from Christian Pache and Ramon Osuna to put Braves runners on the corners with no outs. Tribby then reached back and struck out Isranel Wilson, Matt Hearn and Marcus Mooney to get the Twins (22-21) out of the jam.
“The last time Marcus Mooney got a hit off me was on a changeup and I remembered that,” Tribby said. “I’m familiar with him because I have faced him before, so I was just going to pound him with fastballs, and if he hits it, he hits it. I wasn’t trying to strike everybody out, I was letting my defense work because we have an excellent defense.”
The Twins jumped to a 3-0 first inning lead for right hander Jose Martinez as shortstop Brandon Lopez walked and one out later Alex Kirilloff and Mitchell Kranson each delivered RBI hits and Carrier followed with his first hit of the night.
A sacrifice fly from Amaurys Minier brought home the third run of the frame.
Martinez, arguably, pitched his best game of the season going five strong innings before running into some trouble in the sixth. Before the sixth Martinez surrendered one run – on a long home run off the bat of Osuna – with one strikeout and just three hits.
“I felt good and had good rhythm,” said Martinez through translator Johan Quesada. “It was key for me to throw strikes, and I had a good fastball working.”
Osuna connected off Martinez in the second inning and was a deep shot over the 399 sign in left centerfield, and it cut the Twins lead to 3-1. In the sixth, Hearn singled to lead off and Mooney also singled to put runners on the corners.
Mooney was picked off trying to steal second but in the process of getting him put out Hearn swiped home to make it a 3-2 contest. Derian Cruz then spanked a triple off the scoreboard and he scored on a sacrifice fly by Matt Gonzalez.
From there it was six innings of stellar relief pitching by both sides as Danville used five pitchers while the Twins sent three hurlers to the mound. Patrick McGuff came on in the sixth and went three innings of two-hit relief.
Tribby came on in the ninth and he went three-and-one-third innings, striking out seven and giving up just three hits.
“Just for the team to get an extra inning win is all I care about,” Tribby said. “Lately the starters have been doing a good job of going deep into the game so we only have to burn one or two pitchers instead of four or five.”
Brandon White (1-2, 2.53) was the tough luck loser as Kranson walked with two down and Monetsino pinch ran. Carrier’s shot was to right center and Wilson came up throwing but he overthrew the relay man and the ball rolled into the Danville dugout, and field umpire Grant Hinson directed Montesino home with the winning run.

E-Twins 4-3
Danville 010 002 000 000 – 3 10 2
Elizabethton 300 000 000 001 – 4 9 0
W – Tribby (3-0) L – White (1-2)
HR – Osuna (2)