West Division showdown… Cardinals take walk-off win in classic battle with E-Twins, 4-3
Published 6:00 am Wednesday, July 10, 2019
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders E-Twins second baseman Ruben Santana prepares to throw to first to retire a Cardinal baserunner.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Elizabethton starting pitcher Ryley Widell prepares to deliver a pitch to the plate. Widell had a solid outing going 4 1/3 innings allowing only two runs on four hits and striking out seven Johnson City batters.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Ruben Santana of Elizabethton can't slide under the tag of Johnson City shortstop Mateo Gil in Monday's action from TVA Credit Union Ball Park.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders E-Twins southpaw Ryley Widell sets to deliver a pitch to the plate in Elizabethton's game against Johnson City. Widell had a solid outting going 4 1/3 innings and striking out seven Cardinal batters. He did not figure into the decision.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders E-Twins centerfielder Willie Joe Garry Jr. retrieves the baseball after a JC Cardinal base hit. Backing up the play was rightfielder Matt Wallner.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Johnson City Cardinal baserunner Jhon Torres is hung out to dry as E-Twins shortstop Spencer Steer awaits to apply the tag after a throw from first baseman Albee Weiss.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Elizabethton shortstop Spencer Steer throws across the diamond after making a dandy stop in an attempt to record an out at first base.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Johnson City's Terry Fuller is tagged out trying to steal second base by E-Twin second baseman Ruben Santana.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Elizabethton Twin relief pitcher Steven Cruz helped get the E-Twins out of pickle in the fifth inning with one out and the bases loaded.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders E-Twins rightfielder Matt Wallner smacks his fifth double of the season to drive in one of two runs scored by Elizabethton in the top of the first.
BY IVAN SANDERS
STAR STAFF
ivan.sanders@elizabethton.com
JOHNSON CITY- Whenever the Elizabethton Twins and Johnson City Cardinals tangle on the diamond, there will always be one certainty—the fans will always get their money’s worth.
It happened Tuesday again at TVA Credit Union Ball Park as the E-Twins had a couple of leads in the game before the Cardinals battled back to score a run in the bottom of the eighth and one in the ninth that gave Johnson City a half-game lead over Elizabethton and Bristol.
All teams took Tuesday off due to the Major League Baseball All-Star game.
Elizabethton brought out the big bats to start the game as Spencer Steer worked a leadoff walk and was chased to third on an Anthony Prato single.
With one out, Albee Weiss drove a deep ball to right field for a sacrifice fly that allowed Steer to cross the plate.
Rightfielder Matt Wallner sizzled a double down the first base line, his fifth of the season, that allowed Prato to race around to make it 2-0 at the end of the top half of the inning.
Meanwhile, Elizabethton starting pitcher Ryley Widell was working effectively on the mound as the southpaw keep the Cardinal bats in check mixing in his off-speed pitches and utilizing a popping fastball when needed.
Johnson City finally reached the scoreboard in the bottom of the third inning as a throwing error on E-Twins shortstop Steer put Todd Lott on first base for the Cardinals.
As it seems to be the case, the error came back to hurt Elizabethton as Kyle Skeels sent a line-drive home run over the left-center field fence to even the game at 2-2.
Both starting pitchers continued to work effectively until Widell worked into a jam in the bottom of the fifth inning loading the bases with one out.
E-Twin manager Ray Smith made the call to the bullpen bringing in reliever Steven Cruz who did yeomen’s work in getting Elizabethton out of the tight spot by striking out Trejyn Fletcher and enticing Mateo Gil into grounding out to Steer at short to end the threat.
Elizabethton retook the lead in the top of the sixth inning when Wallner and Trevor Jensen singled with one out.
Janigson Villalobos brought Wallner home from second with the third consecutive E-Twin single in the inning giving Elizabethton the 3-2 lead.
Elizabethton carried that lead into the bottom of the eighth inning when the Cardinals answered to pull the game even.
Chandler Redmond tied the game with one swing of the bat taking a pitch from Frandy Torres and depositing it over the left-center field fence to make it a 3-3 game.
The Cardinals wasted little time in making sure to make the home crowd happy in the bottom of the ninth inning as Skeels pounced on a Dylan Thomas pitch for a double to centerfield.
Liam Sabino ended the game as he laced a single to center allowing Skeels to score from second for the victory.
Johnson City ran their season record to 11-8 while the E-Twins fell to 11-9 and a tie with the Bristol Pirates.
Elizabethton will be home for a seven-game stretch beginning Wednesday when they host Burlington for three games and then are back it with Johnson City for a four-game series beginning Saturday.
