Twins walk off against Bluefield in season opener, 3-2
Published 6:00 am Thursday, June 20, 2019
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Elizabethton Twins relief pitcher J.T. Perez sends an offering to a Bluefield batter.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Manager Ray Smith of Elizabethton walks to the mound as he prepares to lift his starting pitcher Prelander Berroa after 4 2/3 innings of great work.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders E-Twin pitcher Prelander Berroa worked 4 2/3 innings of baseball to open the 2019 Appalachian League season opener against Bluefield. Berroa gave up no hits and three walks and didn't figure into final outcome with Elizabethton winning 3-2 on a walkoff double from Tyler Webb in the bottom of the 9th inning.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders The ball is just beyond the reach of Elizabethton Twin first baseman Albee Weiss on a pick-off attempt. The errant throw allowed the Blue Jay baserunner to advance to second base.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Elizabethton Twin catcher Yeremi De La Cruz attempts to break up a double play.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders E-Twin first baseman Albee Weiss scores the first run of the 2019 season to give Elizabethton the early 1-0 advantage.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Elizabethton Twin third baseman Charles Mack gets ready to gun a throw to first to retire a potential Blue Jay base runner.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Elizabethton Twins starting pitcher Prelander Berroa fires a pitch to the dish in Tuesday's home opener against the Bluefield Blue Jays. Berroa pitched 4 2/3 innings and didn't allow a hit in his time on the mound.
BY ALLEN LAMOUNTAIN
STAR CORRESPONDENT
Opening night of the 2019 Elizabethton Twins season on Tuesday was delayed a half hour but the game got underway as slated with the Bluefield Blue Jays visiting Northeast Community Credit Union Ballpark to take on the Twins.
The Twins sent the sellout crowd of 1,459 home happy as outfielder Tyler Webb crushed a bases-loaded, walk-off double to stake Elizabethton to a 3-2 victory.
“I was seeing the ball well in that at bat,” Webb said. “I had a couple questionable calls but at 3-1 I was looking fastball and he gave me one up and away and I just went with it and got barrel on it.”
Elizabethton carried a combined no hitter into the eighth inning until Bluefield’s Eric Rivera delivered a run scoring double that tied the game at 1-1.
Rivera’s hit plated Steward Berrora who had walked. A wild pitch from the Twins third hurler, Erik Cha, allowed Rivera to score for a 2-1 Blue Jays lead.
The Twins (1-0) struck first in the last of the second on a leadoff single from first baseman Albee Weiss and an RBI single from designated hitter Yeremi DeLaCruz to stake Elizabethton to a 1-0 lead.
Twins righthander Prelander Berroa was dealing through four innings having given up no runs, no hits and walked three while striking out seven.
“Berroa was good for us,” Twins manager Ray Smith said. “We brought him up at the end of last year from the GCL and he acted like he was 25 years old and he’s like 19.
“We started him in last season’s championship game and he shut them down for like five innings. He’s got good stuff and good mound presence. He has an idea how to pitch.”
Lefthanded reliever J.T. Perez came on with two away in the fifth and he retired Jays centerfielder Eric Rivera on a ground ball to third to end the frame with Betsy on top 1-0.
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Elizabethton, 3-2
Bluefield 000 000 020 – 2 3 0
E-Twins 010 000 002 – 3 5 2
W – Cha. L – Hinohosa.
