BY ALLEN LAMOUNTAIN

STAR CORRESPONDENT

Danville’s first baseman Bryce Ball continues to lead the league in home runs (11) and runs batted in (30) while maintaining a .327 batting average.

Only Princeton catcher Luis Leon (.380) has a better batting mark than Ball who continues to be a Triple Crown threat.

Burlington outfielder David Hollie and Pulaski pitcher Reid Anderson were named Players of the Week for the week of July 15-21.

Hollie hit a scorching .467 with four home runs and seven RBI in that stretch while scoring ten runs.

Anderson – a righthander – pitched nine innings of relief over two games giving up one run on two hits. Anderson struck out 11 and earned the win in both games.

The Elizabethton Twins left town last Wednesday on a hot streak, that was quickly cooled by three losses in five games, plus a Monday rainout in Bluefield.

The only two Twins wins came when they scored in double figures.

Elizabethton (18-14) scored a 13-1 win in Greeneville on Wednesday and a 10-7 victory over Bluefield on Saturday.

The Twins still maintain a slim lead of two games in the West Division over Johnson City (16-16).

In the 10-7 win over the Blue Jays, the Twins belted three home runs – a three-run jack by Willie Joe Garry, Jr. (2), a solo blast from catcher Kidany Salva (1), and a two-run homer from third baseman Seth Gray (5). Righthander Prelander Berroa (2-1, 5.40) got the win but was shaky, walking two, striking out four but giving up four runs (all earned) on six hits over five innings of work.

Ben Gross (3-1, 2.08) has proven himself the ace of the pitching staff as he went six innings in Wednesday’s 13-1 win over the Reds (14-18).

Gross did not give up an earned run and struck out three while scattering five hits.

Gross stands second in Appy League earned run average behind only Burlington’s Adrian Alcantara’s 1.91 mark.

Pulaski (21-11) has the best record in the league and has a four and one half-game lead on Burlington (17-16) in the East Division.

Kingsport (15-17) righthander Michael Otanez (2-2, 3.31) leads the league in strikeouts with 44 over 32.2 innings.

Danville lefty Mitch Stallings (3-3, 2.23) is second with 39.

Stallings has been the victim of a lack of run support as he leads the league in innings pitched with 36.1 but Danville (14-19) is near the bottom of the league in batting average .234, ahead of only Pulaski .231 and Greeneville .225.

Pulaski leads the league in ERA with a 3.68 mark and has given up a league-low 115 earned runs.

The Yankees staff has also allowed a league-low of 23 home runs against them and are second in the league – behind Johnson City (88) – in walks allowed with 98.

The Twins are third in the league’s ERA with a 4.00 mark and lead the league in strikeouts with 367.

Elizabethton’s batting leader is outfielder Matt Wallner with a .306 batting average with two home runs and 12 RBI, followed by Garry, Jr. at .298 with two homers and 11 ribbies.

Games on tap this week include Princeton at Elizabethton, Danville at Greeneville, Johnson City at Kingsport, Bristol at Burlington and Pulaski at Bluefield.