Twins Homer to Game 1 Win Over Mets
KINGSPORT, Tenn.- Wander Javier's three-run home run in the top of the ninth inning broke a 3-3 ballgame as the Elizabethton Twins utilized three long balls to take down the Kingsport Mets, 6-3 Monday night in Game 1 of the final series of the season.Kingsport (28-36) has now dropped 8-of-its-last-10
KINGSPORT, Tenn.-
Kingsport (28-36) has now dropped 8-of-its-last-10 ballgames while falling 0-7 on the season to the Twins (40-26). The Mets were officially eliminated from playoff contention Sunday night with a loss to Bristol while Elizabethton clinched the Appalachian League Western Divisional title over the weekend.
With the two men on base and nobody out in the top of the ninth inning during a 3-3 ballgame, Javier drilled a three-run game-winning home run over the left field wall on a full-count offering from Kingsport reliver Maz Lozer. The hit was the final run-producing knock of the day as the Twins held on to secure the victory in the bottom of the ninth inning.
After two innings of play, Kingsport led 1-0.
Elizabethton responded in the top of the fourth inning when its clean-up hitter,
Kingsport tied the ballgame in the bottom of the sixth inning when a throwing error by Twins third baseman,
The score was knotted at two runs apiece after six innings of play.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, Kingsport took the lead at 3-2 on an RBI triple from
Miranda's home run was the third of the day for the two teams combined.
The wheels fell off in the top of the ninth when Elizabethton broke the 3-3 game with the monster three-run home run off the bat Javier. Prior to the game-winning bomb, the No. 5 prospect in the Minnesota Twins organization was 0-for-4 with three strikeouts at the plate.
Kingsport could not respond in the bottom of the frame as the Twins took Game 1 by the final score of 6-3.
Elizabethton scored six runs off 12 hits Monday night, three of those hits were home runs. Robinson had the two-run bomb in the fourth, Miranda the solo homer in the eighth and Javier the game-winning three-run long ball in the ninth.
Moreno was the lone K-Met to register a multi-hit day as the third baseman was 2-for-4 at the plate with a run scored. Dirocie's lone hit of the night was the home run in the second inning while Gladu's knock Monday evening was the RBI triple in the seventh.
Game 2 of the series is set to begin Wednesday night at 6:30 p.m. from Hunter Wright Stadium.