Pulaski hammers Elizabethton, 8-4
The Pulaski Yankees and Elizabethton Twins faced off for the first of six total games this season on Monday night at Calfee Park. The Yankees used stellar pitching and the long-ball to get back in the win column and top the Twins 8-4 in front of 2,708 fans.
Yoendrys Gomez made his third start of the season, his first at home this season, and did not disappoint. The 6’3 right-hander out of Venezuela went five innings tonight and gave up just four hits and zero runs while striking out five batters to advance to 3-0 this season. Gomez lowered his season ERA to 0.56 in 16.0 innings pitched.
Ryder Green got the fans excited early on in this one as he hit a solo home run, his third of the season, to right field to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second. Nelson Alvarez stepped into the batters box in the bottom of the third with one out and sent a 1-0 pitch 414 ft. to right field for his first home run of the season. Oliver Dunn extended the lead by one more run in the same inning when he singled to left-center field to score Volpe from third.
The Yankees added another pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth inning by stringing together four hits and got some help by the Twins who committed two errors in the inning, four overall in the game. The Yankees weren’t done there though and scored another two runs in the seventh inning when Madison Santos hit a two-run home run to right field. The Yankees tied their season best by hitting three home runs in a game for the second time this season.
Everything seemed to be working for the Yankees Monday night. Anthony Volpe showed off why the Yankees spent a first round draft pick on him by continuing to make defensive plays. While he is currently batting just .188, he is flashing the leather while in the field and makes some of the tougher plays look effortless. He turned a smooth unassisted double play in the top of the sixth and then threw a runner out at home on the relay from shallow left field to end the inning and keep the Twins at just 1-run for the time being.
The Yankees scored one more run in the eighth inning after Chad Bell hit a ball to center field that took a hop to get past the charging center fielder. Bell ended up at third base and scored just a couple batters later. With the score 8-1 and many fans headed for the exit, the Twins scored three runs on back-to-back home runs in the top of the ninth to make things a little tighter for those who stayed and those in the Pulaski dugout. Elvis Peguero buckled down to get the last two outs and send the Yankees onto the field for celebratory post-game handshakes.
The Yankees and Twins will continue their series tomorrow night as the town of Pulaski and the Yankees celebrate American Evolution Night at the ballpark. We will commemorate the 400th anniversary of some key historical events that took place right here in Virginia. It will also be Twos-day at Calfee Park where select concessions items will be just $2. You don’t want to miss out on the fun so head to www.pulaskiyankees.net or call (540)-980-1070 to purchase your tickets.