Yankees lose playoff opener to Royals, 6-0
Burlington, NC – The Yankees dropped game one of their post season against the Burlington Royals by a score of 6-0 on Friday night. The loss marked the longest losing streak of the season for Pulaski this season as they also dropped the last three games of the regular season after clinching the East division and the best record in the Appalachian League.
The Yankees sent their ace of the staff in right-hander Reid Anderson to the mound to start game one. He got off to a good start and sat the first six Royals down in order. The Yanks got the first runner aboard the base paths with a one out walk from Antonio Cabello but Pulaski left him stranded as the next two batters recorded outs.
Burlington also drew a walk with one out in the bottom of the third inning and then hit a single to right field to have runners on the corner before Anderson earned a strikeout. With two outs, Burlington struck first with a three-run home run to give them the early lead.
The Yankees really struggled to put hits together as they only had three on the night and managed to get run runner to third base on a wild pitch in the sixth inning with one out but the Yankees failed to get him across the plate. Burlington added two more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning on a hit and an error to take a 5-0 lead.
The Royals added their last run of the night after hitting a lead off triple and later scored off a wild pitch from Mitch Spence.
Neither team really had to tax their bullpens as both teams used just two pitchers each in game one and should have their full arsenal for game two.
The Yankees will look to bounce back and keep their season alive tomorrow night back at Calfee Park. The Yanks and Royals will play game two in Pulaski and then a potential game three if Pulaski can get a win tomorrow night. Gates at Calfee Park will open at 4:00 with first pitch scheduled for 6:30. A limited number of reserved tickets are still available to go along with GA tickets. Win or lose, the Yankees will host a post-game fireworks show following the game tomorrow night. For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit www.pulaskiyankees.net or call (540) 980-1070.