E-Twin attack subdues Bristol

By Wes Holtsclaw
STAR STAFF
wholtsclaw@starhq.com

   Five errors and 14 allowed hits weren't what the Bristol White Sox wanted Thursday night.
   Despite five errors of their own, the Elizabethton Twins were happy to see things they panned out, pulling away with a 9-3 victory at Boyce Cox Field.
   Elizabethton held Bristol hitless throughout most of the game, and continued to pull away despite a strong start from the White Sox.
   Kyle Phillips was the big bat on the night for the 'Betsy Bombers, with a four of five outing including a huge two-run shot over the right field wall across Division Street.
   "It would be nice (to play) with that short porch in right field on a regular basis," said Phillips. "All you can do is put a swing on the ball. Fortunately, tonight, I got a few pitches to hit and came out on top."
   It was Elizabethton's fifth win out of their previous six games on the road against Pulaski and Bristol, the second and third place teams in the West Division.
   "We needed to come in and get some great pitching, hit the ball and get ahead in both series," Phillips added.
   Elizabethton opened with a strong rally after back-to-back hits from J.R. Taylor and Phillips. An errored shot from Dusty Gomon and a 1-2 putout from Brock Peterson gave the Twins a quick 2-0 lead.
   Bristol rallied back in their frame with a single from Chris Young and a single with an error from Leonardo Luna. Robert Valido flew Young in, while Melvin Perez used a grounder to tie the contest at two apiece.
   The Twins got going again after two outs in the third inning, with a Phillips single and a double from Gomon. Phillips scored on the double and an error allowed Gomon to pass, taking a 4-2 lead.
   Neither team got anything going until the sixth, when Ron Perodin and Ryan Spataro singled for Elizabethton. Josh Johnson and Taylor came up with RBI singles to push the lead forward for 'Betsy.
   Johnson got to do things his way again in the seventh, after a Peterson single, driving in his second of the game.
   Bristol got their first hit in four innings in the seventh when Jhonny Rivera singled, scoring on a throwing error. The Twins picked things back up in the eighth when Denard Span walked to set up Phillips' third homer in two nights.
   John Uhl had a strong night on the mound for Elizabethton, striking out six and allowing four hits in his five innings of work. Kevin Culpepper, Eric Brandon, and Hiroyuki Iida rounded things out on the mound.
   Rafael Flores took the loss for Bristol, while Sean Thompston and Demetrius Banks dealt with the squad's errors.
   After a night when things didn't go his team's way, Bristol manager Jerry Hairston wasn't too pleased with the overall outing.
   "Things didn't go right for us," he said. "We didn't have too many at bats and they outpitched us. We had some miscues and five errors, so did they, but they mixed in a few hits with it."
   Rivera led Bristol with two hits, while Taylor and Johnson went double-digits in the batting department with three and two respectively for Elizabethton, who returns home with a three game stand tonight.