Published: July 02, 2008 10:21 pm            

Appalachian League Notebook

BLUEFIELD — While the Bluefield Orioles entered Wednesday’s Appalachian League baseball game at Princeton with a 4-11 record, they still led the Mercer Cup series two games to one.

Started in 1992, Bluefield leads the all-time series 9-6-1, although Princeton has won the last three and four of the last five.

Three Mercer Cup trophies have been retired, with the fourth — recently completed by T&N Trophies in Bluefield — was on display at Hunnicutt Field on Wednesday and will be at Bowen Field when the teams play again tonight at 7 p.m.

A cup or trophy is retired every time one of the teams win three straight years. Bluefield retired the hardware in 1995 and 2001, with Princeton doing the same after last season.

Princeton won the first Mercer Cup competition in ‘92, but the then-Devil Rays won just once after that until 2003, that being in ‘98. Bluefield won in ‘04, with Princeton winning the last three, including the last two by a convincing 17 games to five for the Orioles.

Heading into the this season, Bluefield had a 70-35 record against Princeton in their Mercer Cup winning seasons, while the Rays were 43-23. Overall, Bluefield held a 98-83 advantage over the Rays since ‘92. The lone series tie was in ‘94 when the teams tied at five games apiece.

•Another Princeton product has reached the major leagues. First baseman Wes Bankston was recalled by the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday to replace injured third baseman Eric Chavez.

Bankston, a fourth round pick by Tampa Bay in 2002, led the Appalachian League with 18 home runs and 57 runs batted in. Bankston was batting .269 with 14 homers and 49 RBIs for the Sacramento Rivercats, the A’s Triple-A team.

•Through 15 games, Danville and Elizabethton held identical 12-3 records. The Braves already had a 4 1/2 game lead on Pulaski (7-7), while the Twins were 2 up on Bristol (9-4).

Those teams have met for the Appalachian League title for the last three seasons.

Elizabethton has scored 124 runs (8.3 per game), and leads the circuit in nearly every offensive category, including batting average (.313) and home runs (25). Danville has scored the second most runs with 93, and are hitting .286 as a team.

By comparison, Burlington (1-13) has scored just 50 runs, compiled a .204 batting average and hit just two long balls. The Royals’ lone win had been a 6-1 decision over Pulaski on June 23. They had lost eight straight since then.

While the Twins are leading the league on offense, Danville is doing the same on the mound. The Braves had a 2.35 ERA, and had allowed the fewest runs (49, 3.3). By comparison, Burlington’s ERA is 6.32 and the Royals have surrendered 105 (7.5) runs.

Bluefield, with an ERA of 6.00, has surrendered 111 runs, the most in the circuit.

•According to at least one source, Kingsport teenager Wilmer Flores is the Appy League’s first Player of the Week of the ‘08 season. Flores, a 16-year-old shortstop from Venezuela, was hitting .375 with four home runs and 18 runs batted in for the Mets through 15 games.



•Appalachian League leaders:

Batting Average: Jonathan Waltenbury, Kingsport .411; Jorge Castillo, Bristol, .410; Burt Reynolds, Princeton .397; Elias Otero, Princeton .388; Shayne Moody, Danville .386.

Home Runs: Geraldo Rodriguez, Danville 6; Alexander Soto, Elizabethton 5; Curt Smith, Johnson City 4; Elvin Polanco, Bluefield 4; Wilmer Flores, Kingsport 4.

Runs Batted In: Rodriguez, Danville 20; Flores, Kingsport 18; Juan Silverio, Bristol, 17; Polanco, Bluefield 15; 4 tied with 13.

Doubles: Gabriel Zavala, Kingsport 8; Waltenbury, Elizabethton 7; 4 tied with 5.

Triples: Elias Otero, Princeton 6; Stefan Welch, Kingsport 4; Justin Greene, Bristol 4; Burt Reynolds, Princeton 3; 7 tied with 2.

Runs: Greene, Bristol 16; Flores, Kingsport 15; Waltenbury, Elizabethton 15; Otero, Princeton 13; 5 tied at 12.

Hits: Otero, Princeton 26; Reynolds, Princeton 25; Flores, Kingsport, 24; Waltenbury 23; Moody, Danville 22.

Stolen Bases: Guillermo Toribia, Johnson City 8; Greene, Bristol 7; Diogenes Luis, Princeton 6; Jordan Kendall, Bristol 5; 2 tied with 4.

Walks: Daniel Stegall, Kingsport 10; Jean Luc Biaquiere, Kingsport 10; Brian Conley, Bluefield 10; Kody Hinze, Greeneville 10; Devon Torrence, Greeneville 9.

ERA: Garrett Johnson, Bristol 0.73; Colton Pitkin, Greeneville 0.75; Casey Hodges, Danville 1.13; Gregory Infante, Bristol 1.13; Matthew North, Johnson City 1.29.

Wins: Bradley Tippett, Elizabethton 3; 9 tied with 2.

Saves: Kevin Asselin, Bristol 4; Craig Kimbrel, Danville 4; Brian Wabick, Greeneville 3; 7 tied with 2.

Strikeouts: Matthew Moore, Princeton 21; Johnson, Bristol 19; Daniel Berlind, Elizabethton 19; Richard Sullivan, Danville 19; 3 tied with 18.

—Contact Brian Woodson

at bwoodson@bdtonline.com

        

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