With one swing of the bat, the whole complexion of a baseball game can change. Tonight consecutive swings solidified how important two members of the E-Twins are to the ball club.

With Elizabethton holding a one run lead headed into the bottom of the third, Jermaine Palacios led off with a double, the second of his three hits tonight. Alex Perez singled to advance the lead-off man to third. Runners on the corners, no outs for LaMonte Wade.

Wade stepped to the plate, and starting pitcher Dalton Rodriguez was visibly shaken. With one big cut of Wade’s left handed bat, the E-Twins led 4-0 as he bombed a pitch to the right field side of the batters’ eye. Chris Paul followed Wade to the plate.

Paul has shown considerable power since joining the club, and tonight in his 20th game in Betsy would not let the man he has went swing for swing with over the last ten games out hit him. Paul put maple on baseball and deposited it over the high wall in left. Back-to-back home runs from the E-Twins most reliable power bats.

Elizabethton would add five additional runs in the fifth inning after Blue Jays reliever Dan Lietz walked the first and only four he faced to lead off the inning. Bluefield would score four but would never really challenge the Betsy lead to stretch the winning streak to three, just the second time this season the club has strung together three wins.

Onesimo Hernandez was solid until he ran out of gas, giving up two runs in the Top of the 6th. Josh Guyer was good enough through 1.2 IP surrendering two more runs. Jose Abreu finished off the game and pitched well in his 1.2 IP, striking out three.

Thoughts on the Night

Kamran Young and Amaurys Minier were both out of the line-up tonight. The lineup did well in their absence with all nine guys getting one hit except for Palacios who had three.

LaMonte Wade and Chris Paul showcased their tremendous power with back-to-back home runs. I would not expect Chris Paul to be in Elizabethton much longer.

Onesimo Hernandez was great while there was still gas left in the tank. After a shaky first he retired the next 13 he faced before the wheels fell off. It was good enough for a win on a night when the offense flourished.

With the results of the night now final, Elizabethton finds its self in a tie with Kingsport for second in the division. The clubs are a game and a half back of Greeneville, who lost tonight to Bristol. The E-Twins are 7-3 in their last ten games, that is tied with Bristol for second in the league over the same period.

The team will have the brooms at the ready tomorrow night against Bluefield. The Greeneville Astros come to town on Monday and dependent on the outcomes of tomorrow’s contests, first place in the West could be on the line at The Joe come Monday.