Pulaski Mariners win Appalachian League

PULASKI – Garbrial Franca singled in Luke Guarnaccia with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning and the Pulaski Mariners beat the Greeneville Astros 6-5 to claim the Appalachian League championship Thursday night at Calfee Park.

The Mariners won the best-of-three series 2-0 by overcoming a five-run deficit that Greeneville built in the first three innings. It is Pulaski’s first league championship since 1991.

In the bottom of the third, Toby DeMello doubled in two runs to get Pulaski to within 5-2.

A sacrifice fly by Jeffrey Zimmerman that scored Franca in the fourth made it 5-3, and then a Greeneville throwing error with none out and the bases loaded in the sixth scored two more Mariners runs and tied the score at 5-5.

The ninth inning started for Pulaski with Guarnaccia reaching second on a ground-rule double down the left-field line. He got to third on an infield single by Isaiah Yates. DeMello was then intentionally walked by Greeneville pitcher Joe Musgrove, who struck out Dan Kemp after that for the first out of the inning.

However, Franca’s single ended the game. The Mariners outhit Greeneville 14-5.

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